Source: https://www.michiganautolaw.com/about/settlements-verdicts/
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 18:35:10+00:00

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Our winning record of notable and top-reported Michigan accident settlements and verdicts in car, truck, motorcycle and personal injury cases speaks for the fact that our attorneys fight hard for our clients – consistently breaking records and setting higher standards for car accident litigation.
Steve Gursten recovered a $34 million settlement for a truck accident, the highest in the United States for that year. It remains the highest auto or truck accident settlement ever by a Michigan lawyer.
Top Michigan Accident Settlements and Verdicts.
What’s the average car accident settlement or verdict amount?
How to receive your car accident compensation in Michigan.
What is the average time for a car Accident settlement in Michigan?
How much to expect from an accident settlement or verdict.
The victim’s parents sued the speeding driver in an Oakland County lawsuit for the conscious pain and suffering their son endured before passing away. This was the top reported car accident settlement in Michigan in 2015.
A Macomb County jury awarded damages to a man who was driven over, suffering a Traumatic Brain Injury, broken jaw and separated shoulder, which prevented him from returning to work. The maximum settlement offer by the at-fault driver was $600,000. This was largest reported car accident verdict in Michigan and the second largest reported verdict in all of Michigan for the year.
The $5,100,000 wrongful death settlement is the largest wrongful death settlement in Washtenaw County and the largest motor vehicle settlement in Washtenaw County (based on confirmed/disclosed Washtenaw County case dispositions reported to VerdictSearch).
After the defense offered only $100,000 to settle, an Oakland County jury returned a verdict in favor of a car accident victim who suffered a traumatic brain injury and depression in a head-on crash when a driver lost control and crossed the centerline.
A tire that separated from a truck on the highway hit the victim who was riding in a passing vehicle, causing the victim to suffer a traumatic brain injury with cognitive impairment and facial fractures. This was the top-reported personal injury settlement in a wheel separation auto accident crash in Michigan in 2017.
In this confidential case the victim had to undergo spinal surgery for the neck and back injuries.
This Macomb County settlement for serious head injury, headaches and traumatic optic neuropathy suffered by the victim was the top reported car accident settlement in Michigan in 2009.
This verdict arose from a Washtenaw County rear-end car accident. The insurance company offer before trial was only $30,000.
The car accident victim’s concussion injury was not accompanied by any loss of consciousness. There was also no visible damage to the victim’s vehicle. State Farm Insurance took a hard-line and made no offers to settle. This $0 offer continued throughout the trial.
The victim in this Detroit, Wayne County car accident suffered a head injury that resulted in a binding $2 Million arbitration award.
In this Bay County rear-end auto accident case, the at-fault driver was driving distracted and failed to see that traffic had stopped due to road construction.
A texting driver caused this head-on collision, which resulted in an elderly woman’s broken leg that required surgery.
The injuries suffered by the husband and wife car accident victims in this case included brain injury and various orthopedic injuries requiring surgery.
The victim in this Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County – Schenkel v. Degrazia and Kubik – motor vehicle accident suffered a loss of his left eye.
This Wayne County rear‐end car accident resulting in injuries to the victim was caused by a drunk driver.
This rear-end, low-vehicle damage car accident in Macomb County caused injuries that included a back injury and disc herniation requiring surgery. The jury’s verdict came after the defense’s $0 settlement offer. This was the top-reported car accident verdict in Michigan in 2012.
This wrongful death car accident, involving the Estate of Michael Brown, was settled pre-lawsuit despite a defense claim of comparative negligence.
This crash resulted in a traumatic brain injury. The settlement shows how important it is to find all available insurance after a car accident. In this case, an additional $1 Million umbrella policy for the defendant was found after being denied by the defendant.
This Wayne County verdict for a traumatic brain injury case came after turning down an $85,000 settlement offer by Auto-Owners Insurance Company.
Quendnau v. Everest Inc. – The car crash victim’s leg fracture required surgery.
After an $80,000 settlement offer from American Alternative Insurance Group was refused, a Wayne County jury returned this verdict for an auto accident victim who suffered from tinnitus and a brain injury.
This Ingham County auto accident settlement was for vertigo and tinnitus, depression, headaches and a low back injury.
In this confidential case the victim suffered a mile traumatic brain injury in a contested liability automobile accident.
In this Oakland County car accident case, the victim suffered a herniated cervical disc only and no surgery. Allstate Insurance Company’s settlement offer – which was refused – was only $10,000. The case settled for five times the insurance policy limits.
In Monroe County, a victim who suffered a broken neck and spinal cord injury when the pickup truck he was riding in was hit head-on by a scrapped truck that was being towed.
After refusing a $90,000 settlement offer from Reliance Insurance Company, this car accident case was tried to a jury who ruled in favor of the victim who underwent back surgery as a result of crash-related injuries.
