Should I Even Bother Bringing a Claim for Personal Injury?

I met with a client today, and that was the very question we discussed.   He was in a relatively minor accident but was feeling a little stiffness in his neck.  Because there was very little visible damage to his vehicle (and not much to the other vehicle either), I was not inclined to represent him.  I was very honest with this gentleman.  I told him that his case wasn’t going to be worth much because of the minor damage.  I explained that most insurance adjusters generally equate minor damage with minor injuries (or not at all).  While I encouraged him to seek medical care for his condition, I explained that bringing a claim for personal injury requires work.  You can’t just sit there at home and expect your claim will be successful.   For this particular client, the incident was so minor that he decided it wasn’t “worth it” for him to bother.  Bringing a personal injury case isn’t always warranted, and in some cases, may not be the best thing for the client to undergo.  Bringing a claim requires active participation.