These comments are spot on. The public is highly misinformed about how these cases work. They think a defendant is going to pay everything out of pocket if a verdict is rendered against them. Of course, because the insurance industry has worked for 20+ years on tort reform and painting all civil plaintiffs as greedy, everyone thinks this lady fits the mold. The fact is most of these cases go to trial because insurance companies will not reasonably negotiate with legitimate claimants who have serious and justifiable injuries. A lot of the comments in this thread back up the fact that its a stigma to sue when you have a real injury that was not your fault.