Choosing the best accident lawyers near me for your car accident case is your most important decision. Our top-rated auto accident attorneys are the difference between winning a great settlement and receiving no settlement at all. If you’ve been wronged, we’ll make it right!
WHY SHOULD I HIRE A MICHIGAN CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER NEAR ME TODAY?
It is important to have a accident lawyers near me begin an investigation as soon as possible after the crash. This is necessary to locate and interview eyewitnesses, photograph and examine the vehicle, and take pictures of the area of the accident. As time goes on, it is more difficult to find witnesses that can help your case, and evidence, like surveillance video on nearby buildings, can be deleted. Additionally, this could become more complex if the at-fault party is from out-of-state or is Canadian.
Related article:
Auto Accidents Attorney Near Me
Your insurance company may also be underpaying your no-fault benefits and you may not even know. There are strict time deadlines for filing insurance and personal injury claims. If you miss a deadline, your case will be destroyed forever. A delay may forfeit rights to a settlement in the future.
Related article:
What Does a Car Wreck Attorney Do?
Michigan law requires drivers to report any accident involving a motor vehicle that causes more than $1,000 in property damage, results in death or injury, or damages an unattended vehicle or other property. Most times, the police officer who investigated the crash scene will prepare the report.
The accident must be reported but the driver may not be required to file a written report. However, many insurance company policies require a written report to be filed within 24 hours of an accident to qualify for insurance benefits. We suggest you make a report report after even a minor crash just to make sure you do not get the insurance company runaround.
Related article:
HOW DO I GET A COPY OF MY POLICE ACCIDENT REPORT?
You can get a copy of your traffic crash report (UD-10) from the police agency that investigated the accident.
If you choose our auto accident attorneys for your case, we will get it for you. Our law firm can often get your accident report within 24 hours of the crash, depending on the police agency.
WHEN SHOULD I CONTACT MY INSURANCE COMPANY?
You should contact your insurance company immediately after the car accident to report any damage to the vehicle or personal injury claim. You will want an adjuster to assess the damage to your vehicle and to assist you in arranging repairs.
Related article:
Accident Attorney when to get an attorney for a Car Accident
If you were injured, you will need to apply for no-fault insurance benefits with your own insurer. You should report all claims quickly so the insurance company does not try to deny your claims later on because they were not reported in a timely manner.
Our auto accident attorneys will help you with this process from start to finish. We will send the forms directly to the insurance adjuster and follow up to make sure all of the bills get paid.
Some insurance adjusters can be helpful after an accident and it is fine to speak to them. This includes the property damage adjuster for car repairs and the no-fault insurance adjuster assisting you with your claims for medical bills and lost wages. If your adjuster is not paying your bills and wages, you should contact our law firm right away.
However, you should never speak with the insurance adjuster for the driver that caused the accident. Those adjusters are looking for ways to avoid paying you a settlement.
Related article:
What does a Lawyers For Auto Accidents do?
WHO PAYS THE PROPERTY DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE?
Michigan has the mini-tort law that determines who is responsible for paying the property damage to the vehicle involved in an accident.
In most cases, the driver that caused damage to your vehicle is responsible for only paying a maximum of up to $1,000.00 to you for a property damage claim.
MICHIGAN CAR ACCIDENT STATISTICS
There were 282,640 total motor vehicle crashes in Michigan in 2021. This resulted in 71,246 reported injuries and 1,131 fatalities. This means that one out of every 250 people was killed in an auto crash and about one out of every 4 people was injured in a motor vehicle accident.
When you sue the at-fault driver and owner of the vehicle for personal injury compensation, you can claim compensation for your pain and suffering, psychological damages, disability, and scars caused by the accident. There is no cap, or limit, on the amount you can demand for pain and suffering. Your settlement is often based on the insurance policy limits of the negligent driver.
Related article:
What Personal Injury Lawyers do everything you need to know in 2023
These pain and suffering settlements are completely separate from your Michigan no-fault insurance benefits. Most injured accident victims get their medical bills and lost wages paid in addition to receiving a large personal injury settlement. Our experienced car accident lawyers near me will work hard to get you every available type of compensation.
CAN AN INJURED PASSENGER SUE THE NEGLIGENT DRIVER?
Yes. Injured passengers can sue all drivers that were negligent in causing the auto accident. This includes the driver of the vehicle that the passenger was riding in at the time of the crash and all other vehicles responsible for causing the crash, such as rideshare drivers, including Uber and Lyft.
Related article:
Motorcycle Lawyer | Motorcycle Injury Lawyers
Claims are often filed by one spouse versus another spouse, a child versus a parent, and a friend versus a friend. The insurance policy provides for coverage to any innocent person harmed by the negligent driver and an injured person should still pursue a claim, even if it is against a family member or friend.
HOW MUCH ARE MICHIGAN CAR ACCIDENT SETTLEMENTS?
There are several factors that determine the amount of a Michigan car accident settlement. Every case is different, so there is no set formula to determine the right amount of the settlement. There is also no “average settlement” or “typical settlement” for injury settlements.
HOW MUCH CAN I GET FOR PAIN AND SUFFERING DAMAGES?
There are twenty-five types of pain and suffering damages that you can claim compensation for. These include mental suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, shock, anger, and depression.
The amount of pain and suffering damages is determined by a number of factors including the seriousness of your injuries, the type, and length of medical treatment, and how the injuries have affected your ability to lead a normal life. Our accident lawyers near me will evaluate your case to get you the maximum possible pain and suffering settlement.
Related article:
What does a Truck Accident Lawyer do?
DO I NEED A LAWYER TO SETTLE MY AUTO ACCIDENT CLAIM?
You do not need a accident lawyers near me to settle your own car accident claim, but you should be aware of many serious mistakes that you can make without an experienced Michigan car accident lawyers near me on your side. One study showed that the majority of accident victims who hired a accident lawyers near me believed that they received a much greater settlement than if they tried to settle their own case.
Insurance studies have shown that injury victims actually receive substantially larger settlements when they hire a accident lawyers near me for their case, even after paying the accident lawyers near me fees. This is because insurance companies know that they cannot get low-ball settlements with experienced attorneys who know and understand the value of an injury.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET A SETTLEMENT?
The length of time that it takes to get paid a car accident settlement is different in every case.
Some cases settle quickly because the injuries are substantial and the insurance policy limit is low, so the adjuster will pay the entire policy right away. However, most cases can take up to a year or more after the accident to get a settlement check. This is because the victim is still recovering and the future effect of the injuries is unknown.
Related article:
Jet Crash: Wagner Boss Prigozhin on board jet that Crashed In Russia
HOW MUCH TIME IS THERE TO FILE A MICHIGAN CAR ACCIDENT LAWSUIT?
Under Michigan law, the deadline to pursue legal action for personal injuries from an auto accident is three years from the date of the incident. This is known as the statute of limitations. While there may be exceptions — such as if the claimant was a minor at the time of the accident — any claim made after this timeframe may face dismissal.
Additionally, a claim for first-party no-fault insurance (PIP benefits) must be filed within one year of the date of the accident. Similarly, any lawsuit demanding payment for unpaid medical bills lost wages, and other benefits must be filed within one year of the date that each bill was incurred or became payable.
Related article:
Astronomical discovery of first Bubble Of Galaxies a Billion Light Years wide
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HIRE A CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS NEAR ME?
It does not cost anything to hire our Michigan car accident lawyers near me. We do not charge any fees to start your case and only get paid when you receive your settlement check. This is called a contingency fee agreement. If your case is unsuccessful for any reason, you owe us nothing. We put that in writing for you!
