When I first went into the practice of Personal Injury Law,
I experienced my fair share of ribbing. I used to dread that moment at a party
when I was asked, “So what do you do?” Inevitably, someone would laugh and say,
“Oh. You’re an ambulance chaser…hahaha.” Even if they didn’t say it, I could
see from their expression that they were thinking it.
Who could blame them for their perceptions of what I do?
We’re bombarded by TV commercials of lawyers promising to get people lots of
money if they’ve suffered an injury. Some of them are indeed shameless. In a
business where monetary gain is based on the severity of a person’s injury,
it’s easy to see why there is such a negative perception of personal injury
lawyers.
But the truth is, we’re not all bad. After practicing
Personal Injury law for about twenty years, I’ve come to realize that this
world would be a different place if it weren’t for the work that we do.
Personal Injury Law makes the world a safer place for people. Someone who has
never had to make a personal injury claim may take for granted the benefits
that come from making people accountable for the safety of their fellow
citizens.
Do you really think that General Motors, Ford and Chrysler
have produced safer cars over the last several decades because they care about
people? Or is it that they know they stand to lose money in a lawsuit if they
don’t?
And do the makers of consumer products make consumer safety
a primary concern because they are nice? The number of past lawsuits involving
unsafe products would suggest otherwise.
Most people take for granted that the food they eat, the
medicine they take and the cosmetics they use, will be safe. Products are tried
and tested before they hit the shelves, right? Why? Because companies know that
there is a great deal of financial risk if their products harm the public.
Of course the government enforces consumer safety, but did
you know that the government penalties for unsafe products are minor compared
to the profits these companies make? Government
penalties are written off as “the cost of doing business.”
However, being sued in a class action lawsuit is a different
story for these companies. In a lawsuit, they stand to lose a great deal of
money for creating dangerous products.
And parents, what about our playgrounds? As a child growing
up, I remember rusty slides and worn out swings being the norm. Today, you
would be hard pressed to find a dangerous piece of playground equipment at a
school or otherwise. Certainly, personal injury lawsuits have helped to enforce
that public playgrounds are maintained to ensure a safer environment for our
children.
When someone has been seriously injured in an automobile or
work accident and can no longer earn a living because of another person’s
negligence, do you really trust insurance companies to do the right thing?
After dealing with this type of thing for so long, I can say, without a doubt,
the answer is no. When someone makes a claim, insurance companies may start off
dealing with him or her in a friendly manner, but when it comes to actually
paying the claim, they always look to pay the least amount they possibly can,
whether it is for medical bills or a financial settlement. They employ people
to go over every claim with a fine-tooth comb and root out different ways to
deny it. That’s where we come in. A personal injury attorney has the tools to
make insurance companies accountable.
Now when I’m at a party, I look forward to the question,
“So, what do you do?” Why? Because I can
say proudly that I help make the world a safer place!
