Detroit Injury Lawyer Blog

The Importance of Uninsured Motorist Coverage in Michigan

Published on: August 22, 2016 | By Davis Law Center

When a person is struck by a motorist without insurance, it can cause serious problems for the injured party. The injured person can sue the at-fault driver and, if a judgment is rendered against them their license is suspended until they pay. Unfortunately, people who flout the law by driving without insurance might have no issue driving with a suspended license, leaving the injured party the bear the full cost of their injuries.

In order to prevent this from happening, Michigan drivers should consider adding Uninsured Motorist Coverage (UM) to their auto insurance. This is generally an inexpensive addition to a policy but provides significant assistance to the injured person. With UM coverage, the insured party will have coverage up to their own limits when they are injured by an uninsured driver. They can then submit a first party claim to their insurance company to cover their damages.

Another addition that people may also want to consider is Underinsured Motorist Coverage (UIM). With this coverage, if they at-fault party’s insurance coverage is insufficient to cover damages, the injured person can submit a first party claim under their UIM coverage. Again, this is generally low cost coverage that can be extremely valuable after an accident. If you do not currently carry these two types of coverage, it may be a good idea to speak to insurance agent about adding them.

Can a Personal Injury Attorney Guarantee Success in a Case?

Published on: August 17, 2016 | By Davis Law Center

When someone is injured in an accident, they understandably want some assurances that they will definitely get the money they need. Unfortunately, no personal injury attorney can ever guarantee success in a case. This is frustrating for an injured person, but it is the only honest, ethical answer a lawyer can give. What the law firm can do, however, is make sure that they do everything possible to achieve a positive outcome for a particular client.

This means that an attorney will conduct a proper investigation of a particular accident and a thorough analysis of a person’s injuries. When investigating an accident, the attorney might have a private investigator get witness statements, take pictures of where the injury occurred, and reconstruct a particular accident to prove the injury was their fault. This is essential in getting the money you need – in order to recover compensation, you will have to prove that the other party was at least 51% responsible for your injuries.

Evaluating injuries is also vitally important because it is the only way to ensure that a person gets full compensation for their injuries. Since a personal injury settlement or verdict will need to cover a person for the rest of their life, it is important to ensure that future medical is accounted for. For example, if back surgery will be needed to repair a herniated disc, then they money for that surgery needs to be included in this settlement.

The Importance of Immediately Contacting a Detroit Motorcycle Accident Attorney

Published on: August 7, 2016 | By Davis Law Center

When a person is injured on their motorcycle, contacting a lawyer is often the last thing on their mind. They are more focused on getting better after their catastrophic injuries. This is understandable, but time is of the essence after an accident. Not only are there statute of limitations issues, but evidence needs to be collected as soon as possible after the accident. A Detroit Motorcycle Accident Attorney can get to work right away after an accident, focusing on your case as you focus on recovering from your injuries.

Gathering evidence is vital to proving your claims. By contacting a lawyer right away, you can be sure that witnesses are contacted immediately and that their statement is taken while the memory of the accident is still fresh. Since people routinely move around or change phone numbers and become impossible to locate, this contact information can be lost if someone waits too long to contact a Detroit Motorcycle Accident Attorney.

Likewise, some people forget the names of health care providers if they wait too long. Since people see many specialists and doctors after a serious injury, it is possible to miss a doctor who has important medical records that can prove an injury. A lawyer can make sure that these records are collected immediately and gathered as a person treats.

Finding Closure with a Detroit Wrongful Death Lawyer

Published on: July 29, 2016 | By Davis Law Center

When a loved one suffers an untimely death, the last thing on a family’s mind is money. They are stricken with grief, forced to adjust to a new life without the love and companionship of their loved one. This loss often leaves a void, especially when the death is due to the negligence of another. While money can never replace this person, it can help a family find closure during this difficult time. A Detroit wrongful death lawyer can review your case and explain how they can help. Together, you and your attorney can work through this difficult time.

