Once upon a time a young lady (let’s call her Alison) got in a nasty car wreck. She was driving west on I-20, heading from her home in Arlington to work in downtown Fort Worth. At the same time a negligent driver (let’s call her Rachel) was speeding down the highway in the same direction. Aside from speeding, Rachel was attempting to demonstrate that gift of womanhood: the ability to multitask.

Now, ladies, please don’t take this the wrong way, but no matter how much girl power you possess, multitasking while driving is a bad idea. I don’t care whether you’re texting with friends, munching on a croissant or applying lip gloss. Don’t do it while you’re in control of a moving vehicle. Please.

Anyway, long story short; Rachel’s car drifted into Alison’s lane, sending them both spinning out of control across the road and earning them both the week off work to recover in hospital. While Alison was lying there in her hospital bed she got a visit from a man in a suit, who was doing his best act as a fairy godmother. He offered Alison a check for $5,000, no questions asked so she can could get her car repaired, move on with her life "put this whole mess behind you.”

What did Alison do? She took the money and ran. Unfortunately, she didn’t take into consideration the fact that it would cost $7,000 not $5,000 to fix her car. Let alone the fact that she had a huge hospital bill arriving in the mail a month later. Before she knew it, Alison was swimming in debt all thanks to Rachel’s reckless actions.

So Alison visited a local personal injury attorney, begging him to take on her case and get her the money she needed – the money she was entitled to under Texas law. The problem was, there was nothing that lawyer could do for her. There was nothing any lawyer could do for her. When Alison accepted the insurance adjuster’s measly offer, she forfeited her legal rights to make a claim for compensation. There was no fairy tale ending. Alison was forced borrow money from her parents and take out a loan which she’ll still be paying off several years from now. She was lucky to avoid bankruptcy.

The moral of the story is this: don’t fall for any easy resolution – especially when it’s offered to you on a silver plate from the negligent driver’s insurance company. Don’t rush to make a settlement. And don’t sign anything until you’ve consulted with a lawyer first. Alison’s story is a work of fiction, but there are hundreds of real life versions every year. As a Tarrant County personal injury lawyer, explaining to these victims that they’ve wrecked their own claim is the toughest part of my job. If you’re ever in an auto accident, don’t do anything until you hire a lawyer to protect your interests.

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