After a negligent driver ran a stop sign and t-boned the car accident victim’s car, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the victim who suffered a “soft tissue” whiplash neck injury.
A distracted teen driver caused this Washtenaw County head-on car accident case, which resulted in a spinal fracture and rib fractures.
A Macomb County jury returned this car accident verdict in a case involving a spinal injury/disc herniation on a $0 settlement offer from Liberty Mutual Insurance Company.
After a $0 settlement offer from State Farm, the jury ruled in favor of the car crash victim who had suffered a lower back injury.
This was the largest-reported truck accident settlement in the nation for 2014. According to VerdictSearch, this is also the largest truck settlement ever by a Michigan attorney.
The victim in this Wayne County car/truck accident suffered serious burn injuries.
This settlement was the largest Michigan pain and suffering settlement of the preceding decade for a rear-end truck accident – Norris v. Atsalis Brothers Painting.
Gravel hauler crash on I-75 in Macomb County attributed to truck driver drowsiness from taking epilepsy medication for seizure disorder. This was the largest truck accident settlement and the largest reported overall personal injury settlement in Michigan for that year.
Barnes v. Cassens Transport Company: Three plaintiffs suffered mild traumatic brain injury and back, shoulder, elbow and carpal tunnel surgeries from truck accident. The defense’s settlement offer was $300,000. The arbitration panel saw it differently, awarding $3.6 Million in binding arbitration.
A Jackson County, Michigan jury ruled in favor of a truck accident victim who suffered a traumatic brain injury, depression and two fractured thoracic vertebrae. This was the top reported truck accident verdict in Michigan in 2010. The highest offer from Zurich to settle the case was $1 Million.
A Macomb County client suffered severe brain injury and multiple orthopedic injuries when a commercial box truck tire detached and hit his vehicle. Discovery of truck maintenance records and experience with truck accident lawsuits enabled our attorneys to reach a successful result.
On U.S. 23 near Ann Arbor in Washtenaw County, a truck’s tire separated and struck the roof and windshield of another vehicle, resulting in the death of a 20-year-old college student. This settlement was the top-reported commercial vehicle wrongful-death accident. It was also the highest settlement involving tire separation in Michigan for the year.
This Macomb County wrongful death truck accident case involved a bicyclist who was lawfully crossing the street. The defense’s settlement offer was $250,000. This was the top-reported truck accident verdict in Michigan for the year.
After a defense settlement offer of $250,000 was refused, a jury ruled in favor of this truck accident victim who suffered a traumatic brain injury. This was the largest reported Michigan auto verdict for the year.
This Wayne County intersection accident involving a semi-truck and SUV resulted in injuries that required two spinal surgeries, herniated discs in the cervical and lumbar spine. This was one of the highest reported truck accident settlements in Michigan for 2013.
In this confidential case a truck accident victim perished due to the plaintiff’s negligence.
A garbage truck crashed into the victim’s pickup truck in Macomb County, aggravating previous neck and back injuries.
This Van Buren County crash was the top-reported truck accident settlement in 2017. It involved multiple semi-tractor trailers in winter weather. Liability was strongly contested by the defendant.
A jury ruled in favor of the truck accident victim who had suffered a traumatic brain injury and underwent both neck and shoulder surgery. This was the top reported verdict for a truck accident case in Michigan for the year.
A woman was involved in a rear-end collision by a commercial semi-truck on the freeway and suffered lower back and neck injuries.
In McDowell v. Ford Motor Co. the victim was awarded based on traumatic brain injuries in a contested liability truck accident case.
This contested liability truck accident case involved soft-tissue physical injuries – Sterbyci v. Moe’s Transport Trucking.
A truck driver rear-ended a pickup truck in a Wayne County highway traffic jam, pushing the pickup into the victim’s minivan. This top-reported truck accident settlement also involved minor vehicle damage and an aggravation of a pre-existing closed head injury in Michigan in 2017.
An Oakland County rear-end collision caused by a truck with brake maintenance problems. Client suffered broken arm and other accident injuries.
This Ingham County truck accident victim’s injuries included a traumatic brain injury, depressed skull fracture, fractured finger and disc herniations.
In Gilmore v. Secrest the victim in this semi-truck accident case suffered shoulder and back injuries. The defendant had only offered $100,000 up to and including first day of trial.
Heintz v. Shell Settlement was reached in 2007 and was considered one of the highest settlements that year.
The truck accident victim’s injuries included neck and back injuries requiring surgery and depression. This was one of the top reported auto negligence/truck accident settlements in Michigan in 2004.
A Macomb County jury ruled in favor a truck accident victim who suffered a lower back injury requiring low back fusion surgery.
State of Michigan’s negligent use of a sign resulted in a car/truck collision on a highway ramp that caused leg injuries to the victim.
This confidential out-of-state wrongful death case involved a commercial motor vehicle causing the death of a motorcyclist.
