I have a now-retired coworker who was hit by a bus crossing the street in 2017. He was thrown 50 feet through the air. He was crossing legally in a downtown crosswalk when the bus ran a red light. He survived (no one is sure how). He had to sue, of course. The driver was fired (and went on to drive school buses, of all things), but the county resisted until almost literally the eve of the trial, when the county executive personally signed off on a substantial settlement. It didn't make him whole. After seven years and multiple surgeries he has now fairly well recovered.

I'm convinced that insurance is exactly why both individuals and institutions have to involve the justice system. It's simply the way the system is structured. It looks bad if one simply admits wrongdoing, and an initial settlement offer will always be relatively low, because what sense does it make to go high? With taxpayers or shareholders watching, you need to keep reign on your expenses. Personal Injury lawyers may seem like blood-sucking scum to those who are being sued, but I think they're absolutely necessary and probably angels to those who are injured.