An example of a common wrongful death is a death caused by a car accident. In many cases, there aren’t criminal charges to hold the party responsible. For instance, if someone just didn’t notice the motorcycle coming, pulled out in front of them, and killed them. This death is extremely tragic, but there’s nothing inherently illegal about this accident.

The only way to hold the responsible party accountable is through the civil court system. There, a jury can assign fault and give a monetary award to help the family with the loss they have suffered. While the money is certainly helpful, perhaps more important is just hearing the jury assign fault. When a jury of your peers helps to hold someone accountable, it can help provide closure to the family. Eventually, they can move on from this tragic loss.

How long will my Personal Injury case take?

Published on: July 20, 2016 | By Davis Law Center

A common question we get asked from clients is, “How long will my case take?” This is an understandable question that unfortunately doesn’t have an easy answer. In general, an injury claim takes between 4 months and two years. Some cases can take even longer, depending on the specific circumstances of the case, but many cases will fall within that time period. This broad time frame is frustrating for clients, but sadly it is the best estimate there is.

The insurance company generally doesn’t want to settle a case quickly. It knows that if it can delay a person’s claim, it is possible that they will become desperate and take a settlement that is far less than what they are owed. This is understandably frustrating for an injured person, but a Detroit personal injury attorney can help a person focus on getting what is fair even if takes a little bit longer.

The longest cases are the ones that actually go trial. Trials are unavoidably lengthy ordeals that include motions, depositions, and more before it ever makes it in front of a jury. Fortunately, the majority of cases settle before going to trial, with most settled before a lawsuit is even filed. Whether your claim is one that will need to be litigated can’t be predicted, unfortunately, and won’t be known until the claim begins moving forward.

The Importance of Working with an Experienced Truck Accident Attorney

Published on: July 13, 2016 | By Davis Law Center

Being involved in an accident with a tractor trailer can be a harrowing experience. Because these vehicles are so much larger than cars, they often cause serious devastation to those in the passenger vehicle. By working with an experienced truck accident attorney, a person be sure they are getting the representation they need during this difficult time. If you have been injured in a truck accident in Farmington Hills or anywhere in the Detroit area, Davis Law Center can help.

Truck accidents are not the same as accidents involving just cars. Truck drivers are subject to strict laws on the road and can be subjected to stiff penalties if they break these laws. One such rule is the number of hours these drivers can be on the road during a single period. These are called “hours of service” requirements and each driver is required to keep a log of his or her time behind the wheel. Since time is money in the trucking business, some drivers push themselves to the limit to make deliveries. If they are on the road for longer than is allowable by law or hasn’t been keeping accurate records, they could face punitive damages.

Another strict rule is the amount of a load a truck can carry. Because additional weight impacts the ability of a vehicle to stop, there are limits to how much weight a truck can carry. Some trucking companies, however, put profits over safety and ignore these rules. If a load is found to be too large, the trucking company should be held responsible.

Be Careful When Backing a Car Around Children

Published on: July 9, 2016 | By Davis Law Center

Children need to be monitored at all times around vehicles, especially when a car is backing out. Children can run quickly and, because the driver has limited sight in their mirrors, the driver may not see the child until it is too late. According to safety advocates KidsandCars.com, approximately 48 children are injured ever week from backover accidents. As a Detroit injury attorney, safety is my primary concern. Therefore all drivers should be careful when backing up in places where there may be children playing.

The biggest problem is that mirrors can create a false sense of security that the area behind a driver is clear, when in reality there is a child playing right behind it. In most cases, these accidents occur in a driveway and involve a family or friend of the child. Therefore if a child is in the yard playing, the driver needs to know exactly where the child is before they back out. If a driver can’t see the child, they should make sure that the child is not behind the vehicle.

