Some people simply object to compensating those injured in accidents with money—for any reason. As a matter of principle, some may feel injured persons should be strong and bear their losses. After all, their no-fault insurance should cover their medical bills and lost wages. It is a good bet these people have never been seriously injured in an accident. And it is unlikely that anyone in their family has suffered such a fate. If a Conservative is a Liberal who has been mugged, perhaps a skeptical insurance adjuster whose mother is injured through gross negligence may become a passionate injury lawyer. Regardless, it is fair to debate the issue of translating pain directly into dollars. This debate involves damages.
Some may feel it is demeaning to human suffering to place a financial value on it. Yet that is the only method our legal system offers to rectify injurious acts committed by negligent motorists, shop owners, corporations, or others. As long as this method of compensation is available, those injured in accidents and their attorneys will seek to maximize injury settlements and verdicts.
Others point to the added costs of doing business they feel are generated by injury lawsuits. They believe these added costs are passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices. As a matter of social policy, however, our legal system reflects the view that the cost of accidents should be spread among consumers and that the right of injured individuals to claim and receive compensation should be preserved. Not only can financial compensation help to make the accident victim whole, the threat of lawsuits keeps companies accountable for their errors.
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