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Billy Graham once said that “courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”

As a trial lawyer who represents the injured and in many cases oppressed, this quote resonates with me. In a day and age where “suing” is frowned upon due to insurance companies decades long propaganda schemes and politicization of the subject, I’m constantly amazed at the courage demonstrated by a hurt and wounded individual who is willing stand strong and put their life before 12 men and women.

As an example, I recently represented a young man who had suffered horrible injuries that left him permanently scarred. The scarring isn’t visible. He appears normal. Hair has covered the scars on his head and clothes cover the scars on his body. The emotional scars are frowned upon and rarely recognized by a society so polarized against “emotional damages”.

This young man and his family, fearful of the stigma associated with contacting an attorney went a year and half before a family friend directed them to me. They called, still unsure of whether they should pursue a claim. I told the family what I tell most clients, it’s free to have me investigate and at the end of the day you can at least say you did the best thing for your son.

What we discovered was an insurance company sitting in the shadows hoping that this young man would never make a claim. They never had contacted him or his family and were truly hoping he would not make a claim before his statute of limitations ran. He made the claim and now his family will be able to care for him the rest of his life.

To me, this courage is contagious. How many people are sitting back weary of contacting an attorney? You have to understand that not long ago you were expected to contact an attorney if you were hurt. Then the Chamber of Commerce and other big business industry groups decided they would wage psychological warfare on the public by stigmatizing attorneys. Well it worked. Obviously some attorneys have not helped the cause but at the end of day, like any profession, the vast majority diligently work to provide the best for their clients and their own families.

So the next time you are injured in an accident, don’t buy into the insurance propaganda that you shouldn’t contact an attorney. By doing so, you inflate the pockets of the insurance industry while doing a major disservice to your own health financial being.

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