Source: http://wminjurylaw.com/practice-areas/automobile-accidents/
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 10:17:21+00:00

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At West Michigan Injury Lawyers, PC we use our experience in handling accident cases to investigate every possible contributing cause of an accident to ensure that you will receive full compensation for your injuries. Evaluating all of the facts involved in the cause of a motor vehicle accident requires skill and experience.
At West Michigan Injury Lawyers, P.C. we use our experience in handling accident cases to investigate every possible contributing cause of an accident to ensure that you will receive full compensation for your injuries. Evaluating all of the facts involved in the cause of a motor vehicle accident requires skill and experience. Our office will take over the investigation of your case so that you can concentrate on recovering from your injuries. We can assist you in finding an appropriate medical specialist to treat you, and we can make arrangements with your medical care providers to wait for payment until your case is resolved through settlement or trial.
Automobile accidents are generally decided using the law of negligence. A person who negligently operates a vehicle may be required to pay any damages caused by their negligence, either to person or property. Generally, people who operate automobiles must exercise “reasonable care under the circumstances.” Failure to use reasonable care is the basis in most lawsuits for damages caused by an automobile accident.
In another example, if a mechanic fails to properly repair a vehicle, and the failure causes an accident, the person who improperly repaired the automobile, and the repair shop, may be liable for injuries sustained. Other factors such as poorly maintained roads and malfunctioning traffic control signals can contribute to the cause. Improper design, maintenance, construction, signage, lighting or other highway defect, as well as improper striping on the road’s passing lanes, a sharp obstruction or problem with the roadway that limits the drivers’ vision, or poorly placed trees and utility poles can also cause serious accidents. Finally, if an accident is caused by an intoxicated driver, a bar or social host may be liable for damages sustained if they served an obviously intoxicated guest, who then drives and causes an accident.
In 2010, there were nearly 5.5 million police-reported traffic crashes, in which 32,885 people were killed and 2.25 million people were injured. Accidents are usually caused by the negligence of one or more drivers, however other factors such as poorly maintained roads and malfunctioning traffic control signals can contribute to the cause. Improper design, maintenance, construction, signage, lighting or other highway defect, as well as improper striping on the road’s passing lanes, a sharp obstruction or problem with the roadway that obstructs drivers’ vision, or poorly placed trees and utility poles can also cause serious accidents. In other cases, such as the Toyota recall litigation, vehicles and/or their component parts may be defectively designed or manufactured, causing serious injury.
At West Michigan Injury Lawyers, P.C., we use our experience in handling accident cases to investigate every possible contributing cause of an accident to ensure that you will receive full compensation for your injuries. Evaluating all of the facts involved in the cause of a motor vehicle accident requires skill and experience. Our office will take over the investigation of your case so that you can concentrate on recovering from your injuries. We can assist you in finding an appropriate medical specialist to treat you, and we can make arrangements with your medical care providers to wait for payment until your case is resolved through settlement or trial.
In order to drive your vehicle, you had to pay a tag fee and registration fees. In some states, you are entitled to be reimbursed for the prorated amount of these costs that are unused. The insurance company may reimburse you for tag transfer fees and, in some cases, a prorated amount of sales tax on the actual cash value of the car at the time of the accident. Contact an auto accident lawyer to learn whether license and registration fees are recoverable in your case.
Automobile insurance laws in Michigan require the owner of a vehicle to have a certain amount of liability insurance on the vehicle. M.C.L. § 500.3009. Liability insurance provides compensation to another person in the event that you cause an accident and are found to be liable to that person for damages. Michigan law requires a minimum of $20,000 in insurance coverage for bodily injury to or death of one person in a single accident, and a minimum of $40,000.00 in coverage for bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in a single accident. M.C.L. § 500.3009(1). Purchasing liability insurance in excess of the statutory minimum offers an insured greater protection in the event he or she must pay damages that exceed the minimum coverage amount.
