Michigan Car Accident Lawyers
With over ten million people and many visitors each year, Michigan sees its fair share of car crashes. Whether traveling on I-75, in downtown Detroit, or to the Upper Peninsula, you risk a car accident and injuries whenever you drive in Great Lakes State.
You often see advertisements telling you a lawyer will fight for you to receive the best car accident settlement. You learn firsthand what this means after a car crash. You must do many things before receiving a check, and the money goes into your account. The first thing that you need to do is contact an experienced Michigan car accident lawyer. You can then leave the case details to them and watch them fight the insurance company for you.
Michigan Injury Lawyers are in your corner when you need them. We take a tough yet pragmatic approach when dealing with an insurance company. We have earned a reputation for delivering the results that our clients need. You can speak to one of our lawyers when you contact us for a free initial consultation.
The Number of Serious Car Accidents Is Increasing
The Michigan State Police’s annual crash data report paints a picture of dangerous roadways in the state. Interestingly, the number of crashes in the state has declined roughly 10 percent over the past five years. However, fewer people drove during the pandemic. With more people driving, the number of accidents started increasing again.
The crashes that do occur are more serious and deadly. While the number of crashes declined during the pandemic, fatalities increased. Fewer people may get hurt, but those who do suffer more severe injuries.
Here are some recent car accident statistics in Michigan:
- In one recent year, 282,640 accidents wracked the state
- 71,246 people suffered an injury in those crashes
- There were 1,068 car accidents with fatalities
- A total of 1,131 people lost their lives in these accidents
Bloomfield Hills, MI Total Car Accidents
Source: michigantrafficcrashfacts.org/
How Can You Qualify for a Car Accident Settlement?
You might recover financial compensation if a car accident injures you. Your family can recover compensation if your loved one dies in the crash.
First, you must show that someone else caused your injuries.
Your legal case after a car accident comes down to what you can prove that the other driver did to cause the accident. Every driver owes a duty of care to act as a reasonable driver should under the circumstances.
A reasonable driver should:
- Observe the posted speed limit and not travel too fast for the conditions (they should slow down in bad weather or when there is heavier traffic on the road)
- Properly check their blindspots and signal their intention before they change lanes.
- Allow for enough following distance between them and the car in front to allow them to stop when necessary.
- Not get behind the wheel when fatigued or intoxicated.
- Pay full attention to the roads, and do not do things like text while driving.
Drivers do not have to be perfect, but they are not supposed to injure you through their mistakes. Car accidents happen due to the careless actions of other drivers. Those drivers must pay you for your injuries and losses.
You Have the Burden of Proof in a Car Accident Case
If you have suffered injuries in a car accident, you need to prove that the other driver was to blame for them to have a legal obligation to pay you. You need evidence to prove fault because your word alone is insufficient. The other driver may tell their own story because they do not want to pay for your injuries. You could hold them personally liable if their insurance coverage refuses to pay for your damages.
You need a full investigation of your car accident to determine the cause. Then, you need proof that backs up your side of the story.
Car accident proof can include:
- Testimony from people who saw what happened before and during the accident (statements from people who are objective and have no financial interest in your case are the most powerful form of evidence)
- Pictures of the accident scene (if it was possible, you should have taken these at the scene, although it might have been impossible due to your accident injuries)
- The police report from the accident (the officer who showed up should write their observations about what they saw, which you can use in the insurance company claims process, but not at a trial)
- Video camera footage from either a dashboard camera or a traffic camera that was in the vicinity
- Testimony from an expert who can reconstruct the accident and give their own opinion about what caused it
You need enough evidence to prevent a truth contest with the other driver. Each driver may have their own side of the story. Usually, the one with the best proof will prevail. However, you do not have much time to gather evidence because it can quickly disappear. If you try to begin a car accident case months after your accident, you might find it more difficult to build the strongest possible case.
You Must Secure Enough Financial Compensation
Proving liability for the accident is only the first salvo in your battle. Even if there is no question about who was responsible for the crash, your battle with the insurance company is just beginning. Things can get even more difficult when it is time to talk dollars and cents. That is where the insurance company tries to circle their wagons because they do not like anyone coming for their money.
Personal injury law requires the other party to put you in the same position as before the accident. Money does not undo your injuries, nor does it restore your health. It can, however, pay for all the harm that you have suffered.
What Can You Receive After a Car Accident?
Your car accident damages break down into the following categories:
- Economic damages represent your actual financial losses from the accident. This category includes money you need to spend on medical and personal care. It also includes money you should have earned on your job but didn’t because of your injuries.
