Does the idea of suing someone make you cringe? Do you think, ‘That’ll never be me’?
Spoiler alert - so does every one of our clients.
Every week, we get calls from folks who’ve been hurt or have lost a loved one because of someone else’s recklessness. The folks we represent never think they’ll be in this situation. They never imagined calling a lawyer. They never imagined suing someone. But now the medical bills are piling up, and they need to hold someone accountable.
Few people ever imagine suing someone, and contrary to what you may hear on TV, filing a lawsuit isn’t a one-way ticket to getting rich.
In this article, we break down three of the most common misconceptions we encounter when it comes to personal injury cases and give you the truth about why people pursue legal action.
Misconception #1: A lawsuit is about money.
When someone else chooses to violate your rights, they need to be held accountable. For our team and our clients, filing a lawsuit is about accountability. Accountability means someone acknowledges that they made a mistake, promises not to do it again, and does all they can to make it right. A lawsuit is often the only mechanism that we have to hold folks accountable for their actions.
None of our clients are the “lawsuit type.” They’d give all the money in the world to have their lives go back to the way they were before their experience and before their injuries. They choose to file a lawsuit to seek justice and find closure in what happened to them.
Misconception #2: A lawsuit isn’t worth it because the person I am suing probably doesn’t have money anyway.
More likely than not, when you file a lawsuit in a personal injury case you are going to end up recovering against an insurance policy. Yes, on paper you are suing a person or a company for what happened. However, in reality, it is an insurance company on the other side of the table that is calling the shots on how they defend the case for the person or company they insure.
Misconception #3: A lawsuit is like a winning lottery ticket.
We have all seen news stories or movies depicting someone being hit by a car and getting rich because of it. Since these personal injury and wrongful death cases result in money, many people perceive a personal injury lawsuit with a lottery payout. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Just ask any of our clients.
The painful reality is that no amount of money recovered has ever replaced what was taken from our clients. Even if their recovery was thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions of dollars, their lives are forever changed. The money does help put some broken pieces together, no question about it, but it can’t return things to the way they were before the accident. Beyond helping our client recover and find closure, the recovery serves as a symbol that our system of accountability works in the United States. You can’t just alter someone else’s life and not be held accountable.
Where to Go for the Facts
The Button Law Firm is committed to doing more to keep you moving forward in life. One step in that is a promise to sharing our knowledge of Texas laws so every person in our community can be informed and make the best decisions for themselves and their family. We’re here to do away with misconceptions and help people find the truth.
If you’re looking for guidance after being injured due to someone else’s negligence, you can download my free book, The Essential Guide For Your Texas Injury Case.
If you have any other questions, please reach out to us. Even if we aren’t the best law firm for your specific case, we’ll help you find the one that is. We are here to help.