Los Angeles car accident lawyers find that it is one of the biggest myths perpetrated by the tort reform lobby – that persons who are involved in car accidents can hardly wait till they are discharged from hospital, to sue for compensation. According to the results of a new study that focused on the incidence of musculoskeletal pain among people involved in car accidents, most people who suffer from pain even after being treated for their injuries, do not bother with litigation after the accident.
According to the results of the study which evaluated car accident victims and followed them for weeks after the injuries, only 17% of the patients had contacted an attorney about taking action for compensation approximately 6 weeks after the accident. This was even though these non-litigants continued to suffer from chronic and persistent pain. Approximately 28% had moderate or severe neck pain, while 30% suffered from pain in seven or more regions of the body, and 4% suffered fibromyalgia-like symptoms.
The study was conducted at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. According to the researchers, the study provides further evidence that litigation is not the first course of action that people who are injured after a car accident, take. The study found that very often, people who are involved in these accidents hesitate to take action, because they believe that they might not be taken seriously, or that their pain might not be considered serious enough. They do not want to take a chance that people will not believe their pain is real. This is especially so in the case of chronic musculoskeletal pain, in which there may be very few or no external signs of injury, although the person may be in pain most of the time.
