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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Posts
    1

    Unhappy Assaulted by Gang, Forced to Pay for Dental Bills

    I was beaten by three people at a party in front of dozens of witnesses, completely unprovoked. In the altercation I lost two teeth and had two more teeth pushed back to the point of needing braces for repair. The damage is estimated at over $15 000. Different witnesses are giving various accounts of which of the three people caused the damage to my teeth. At the time, all of three of them were minors. The damage to my mouth is consistent with the shape of a bottle's nozzle. It has become difficult to prove whether a bottle was used and which of the three actually caused the damage, although it's clearly evident that all three of them did attack me. The police never followed up on the case despite us repeatedly calling them and giving them contact information for witnesses; the civil lawyer my family talked to didn't seem keen on us seeking compensation. My family has no money to pay for this, can anything be done?

  2. #2

    Default Re: Assaulted by Gang, Forced to Pay for Dental Bills

    Did police actually take a report? Were they contacted immediately when the incident occurred? If not, how long after the event? It sounds like the conflicting statements of witnesses are preventing an identification of suspects, and if that's the case, there's only so much "follow up" that CAN be done. They can't bring charges if they can't identify specific suspects, and conflicting witness statements aren't going to inspire a DA to pick up charges. However, if the incident was properly reported, and you've been cooperative with whatever level of investigation HAS been possible, you may qualify to apply for crime victim compensation in your unnamed state. If criminal prosecution ever becomes possible, and a conviction is achieved, restitution for medical bills can be included as part of a sentence.

    Realistically, unless the witness conflicts are somehow overcome, even a civil case isn't likely to garner a judgement...and...given that the subjects in question are both minors and suspected gang members, even if you WON a civil case, the odds that you'd ever see actual money from it is pretty low (which is why your civil attorney isn't jumping all over it - winning is one thing...actually GETTING the money is something altogether DIFFERENT).

    I suspect that application to the crime victim compensation program is about your best shot to get assistance with the medical bills.

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