Given how life-changing an injury can be, it’s only natural to want to hold someone to account. Holding someone responsible may result in financial compensation to get your life back on track. Surprisingly, not everyone who ends up with injuries from someone’s bad intentions or negligence will file a personal injury lawsuit. The most common reasons why may just surprise you.
The Legal System Daunts Them
Even though there are plenty of caring attorneys out there, not everyone has enough courage or knowledge to contact someone in the legal system who can help them. They may think they will never win their case, or they may have even heard horror stories from friends and family about their own legal cases.
In reality, everyone’s lawsuit is unique to them. Someone else’s case outcome doesn’t dictate yours. What’s more, there are plenty of professional, empathic legal teams out there who can walk you through the process every step of the way.
They Can Afford to Cover the Costs
Compensation can form a significant part of a personal injury lawsuit. If the injured party is in a comfortable financial situation, they may decide to pay their medical bills themselves and absorb the costs associated with time off work and rehabilitation.
However, there can sometimes be more to a personal injury lawsuit than just financial compensation. They can also be pivotal for accident prevention in the future, especially if negligence by a company or corporation was to blame for what happened to them.
They Are Worried About Time
Lawsuits can take weeks, months, or years to reach an outcome, depending on how complicated the case is. Some people don’t want to find themselves immersed in the legal system for that long, especially if it’s going to affect their work schedule, family life, and mental health.
Some people may just decide that rather than dedicate that time to holding someone to account, they focus on moving on with their life in the best way they can.
They Fear Financial Repercussions for the Defendant
In many situations, personal injuries are not caused by bad intentions or intentional negligence. Instead, they are accidents, and the defendant would take it all back if they could. Sometimes, the victim can fear that going full steam ahead with a personal injury lawsuit could result in financial repercussions for the defendant.
In many situations, the defendant has insurance to protect them in case of lawsuits. It’s often on the shoulders of an insurance company to ensure that both you and the defendant are getting a fair deal.
The Defendant Doesn’t Have Funds
If a defendant doesn’t have insurance or money to spare for a legal case, some people may feel less inclined to file a lawsuit. They may believe that a lack of funds means their compensation claim won’t be worth their time.
However, in these situations, it can always be worth talking to a lawyer. Even if the defendant’s insurance doesn’t cover compensation, there may be a way to receive funds via their weekly wages to ease some of your financial burdens.
The Victim Doesn’t Have Funds
Not having much money can cause anyone a great deal of stress. That stress may be exacerbated by the idea that contacting a legal team will cost them money they don’t have to spare. While every law firm is different, many handling personal injury lawsuits operate on a contingency fee basis.
This fee structure allows people with a personal injury claim to have a high-quality lawyer on their side with minimal financial impact. They get paid when you get paid. Often, once the case has reached a successful outcome, they take a percentage of the victim’s win, plus associated costs for factors such as expert witnesses, printing, and emails. If the victim isn’t successful in their claim, they often don’t have to pay for the legal team’s time.
Religious Beliefs
Forgiveness can form a significant part of many people’s religious beliefs. They believe that going through with a lawsuit is an act of revenge and possibly even vindictive. However, going after compensation to cover the bills associated with your personal injury is not revenge-seeking. Instead, it’s a form of protection to make sure you’re not going to end up financially affected by what has happened to you.
Personal injury lawsuits can also be a learning opportunity, especially if it leads to procedural changes to reduce the risk of injuries like yours happening to other people.
Everyone has their own reasons for why they do or don’t file personal injury lawsuits. Whatever the reason, though, it’s helpful to know what can be gained by getting attorneys involved. There is often more to these legal processes than money alone.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