When West Michigan Injury Lawyers, P.C. represents a person who is injured in an accident, one of the first things we do is investigate all applicable insurance coverage. There are two categories of auto insurance – first party coverage and third party coverage. First party coverage covers you and your property against costs arising from such things as medical treatment, damage to your vehicle, and legal representation in the event that you are sued. Third party coverage insures against liability arising from your actions in causing injury to others. The coverage and its exclusions are set forth in the insurance policy you purchased. In exchange for the payment of a premium, the insurance company promises to provide compensation in the event of certain occurrences. Though a full recitation of the coverage available and the applicable insurance law would require several large text volumes, the following is brief synopsis of the most common types of coverage and the Michigan laws that dictate that coverage.
$40,000 for bodily injury or death of two or more persons in one accident, not exceed the per-person limits above.
$10,000 for injury to or harm to property of others in one accident. M.C.L. § 500.3009(1).
Lawsuits in Michigan must be filed against the negligent driver. The driver’s insurance carrier may not be named as a defendant. In fact, the jury is not allowed to know that there is insurance coverage available to the defendant. If the jury renders a verdict in excess of the defendant’s liability policy limit, the defendant is then personally liable out of his or her own assets for the additional amount. M.C.L. § 500.3030.
Michigan insurance law provides for “no-fault” automobile insurance. M.C.L. § 500.3105. With no-fault insurance, the cost of your medical expenses, lost wages (ordinarily awarded in the amount of a percentage of your pre-accident gross wages), and post-accident rehabilitation will ordinarily be paid by your own no-fault policy, or that of the owner of the car in which you were riding. In order for an injured party to recover any excess damages, such as lost wages above what the no-fault policy pays, it may be necessary to bring suit against the other driver who caused the accident.
If you choose not to elect comprehensive and collision insurance, your ability to recover for vehicle damage from the other driver will be limited to $500. M.C.L. § 500.3135(3)(e). You may also be able to recover from the other driver if your your car was legally parked at the time it was damaged (assuming you can identify the responsible party).
When purchasing automobile insurance for yourself, you may seek to include several additional types of coverage other than liability insurance. One of these types of coverage is called medical payments coverage, which is not required by Michigan law. M.C.L. § 500.3009.
Medical payments coverage is a form of health coverage referred to by various terms, including “med-pay,” “personal injury protection (PIP),” or on occasion “economic loss protection benefits.” This coverage is available to the insured driver (the individual who holds the policy that includes med-pay coverage) and any passengers in the insured’s vehicle for injuries sustained, regardless of the fault of the driver. It is important to note that the insurance policy of the negligent party does not pay med-pay or PIP benefits to an injured plaintiff. These benefits are limited to the driver or passengers in the insured vehicle, regardless of fault. The plaintiff looks to his or her own insurance policy or the policy on the vehicle in which he or she was a passenger for med-pay or PIP benefits.
The amount of med-pay benefits that may be paid to any individual is determined by reference to the policy limit for this particular type of coverage, as stated in the insurance policy declarations sheet for the person who purchased the coverage.
Two other related types of voluntary coverage you can (and should) purchase are uninsured and underinsured motorist benefits. These types of coverage protect you against a negligent defendant who illegally does not have liability insurance coverage or has minimum coverage that is inadequate to fully compensate you for your injuries. If you are involved in an accident with an uninsured individual, we would make a claim for you under your own uninsured motorist coverage. Your own insurance carrier would then have to pay any judgment which may be rendered, up to the limits of the policy you purchased.
Collision coverage is a type of voluntary coverage you can purchase that provides for the repair or replacement of your own vehicle after an accident, regardless of whether or not you are at fault. This is different than property liability insurance coverage discussed above. An innocent victim of an accident may present a claim for the property damage under his or her own collision coverage or under the negligent defendant’s property damage liability insurance coverage. Your own collision coverage normally includes a deductible, whereas property damage liability insurance coverage does not. In an automobile accident case, after a claim has been paid under collision coverage, the insurance carrier who paid the claim may proceed against the property damage liability insurance carrier for the negligent defendant to recover the amount paid out. This process is called subrogation and does not affect your recovery.