In this accident case, the victim desperately needed Michigan attendant care benefits, which the insurance company was refusing to pay.
A motorcyclist suffered a neck fracture requiring surgery; a left knee dislocation with ACL tear, and traumatic brain injury.
A Wayne County pedestrian/bus accident occurred because a bus driver was driving while distracted and was not watching the road.
Detroit Edison’s negligent installation/maintenance of power lines in Oakland County resulted in wrongful death of 5-year-old. Sanctions and interest brought total award to $10 Million.
Improperly stacked merchandise in a retail pharmacy in Wayne County fell and struck a shopper, causing her to suffer a traumatic brain injury, cognitive limitations and debilitating headaches. This was the top reported brain injury verdict in Michigan in 2015.
When a press shaft fractured, the press operator was hit in the head by a falling piece of metal. Suit was brought in Washtenaw County against the successor to a power press manufacturer and a prior owner/maintainer of the press.
A Wayne County jury ruled in favor of a shopper who was injured by a store’s automatic sliding doors.
In this confidential case Atlas Copco Tools, Inc. paid out 1.8 Million to a husband and wife for grain injury and various orthopedic injuries and surgeries.
There is no public or private entity – at either the state or the national level – that collects, updates, reports and/or publishes data about the average settlements and verdicts that occur every year.
As for the results that we have obtained for our clients, we have many car accident settlements that exceed the $1 Million mark, including, but not limited to a $7 Million pain and suffering settlement, a $5.65 Million traumatic brain injury verdict and a $2.5 Million settlement for back and neck injuries.
If you want to talk about what your case may be worth, please call us for a FREE CONSULTATION with one of our auto accident attorneys.
How to receive your car accident compensation in Michigan?
A settlement after a lawsuit has been filed.
A jury returns a verdict in favor of the car accident, directing how much the at-fault driver (as well as his or her auto insurer) must pay to the victim for the pain and suffering his or her negligence has caused.
Unfortunately, there is no average time. There are so many variables at work that it’s impossible to predict exactly how long it will take to settle a car accident case in Michigan.
The auto insurance company for the at-fault driver.
The adjuster from the at-fault driver’s insurer.
The defense lawyer assigned to represent the at-fault driver (though the lawyer, in reality, has the insurer’s interests (i.e., avoiding having to pay benefits, boosting profits) as his or her top priority).
Many important factors affect how much a car accident case settles for – or how much a jury awards with its verdict. However, what those factors are and which ones are the most important depends on the facts of each case and varies from case to case.
Being represented and protected by a lawyer who is experienced in litigating motor vehicle accident cases and has a reputation for being willing to take a case to trial if the settlement offers are too low greatly increases a car crash victim’s chances of getting the fair settlement or verdict he or she deserves.
Insurers are going to take more seriously and make more generous settlement offers on cases where the victim’s lawyer has a reputation and track record for taking solid cases, for working tirelessly, for never being afraid to go to trial and, most importantly, for winning in front of juries.
A car crash victim’s right to sue for pain and suffering compensation – and whether there are any limitations on that right – depends on the laws of the state in which his or her accident occurred and whether it is a No-Fault state or a “pure tort” state.
Determining who was at-fault in causing the auto accident that injured a victim is a crucial factor in determining the potential settlement value of a case.
Injury information will include: medical diagnosis of the injury; type of injury; symptoms and duration of symptoms; injury-related impairments and duration; medical treatment for injury.
Assuming a car accident victim’s injuries can be detected by diagnostic testing and imaging (WARNING: Not all serious injuries can), this evidence is essential to proving the existence of the injuries that are causing pain, impairment and disability and to ensuring that victims get properly referred to the appropriate medical specialist.
Insurance company adjusters will want to know the areas of practice of the doctors who are treating the victim, especially when those treaters are specialists, themselves.
How much time has the victim missed from work? Was the victim disabled from work by a treating doctor? Does a victim’s time off-work and/or monthly wages exceed the statutorily prescribed amounts?
Although economic damages such as wage loss are generally covered by No-Fault benefits, in many cases the need for wage loss benefits exceeds either or both the time and dollar-amount limits in the statute and, thus, excess wage loss benefits may be warranted.
Because of Colossus and other insurance company claims software programs, the settlement process has been turned on its head: Settlement offers now come from a computer, with the adjuster relegated to the task of merely feeding data and information into the computer and with attorneys being shut out of the process completely.
The insurance coverage is the most important factor in determining what the settlement value of a case is worth. As such, the relevant policy limits for purposes of determining a case’s potential settlement value include: liability policy limit of the at-fault driver (and owner of the vehicle) who crashed into the victim; UM (uninsured motorist) or UIM (underinsured motorist) policy limits for the car accident victim; liability policy limit for a truck or trucking company (federal law sets the minimum bodily injury liability policy limit at $750,000).

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