Car Accident Lawyers in Detroit

General Information About Car Accidents

Car accidents have become a common occurrence in our lives. But that didn’t make them any less dramatic. Any accident brings with it loss and pain, injuries, and property damage. Those involved in car accidents must deal with the various consequences of these events. Detroit car accident lawyers are here to help and ease your path to recovery.

What Do Detroit Car Accident Lawyers

No-fault car insurance is law in Detroit. This means you must file a claim with your insurance company regardless of who is at fault. To do this, drivers must have Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance. PIP covers economic damages.

When recovering non-economic damages, the claim must be brought against the guilty party. A claim will be considered if the accident resulted in serious injury, disfigurement or death and/or the at-fault party was more than 51% responsible. Detroit applies the “modified comparative negligence” rule. Therefore, your compensation may be reduced by the percentage of your fault.

Car accident lawyers in Detroit thoroughly understand the ins and outs of local laws and can help throughout your case:

• investigation of the causes of the accident
• determining the degree of guilt
• negotiations with the insurance company
• preparation and drafting of claims
• protecting the client’s interests in court.

Criteria for Selecting Detroit Car Accident Lawyers

Education and local practice
When choosing a lawyer, you should pay attention to his education. A diploma from a prestigious university and various academic degrees and awards can indicate a lawyer’s serious dedication to his work. A license to practice law in your area demonstrates a lawyer’s in-depth knowledge of local law.

Expertise and Experience
A good lawyers in Detroit should have extensive experience handling car accident cases. Equally important is the lawyer’s specialization in personal injury law. This allows the lawyer to achieve positive results and an excellent level of compensation for their clients.

Reputation
This criterion objectively characterizes a lawyer based on his past achievements. Reputation includes the quantitative and qualitative success of a lawyer in his career. You can often find a reputation assessment – rating. Many people make their choice of a car accident lawyer in Detroit based on the rating.

Tips for Finding Detroit Car Accident Lawyers

Start searching for a suitable Detroit car accident lawyer in your close circle of relatives, friends, and acquaintances. Namely, check with those who have had a positive experience hiring a car accident lawyer. This way you will get recommendations from people you trust.

Search for Detroit car accident lawyers in specialized directories such as Avvo or FindLaw. Use the search filter according to your preferences.

The websites of local car accident lawyers and law firms in Detroit will provide you with the experience, accomplishments, and reviews. It is also useful to visit various legal forums or lawyer pages on social networks. They may contain useful information.

Advertising in local media can provide initial information about potential candidates. Use contact information and talk to lawyers.

The best way to choose a car accident lawyer in Detroit is to communicate with him directly. Attend an initial consultation and speak with a lawyer. This way you can understand how well this lawyer satisfies your needs.

Recommendations for Actions After a Car Accident

After a car accident, you need to remain as calm as possible. It is recommended to take several actions that will help you effectively begin to overcome the consequences of an accident and possibly receive decent compensation in the future:

• seek medical help if there is even a suspicion of injury or deterioration in health
• move to a safe place to avoid getting into another accident
• report a car accident to the police
• exchange information with other participants in the accident
• collect all possible data on the accident, such as photos of vehicles, road conditions
• find witnesses and record their contacts
• notify your insurance company about the incident
• consult a Detroit car accident lawyer.

By following these simple recommendations, you can get medical help on time and collect information for further successful handling of the accident case.

Actions that Can Weaken Your Position After a Car Accident

In addition to the recommended actions after a car accident, some actions are not advisable to do:

Discussing a car accident on social networks, posting photos/videos, or giving assessments is unacceptable both from a moral point of view and for the benefit of your case. Everything written can be interpreted against you when considering a case.

Admitting guilt is a very harmful action. You are not an expert in assessing the degree of guilt, so leave this matter to the professionals. It is not recommended to talk about admitting guilt with the police or other participants in the accident. Use only factual data in your conversation with them, without your assumptions and assessments.

To sign any papers without understanding the consequences or essence of the document. The best option in such a situation is to consult with a car accident lawyer in Detroit and explain to him the essence of the document. Then follow his advice. This will help you avoid problems with your case or maintain the possibility of receiving decent compensation.

Car Accident Compensations

As a result of a car accident, compensation for various damages, economic and non-economic, is often paid. In Detroit, payments usually come from PIP insurance first.

Economic damages may include:

• medical bills
• recovery and therapy costs
• cost of repairing damaged property
• loss of wages.

Non-economic damages usually include:

• pain and suffering
• disability
• loss of consortium.

Do this to Avoid a Car Accident

Follow the traffic rules: do not exceed the speed limit, and do not ignore traffic lights and road signs.

Carefully monitor the road situation: do not be distracted by your phone or other gadgets, do not eat or drink while driving, and understand and try to predict the maneuvers of other road users.

Adapt your driving style to weather conditions: if weather conditions worsen, reduce speed, increase distance, use fog lights, and other measures to increase driving safety.

Do not drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs: it is strictly forbidden to drive a vehicle under the influence that slows down your reaction; take a taxi or call a sober driver.

Plan your future route: the optimal route will allow you to avoid traffic jams, dangerous intersections, and other factors that increase the likelihood of getting into an accident.

Communicate your intentions to other road users in advance and correctly: use turn signals when changing lanes, turning, or entering the highway.

Number and Factors of Car Accidents

According to the Michigan State Police (MSP), there were 293,341 traffic accidents statewide in 2022:

• Fatal – 1,053
• Serious Injury (A) – 4,810
• Minor Injury (B) – 16,130
• Possible Injury (C) – 30,126
• Property Damage Only – 241,222.

There were casualties:

• Fatalities – 1,123
• Injuries – 70,281.

According to the MSP report, the following factors led to the accidents:

Car Accidents That are Typical for Detroit

MSP statistics are quite helpful in understanding typical accidents in Detroit. The 2022 statewide crash report reveals the most common causes of crashes:

Classification of Injuries in Car Accidents

To understand the seriousness of the consequences of accidents, all injuries were divided into several categories:

Fatal (K)
Any injury sustained in an accident that results in death immediately during the accident or within 30 days of the accident.

Serious Injury (A)
Any injury that is characterized by the following consequences:

• laceration that exposes underlying tissue/muscle/organs
• significant blood loss
• fractures or deformities of the limbs
• serious injuries to the skull, chest, or internal organs
• second and third-degree burns over 10 percent of the body
• loss of consciousness at the crash site
• paralysis.

Minor Injury (B)
An injury that is visually verifiable but is not serious. Such injuries may include bruises, small lacerations (skin cuts), abrasions, and minor bleeding.

Possible Injury (C)
An injury that is not visible, but due to some signs or words of the victim, may occur. For example, dizziness, vomiting, lameness, and complaints of pain.

No Apparent Injury (O)
A situation where there are no visible injuries and the victim does not report any changes in health.

Types of Car Accident Cases Most Frequently Handled by Lawyers in Detroit

The types of cases that Detroit car accident lawyers handle depend on many factors. These include the type of collision and the vehicles involved in the accident. These factors can often indicate potential injuries, degree of culpability, and other characteristics of the case. Below is statewide data for 2022, based on the MSP report, by incident type:

Vehicles of participants:

Car Accident Lawyers in Detroit FAQ