If you’re a passenger in a vehicle involved in an accident, and you have sustained injury as a result, you are entitled to receive compensation for your injuries. As a passenger, you may have a claim against both the driver of the vehicle in which you were riding as well as the drivers of any other vehicles (or any other negligent party) involved in the collision.
A passenger is generally not considered to be at fault or partially at fault in an auto accident unless he or she does something that specifically causes the accident such as distract the driver. If you have been injured as a passenger in a vehicle involved in a collision, West Michigan Injury Lawyers, P.C. can help you get monetary compensation for your injuries.
Determining who is negligent in pedestrian cases can be tricky. Many factors must be taken into account: Were you paying attention to traffic when you crossed?. Were you jaywalking or crossing in a designated crosswalk? Did the car run a red light? If possible, you should try to identify witnesses who can verify your account of the accident.
In general, pedestrians have the right of way, unless they cross the street in non-designated areas or against crossing signals. M.C.L. § 257.613(2)(a). If a child is injured running into the street, and if there is a school or playground nearby, West Michigan Injury Lawyers, P.C. may be able to prove that the driver should have been aware that children were in the area. This can be used to show the driver wasn’t taking proper precautions to avoid the accident. In addition, it may be possible to show that the child wasn’t properly supervised or that adequate crossing assistance was not provided.
After leaving the scene of an accident, or while still there if you are safely able, you should immediately contact an attorney who is experienced in handling personal injury matters. At Fielstra Shibley, P.C., we will promptly arrange for an attorney to consult with you free of charge so as to enable us to immediately take action on your behalf, while all of the evidence is still “fresh”. If necessary and feasible, we will have an investigator conduct a thorough analysis of the accident scene so that no evidence goes undetected.
Contact West Michigan Injury Lawyers, P.C. at (231) 725-8444 for a FREE CONSULTATION so we can discuss your case.
Most auto insurance companies require their policyholders to promptly report every auto accident. Your insurance company will want to gather all of the basic information concerning the accident for its records – whether you are at fault or not. Sometimes the insurance company will want your authorization to make a recorded statement concerning the accident. We suggest that if you or your passengers were injured in the accident, or if you believe the insurance company might try to claim you are not covered or you have any concerns about the adequacy of your coverage, you should contact an attorney before you go any further, and certainly before you give the insurance company permission to record your conversation (NOTE: You should never give a statement to the other driver’s insurance company without consulting with an attorney). However, bear in mind that failure to provide information to your insurance company on a timely basis — your policy will set forth how quickly you must notify the company — could result in loss of coverage for the accident, without it constituting bad faith by the insurer.
Absolutely. Even if the police take photos, you should try to take as many pictures as possible. Always take multiple rolls of film of the accident location, the vehicles involved, various approaches to the accident scene, and of the persons involved, particularly if they have suffered an injury. Plan on taking three times as many photographs as you think you might need, taking shots from multiple angles and locations. By moving around as if on the points of a compass, you will enable an accident reconstructionist to construct a more accurate diagram of the collision.
If you are unable to take photographs, contact our office immediately at (231) 725-8444. At West Michigan Injury Lawyers, P.C., we work with investigators and other expert personnel who often can rush to the scene of any serious accident and preserve and document valuable evidence before it is lost.
If you are unable to retain any piece of evidence associated with the accident, contact our office immediately at (231) 725-8444. At West Michigan Injury Lawyers, P.C., we work with investigators and other expert personnel who often can rush to the scene of any serious accident and preserve and document valuable evidence before it is lost.
