I understand what they mean. They’re telling me they aren’t looking to get rich off tragedy. They aren’t greedy. They don’t want to be seen as someone looking for a handout. And honestly, I get it, there’s an unfair stereotype out there of the eager litigant who sees dollar signs after an accident. But in all my years doing this work, I’ve yet to meet that person (and if I did, they would not be my client).

The people who sit in my office are regular folks. They’re farmers and teachers and parents and grown children who just lost a loved one. They’re people whose lives have been torn apart, and they’re trying to figure out what to do next. Most of them are reluctant to be here at all. That reluctance doesn’t make them unusual, it makes them human.

What a Lawsuit Can Actually Do

Here’s something I have to explain to almost every client at some point: in our civil justice system, the only thing a jury can award is money. That’s it. A jury cannot order a company to change its policies. A jury cannot require a trucking company to improve its training or take dangerous drivers off the road. All a jury can do, at the end of a trial, is decide whether someone was at fault and, if so, how much money to award.

I wish that were different. Why? Because clients and family members want accountability and change. They want to know that what happened to their family won’t happen to someone else’s family. That way, their loved one did not have to die in vain.

And while I can’t promise that, I can tell you this: money is the language that corporations (and insurance companies) understand. When a company cuts corners on safety by skipping maintenance, pushing drivers past their hours, or failing to train properly, they’re often doing it because it saves money. The civil justice system is designed to make that calculation backfire. When unsafe behavior becomes expensive, companies pay attention. Exposed to enough liability, they start to realize that doing things the right way is cheaper than doing things the dangerous way.

So yes, a lawsuit is about money. But it’s money with a purpose. It’s accountability in the only form our system allows. And while I can never guarantee that a lawsuit will lead to change, I’ve seen it happen. I’ve seen companies change policies after being held accountable. Not necessarily because they suddenly found their conscience, but because they learned that cutting corners costs more than it saves.

Settlement as a Path to Change

There’s another piece to this that’s worth mentioning. While a jury can only award money, a settlement is different. In a settlement, we have room to negotiate for things beyond dollars.

In some cases, I’ve been able to work with families to push for specific changes as part of a settlement agreement. Maybe that’s a commitment from the company to change a policy, improve training, or address the exact problem that led to the crash. It doesn’t happen in every case, and I can’t promise it will happen in yours. But it’s something we can try for. For families who are motivated by preventing the next tragedy, this can be a meaningful part of resolving a case.

Answers Matter

There’s something else that happens in a lawsuit that I think gets overlooked: discovery.

After a serious crash, companies and their insurance carriers tend to button up. They stop talking. Internal documents get locked down. The family is left with questions and no way to get answers. Why did this happen? Was the driver fatigued? Was the truck maintained properly? Did the company know there was a problem and ignore it?

These questions can eat at a person. And in my experience, not knowing can make the grief harder to carry.

When a lawsuit is filed, we gain the power of discovery. That means we can compel the company to turn over documents like driver logs, training records, maintenance files, internal emails, and more. We can take depositions and ask questions under oath. For many families, this process finally gives them the answers they’ve been desperate for. Sometimes what we find confirms what they suspected. Sometimes it reveals things no one saw coming.

Either way, there can be real healing in knowing. It doesn’t bring anyone back. But it can bring a measure of peace that families couldn’t get any other way.

This Isn’t About Being “the Suing Type”

If you’ve been wrestling with whether to pursue a case because you don’t see yourself as someone who sues people, I’d encourage you to set that aside. This isn’t about what type of person you are. It’s about what happened, whether someone should be held accountable, and whether you and your family deserve answers and justice.

You don’t have to decide anything after one phone call. But if you’ve got questions, it’s worth having a conversation.

If you or your family has been affected by a serious crash involving a commercial motor vehicle, our team at SW&L Attorneys is here to help. You can reach me at (701) 297-2890 or email [email protected].

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