- Non-economic damages are subjective damages that relate to your experience. You have dealt with physical and emotional pain because of your car accident injuries. You have also lost your pre-accident quality of life. Non-economic damages should depend on you and what you have endured.
Your car accident damages cover both the past and the future. You may wonder how you can foresee the future, which is a fair question. A car accident attorney from Michigan Injury Lawyers can estimate your damages after evaluating your situation. The insurance company will compute a quick and detailed calculation of what they should pay you and will resolve to pay you far less.
You may ask whether you can get punitive damages in your case. Punitive damages only apply in extreme circumstances. After a car accident, you may get them from a drunk or reckless driver.
What Is The Legal Process After Your Car Accident?
If responsible drivers follow Michigan law, they have at least the minimum car insurance to cover them. Their insurance company steps into their shoes after the accident, and they must pay you up to the amount of the policy maximum if you can prove fault in the accident.
You must also deal with a second insurance company if the other driver did not have enough coverage to pay for your damages—your own.
Michigan requires you to carry personal injury protection insurance, and you must turn to it before you can sue another driver for negligence, regardless of fault.
If your damages exceed your PIP insurance and the at-fault party’s policy limits, you could return to claim compensation from your insurance company under your underinsured motorist policy.
Most injured drivers will try to deal with the insurance company to file a claim and reach a settlement agreement. This process is the quickest and most efficient way to get a check for your injuries. Quickest does not necessarily mean quick. The insurance company does not have much motivation to act quickly. They want to make it as difficult as possible for you to get your money. If you are representing yourself, you will get every excuse and be on the receiving end of many tricks to keep you from getting the money you deserve.
You Need a Lawyer to Cut Through the Red Tape
You need a ready answer for every conniving trick the insurance company pulls. When you hire a car accident lawyer from Michigan Injury Lawyers, they will hold the insurance company accountable for what they do during the claims process. Insurance companies will try far less when they know that you have a lawyer on your side who will call them on it.
Your lawyer has several tools at their disposal that will keep the insurance company honest, including:
- Advising you to say no to a settlement offer that does not fairly compensate you. Every claimant has the right to negotiate with an insurance company because a settlement is an agreement between two parties.
- Taking your case to court if the insurance company denies your claim or will not offer you the money you deserve. Insurance companies do not like litigation because they need to pay for their attorney, while your lawyer does not receive payment out of your pocket.
- In extreme circumstances, where the insurance company is acting outrageously, your lawyer can even sue the insurance company directly in a bad faith claim.
The key is to call an attorney as soon as possible after your accident. Not only do you lose valuable time if you delay, but you are also vulnerable to any games the insurance company may play. Self-represented claimants are a target of opportunity for them.
An insurance company will use the savings from claims of people representing themselves to subsidize the money they must pay when accident victims hire a lawyer.
How You Pay Your Car Accident Lawyer
You can take on the insurance company without paying any money out of your own pocket. In other areas of the law, a lawyer may ask you to pay them a retainer against the future services they will provide.
Personal injury law works differently. Michigan Injury Lawyers’ interests align with yours because they receive a percentage of your financial recovery after your car accident. The contingency-fee system incentivizes our lawyers to fight for you to get the most possible money.
You will not have to pay our lawyers if you do not receive any money for your case.
Contact a Michigan Car Accident Lawyer Today
Thomas L. Stroble, Michigan Car Accident Lawyer
When you need a determined attorney to stand up for you, call our Michigan personal injury lawyers at Michigan Injury Lawyers today. We are on your side when the insurance company tries to take advantage of you. When you hire us for your car accident, you stand on even footing with the insurance company, and we will make the other side respect your legal rights. We will make sure of that. To speak with an attorney, send us a message online or call us today at (313) 438-4357.
Michigan Injury Lawyers – Main Office
2525 S Telegraph Rd suit 100
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302
P: (313) 438-4357
Featured Testimonial
“First Class and experienced. I suffered a serious injury which forever changed the course of my life. Thankfully I hired the Michigan Injury Lawyers to represent me and I’m forever indebted to them. They made a difficult time in my life easy. From the first moment I met with them to the moment they presented me with a check, my experience was top notch. They guided me through the entire litigation process, which can be confusing for someone without legal experience. They timely answered every question I had and predicted exactly what would happen at every stage. My experience was terrific and I would recommend anyone to the Michigan Injury Lawyers.”