Michigan has enacted laws requiring drivers and front-seat passengers to wear seatbelts. M.C.L. § 257.710(e). If you are injured in an accident but you were not wearing your seatbelt at the time of the collision, insurance companies and their defense lawyers will attempt to argue that you would not have been injured – either not at all or significantly less so – if you were properly buckled in. In making this argument, the defense seeks to prove that you were “comparatively negligent” in causing the injuries that were suffered during an accident. To use this defense, however, the other driver’s insurance company must prove that your unbuckled seatbelt contributed to, or was a cause of, your injuries. In Michigan, if failure to wear a seat belt is determined to constitute comparative negligence, the damages may not be reduced by more than 5 percent. M.C.L. § 257.710(e).
Many cases arise where serious damages are suffered by an accident victim who is not wearing a seatbelt. In some of these cases, a person is ejected altogether from the vehicle. At West Michigan Injury Lawyers, P.C., we seek every means available when appropriate to attempt to prove that your injuries were caused by the negligent driver, not by your own failure to wear a seatbelt. Working together with expert biomechanical engineers and accident reconstructionists, we are often able to demonstrate that serious injuries would have occurred even if a seatbelt was worn at the time of an accident. Knowing who to contact and how to go about proving the cause of injury in these difficult cases enables us to make a difference for our clients in need of substantial compensation for serious injuries. Of course, you should always use your seat belt for safety reasons as well as legal ones.
Speeding is one of the most prevalent factors contributing to traffic accidents in the United States. The economic cost to society of speeding-related crashes is estimated by the NHTSA to be $40.4 billion per year. In 2010, speeding was a contributing factor in 31% of fatal crashes, killing 10,395 people. At West Michigan Injury Lawyers, P.C., we use every means available to prove negligence on the part of a speeding driver in order to obtain the highest monetary reward for our clients. Under Michigan law, all motorists are required to drive at a speed that is reasonable or prudent. M.C.L. § 257.627(1).
45 mph in a contruction zone, unless a lower speed is posted. M.C.L. § 257.627.
Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around curves or objects in the roadway, extends the distance necessary to stop a vehicle, and increases the distance a vehicle travels while the driver reacts to a dangerous situation. For drivers involved in fatal crashes, young males are the most likely to be speeding. The relative proportion of speeding-related crashes to all crashes decreases with increasing driver age. In 2010, 39 percent of the male drivers in the 15 to 20 and 21 to 24 age groups who were involved in fatal crashes were speeding at the time of the crash. Further, alcohol and speeding seem to go hand in hand. In 2010, 42 percent of speeding drivers who were involved in fatal crashes were also intoxicated, with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 (grams per deciliter [g/dl]) or greater. In contrast, only 16 percent of the nonspeeding drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2010 were intoxicated. Alcohol and speeding are clearly a deadly combination.
Automobiles, on the other hand, are heavy, solid objects weighing roughly two tons. These structures are designed to absorb impact and minimize energy transfer. However, the amount of force exerted when one automobile strikes another is equal to thousands of pounds. This tremendous force can cause extensive damage to the necks and spines of the vehicle’s occupants. The neck cannot support or control the weight of the head under such circumstances, and the head is forcefully thrust in the direction of the vehicle causing the impact. The sudden movement of the head, backwards, forwards or sideways, is referred to as whiplash. It is more accurately called cervical acceleration/deceleration (CAD) trauma or syndrome, which describes the rapid movements that can injure the vertebrae of the neck and the muscles and ligaments that support them.
As the muscles and other tissues within the neck stretch toward their physical limits, extreme tension builds and the muscles “snap” (or “whip”) with a violent spasm in the opposite direction. During this violent process, the soft discs between the spinal bones can stretch or tear, and vertebrae can be forced out of their normal position, reducing range of motion. The spinal cord and nerve roots in the neck can get stretched and become irritated. The result is injury to the muscles, ligaments, nerves (soft tissues) and joints within the neck. These injuries may then lead to headaches, dizziness, pain in the shoulders, arms and hands, reduced ability to turn and bend, and low back problems.
Bruising of the brain can also occur when a vehicle occupant experiences a severe case of whiplash. Bruising of the brain causes some victims to experience blurred vision, ringing in the ears, nausea and numbness.

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