Detroit Personal Injury Lawyer
The Detroit office of TorkLaw has highly experienced Detroit personal injury lawyers who can help you with a damages claim. Any form of personal injury, especially when caused by another party, is daunting and traumatic. You may have to face exorbitant medical costs, lost wages, and other forms of damages in the wake of such an injury. This is where we can help you.
Our attorneys offer you legal help for the following personal injuries:
- Car Accident Injuries
- Motorcycle Accident Injuries
- Wrongful Death Injuries
- Product Liability Injuries
- Pedestrian Accident Injuries
- Slip-and-Fall Injuries
However, if you intend to seek compensatory damages for your personal injuries, it is important to understand the legalities that apply. Here is a look at various aspects of personal injury law as it specifically applies in Detroit personal injury cases.
Michigan Personal Injury Statistics
Traffic accidents remain the largest contributor to personal injury incidents in Detroit. During 2018 alone, a total of 54,072 total traffic crashes were reported across Wayne County. Of these, 153 accidents were fatal while another 11,796 involved injuries.
Workplace injuries across Michigan accounted for 155 deaths in 2018. These include 110 workplace injuries at waged and salaries jobs, and another 45 injuries in self-employed occupations.
Other causes of personal injury, including wrongful death and premises liability accidents, also cause a large number of deaths annually in Detroit. If you or a loved has been injured in such an injury, qualified Detroit personal injury lawyers may be able to help you recover proportionate compensatory damages for your losses.
Common Injuries Covered by Personal Injury Law
Michigan personal injury laws cover a wide range of injuries. This means that you can seek compensation in case your injury falls under any of these categories:
Car Accidents: Car crashes are one of the most common causes of personal injury. Injuries sustained in a car accident may be negligible, minor, moderate, serious or critical. In more serious cases, car crash injuries can also result in the death of the injured person. If you are injured in a car crash, make sure you get in touch with reliable Detroit personal injury lawyers at the earliest. Our lawyers will help you file a claim and get compensation in the briefest time.
Pedestrian Accidents: Most pedestrian accidents result in serious to critical injuries. And they are often caused by a negligent motorist. This is why it is important to hold the negligent person accountable and make them pay for your pain, suffering and losses.
Motorcycle Accidents: Motorcycle crashes are also covered by the Michigan personal injury laws. You are entitled to seek losses to cover property damage, injury-related medical costs as well as non-economic damages.
Wrongful Death: If you have lost a loved to wrongful death caused by a negligent party, Michigan laws allow you to seek a variety of damages. These include pain and suffering of the deceased prior to death, funeral and burial costs, medical costs, lost wages and loss of ability to earn, and the loss of companionship.
Product Liability: Faulty products result in a number of injuries and deaths every year. In such cases, the fault typically lies with the manufacturer or the company charged with maintaining the product.
Damages You Can Seek in a Personal Injury Claim
If you have been injured due to the negligence of another person or entity in Detroit, Michigan, you can seek the following damages in your claim:
Medical Costs: This includes the full range of medical expenses caused by the accident-related injury. You can seek damages for treatment costs, visit to the doctor’s, checkup fees, prescription medicine, medical tests as well as the costs of any long-term therapy or rehabilitation program.
Lost Wages: A personal injury may prevent you from resuming your occupation. It can also force you to give up your previous occupation for good. In such cases, you can seek damages in lieu of lost wages and lost earning capacity.
Property Damages: Personal injury cases, especially those involving auto accidents, result in damage to property. Michigan laws enable you to have these losses covered in a personal injury claim.
Pain and Suffering: Pain is an intangible loss which is covered by the Michigan personal injury laws. With the help of seasoned Detroit personal injury lawyers, you can quantify your injury-related pain and suffering into a definite amount that the other party should pay.
Personal Injury Laws in Michigan
Michigan has a number of designated laws that apply to personal injury cases. When filing a claim following an injury, it is important to keep these laws in view. Here’s a look at these.
The Statute of Limitations
Michigan has a statute of limitations of three years for all personal injury cases. In other words, you can file a damages claim within three years from the date the accident happened. This applies to fatal injuries as well as non-fatal injuries and property damage claims as well.
It is critically important to keep this timeline in view when it comes to personal injury claims. If you file a claim after the statute has expired, your claim will almost certainly be dismissed.
An exception to this timeline is when you are filing a claim against a state government entity. In this case, you have only six months to file a claim for personal injury.
The Comparative Negligence Rule
In any personal injury case, negligence is a key consideration. Negligence refers to the responsibility of causing an injury. Such negligence may lie with a single person or with several parties. The law distributes the percentage of fault among all the negligent parties in proportion with their share.
Even when you have been injured in an incident, you may be partly to blame for it. For instance, if you are speeding and another vehicle runs a red light to crash into you, your injuries may be blamed on your actions as well as those of the other driver. In this case, it is important to determine the amount of blame each party will get.
Michigan uses a modified comparative fault rule in cases where you, as a victim, may share the fault. According to this rule, you are entitled to damages in a personal injury claim as long as your share of the fault is less than 50%. If you are found to be 50% or more at fault, you are not entitled to any compensatory damages whatsoever.
The No-Fault Insurance Law
When it comes to auto accidents and auto insurance claims, Michigan has a no-fault policy. This means that the insurer of each party covers for the accident-related losses incurred by that party. If you suffer injuries and other losses in a car accident, for instance, your insurance company is obliged to cover these losses. This is regardless of who was at fault in the crash.
However, you can file a lawsuit against the other party in more serious cases. If an auto accident results in serious impairment, serious disfigurement or death, you can seek damages from the at-fault party.
Why Hire Our Detroit Personal Injury Lawyers?
Here at TorkLaw, we help you get the compensation you deserve for your personal injury. Whether you are the victim or a loved one, we will work with you to prepare a suitable claim and seek the amount you deserve. With our long experience and expertise in the personal injury law, we can speed up the process and get you the damages without losing any time. Get in touch with us to discuss your case and see if our contingency fee arrangement works for you.