I actually have very little experience with the legal system either. I was basing this on what little knowledge I have of the workers comp. system in Kansas. There is a few problems with it though. If you set the pain/suffering limit or the disability limit too low, there is little incentive to produce a safe product. For example, again using the work comp. in Kansas, loss of life is limited to $100,000. You can not sue for negligence on the part of the business owner, therefor, sometimes safety standards are all but ignored. Very few lawyers will touch workers comp. for this reason. Without a lawyer you are stuck with the physician for the company, which in some cases that I know of, is not a good thing.

Even with a lawyer, you can be permanently disabled and unable to perform you duties in your chosen career path and the compensation is very little.

However, I do think that the open medical for any particular injury is the one thing that protects the worker.