There is no question that being involved in a car crash is a traumatic experience.   It’s no wonder that they need help with everything that comes after the crash.  However, if you’re a passenger in a vehicle with a friend or family member, one question comes to mind: Can I sue the driver of the vehicle I was in?  After all, it’s fair to think accidents happen, maybe pursuing a claim against my friend or family member isn’t the right thing to do.  Should I make a claim against them?

This is a great question for many reasons.  First and foremost, if the person driving the car involved in the car accident is at fault, and you’ve been injured, you should always make a claim.  People tend to shy away from making a claim against be a friend, relative, or even a spouse for a variety of reasons.  Maybe it’s to preserve a friendship.  Maybe it’s to prevent their insurance rates from going up.  Whatever the reason, those are all fair considerations.  However, is it fair that you are injured?  Is it fair that you have incurred medical bills?  Is it fair that you’ve missed work?  No, it’s not fair.   A person who was negligent, and caused harm, should pay for your injuries.

Second, where things get tricky is in the claims process.  Insurance companies know you don’t want to be suing your friend.  They know that jurors don’t like suing your friend.  Insurance companies are not motivated to offer a full and fair amount for your case.  A skilled injury attorney knows insurance companies do not inherently do what is right in cases.  It’s even worse when they know you don’t want to sue your friend or family member in a court of law.  We must be very cautious here and navigate these cases skillfully by ferreting out your purposes in making this claim.   Whether it’s to seek medical bills and lost wages, or amounts for pain and suffering, knowing what we want out of the case is the best way to resolve it.