Parents also should be diligent in teaching their children not to play in or around vehicles. Children are naturally drawn to cars because they are large machines that pique the child’s interest. They need to be aware that these vehicles are not toys and they need to stay away from them if they are not a passenger. Still, children being children, it is impossible to predict what a child might do. Therefore, ultimate responsibility falls on the adult driver in keeping children safe and preventing injury.

How Much is my Personal Injury Case Worth?

Published on: June 29, 2016 | By Davis Law Center

During their initial free consultation, many clients want to know how much money they can expect for their injuries. They hope that a personal injury lawyer can give them an estimate of what to expect from a settlement or a verdict. While this is an understandable question, there is unfortunately no way to provide an estimate for what a case may be worth. Ultimately, the settlement or verdict you potentially receive will be based on the specific facts of your case and your specific injuries.

It is important for clients to understand exactly what a personal injury case is – it is an attempt to make someone as whole as possible after the have suffered injuries due to another person’s negligence. In other words, the goal is to return you to the state you were in before the injuries. Obviously, turning back the clock is impossible and with certain life-changing injuries, such a wrongful death, money is wholly inadequate for replacing what you have lost. But this is the only way we have to help those who have suffered an injury.

This means that it is important for a client to understand the injuries they have suffered and what they can expect to recover for them. Economic damages are relatively easy to value. These include medical bills, lost wages, future medical, etc. Since they are quantifiable, it is relatively straightforward to add them up when seeking recompense. Non-economic damages, while no less important, are somewhat more difficult to value. These include things such as pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium, etc. An experienced injury attorney can help you identify these damages and give you some ideas on how to value them. While it may be difficult to put an exact number of these injuries, it is possible to evaluate claims based on the totality of your injuries.

Foreseeable Misuse Explained by a Detroit Product Liability Lawyer

Published on: June 22, 2016 | By Davis Law Center

When someone is injured by a product, one aspect the jury will look at it just how the person was using it. If the person was using the product completely as intended and was injured, then liability likely won’t be in question. But if someone was using the product in a way that was not intended, the manufacturer may not be liable. As exception to this could be foreseeable misuse. A Detroit product liability lawyer can examine your injuries to determine liability. If it seems the manufacturer is liable, the attorney will aggressively fight to get you every penny you deserve.

Foreseeable misuse means that a consumer was using in a way that was not necessarily intended but could be reasonably anticipated by the manufacturer. Because consumers use products all the time in ways that aren’t necessarily intended, this gives society some measure of protection against defects that should be caught by manufacturers.

An example might be an electrical saw that is intended to be used going with the grain of the wood. A foreseeable misuse might be a consumer cutting against the grain instead. The manufacturer can reasonably foresee that a person might use this saw in such a way; therefore, they should take all measures possible to prevent a malfunction that could injure the consumer. Even though the user was not following the exact specifications of the saw, they might still be eligible to recover damages from this foreseeable misuse.

Detroit Personal Injury Lawyer: What is Underinsured Motorist Coverage?

Published on: June 16, 2016 | By Davis Law Center

An option available on most auto insurance policies is known as Underinsured Motorist Coverage (UIM). This coverage exists for people who have been seriously injured in a car accident and who find that the at-fault party’s insurance coverage does not make them whole. As a Detroit Personal Injury Lawyer, it is a good idea to speak with your insurance agent about adding this coverage. It is often relatively inexpensive and can be a major help for an injured person.

In Michigan, a person is required to carry at least $20,000/$40,000 worth of coverage. This provides $20,000 worth of coverage for a single person, $40,000 worth of coverage for a single accident. As anyone who has spent a night in the hospital can tell you, $20,000 will barely cover that hospital stay. This leaves almost nothing left for future medical and other costs associated with an injury.

UIM coverage can supplement this coverage, giving an injured person an opportunity to be made whole by their own insurance company. A Detroit Personal Injury Lawyer can help with this first-party claim. Before settling with the at-fault party’s insurance company, speak with an attorney who can make sure you are taking the steps necessary in order to preserve your right to make this claim.