First, filing a civil suit is a whole different ball game against an individual vs a city. Jimmy Neighborman is probably going to be able to afford a lawyer, maybe. But lawyer bills add up the longer a case drags out. And lawsuits, famously, can drag on for years. Meanwhile, the city of Parkplace is going to have a team of lawyers and law professionals at their endless disposal compared to the financial powers of Joe Neighborman.

Second, idk when you were a kid or where, but some folks might not want to sue but may not have any other way to pay for the medical care their clumsy kid needs. Not everyone who sues is a litigious antisocial weasel looking for free dollars.