Falls- 31,959 deaths
While poisonings and drug overdoses are usually a grave mistake on the part of the victim, fall and car accidents especially can be tied to the negligence of others.
Traffic Accidents
For decades, traffic accidents caused the most unintentional deaths in the U.S. but the opioid epidemic has changed the dynamic somewhat. Even so, traffic crashes take many lives and injure hundreds of thousands of Americans each year.
A car accident can result in the following injuries:
- Broken ribs from airbag deployment
- Broken leg, arm, and facial bones
- Neck and spinal injuries
- Head trauma
Proving Negligence
If you are seeking compensation for a bicycle, car, motorcycle or truck accident, you must prove the person who hit you was negligent. That means you need to provide evidence of the other party’s negligence. Sometimes the issue of liability is straightforward, but it some cases it can be hard to point to a direct cause or action that led to a collision, which is why USAttorneys encourages you to get legal assistance. One of our accident attorneys in Michigan can investigate your accident, gather evidence and consult with experts, so you have an undefeatable injury claim.
Falls
Falls cause a large percentage of death for adults over the age of 65, but a fall can cause harm to anyone no matter their age. When we think of injurious falls, we often think of people falling from high up, but many devastating falls occur in everyday situations when a person in walking or standing. You don’t have to fall a far distance to suffer a severe injury.
Premises Liability in Michigan
Michigan law requires victims of slip and fall accidents to prove four things to have a valid premises liability claim:
- The property owner or their employees had a legal duty to protect the plaintiff from harm, and
- The property owner neglected their duty to keep the plaintiff safe on their property.
- The plaintiff was injured because of the hazardous condition, and
- The victim suffered economic and emotional damages because of their injury.
Filing a Personal Injury Claim
If you plan on settling your case in civil court, you must appear in a district court when the value of your claim is $25,000 or less. For claims over $25,000, your claim must be filed with a circuit court.
http://courts.mi.gov/self-help/directories/pages/trial-court-directory.aspx
Below are addresses of district courts in Michigan:
Lansing 54 A District Court
Lansing City Hall
124 W Michigan Ave # 54A
Lansing, MI 48933
US District Court Clerk
110 Michigan St NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
US District Court Clerk
231 W Lafayette Blvd # 827
Detroit, MI 48226
Below are addresses of Circuit courts in Michigan:
Third Judicial Circuit Court
Coleman A. Young Municipal Center
2 Woodward Ave #711
Detroit, MI 48226
16th Judicial Circuit Court
40 N Main St
Mt Clemens, MI 48043
Get Legal Advice
Before you file your claim or accept a settlement, let USAttorneys.com connect you with an accident lawyer near your Michigan area. You can set up a consultation and learn how a lawyer can turn your claim into a generous award.
Can experienced Michigan accident attorneys help after an accident causes harm and injury?
An accident is an unplanned event that could be insignificant, but in many cases leads to detrimental outcomes resulting in harm, injury, damage, loss, or wrongful death casualty where compensation relies on state laws against negligence. Contact an experienced personal injury attorney when an accident causes negative impacts to the physical and mental well-being, or economic livelihood of you, or someone you love. Wrongful death and catastrophic injury can alter every facet of a person’s life, so it is best to have an experienced Michigan lawyer answer all questions regarding future economic impacts to you because of the accident, while offering avenues to recover damages.
Damage recovery.
Damage amounts attempt to financially measure the extent of harm that an accident victim has suffered because of a negligent individual’s actions, and compensate those losses through compensatory damages and punitive damages.
Compensatory damages include an award of money to compensate for actual economic losses, based on property damage, and/or injury. Total compensatory awards include both economic for costs of medical bills, lost earnings, household expenses, and non-economic damages for pain and suffering, mental anguish, and loss of companionship.
Punitive damages may be awarded when an individual’s actions are considered intentional, egregious, and harmful, these types of damages may be awarded to punish the named defendant as a means to deter future similar acts.
Motor vehicle accidents.
The State of Michigan’s data shows a slight reduction in motor vehicle crashes from 2017 to 2018, with associated costs that exceeded $44,515,956,700, including costs for death. Accidents can be caused by another driver, or drivers, road construction, weather, or reckless driving involving insured, inadequately insured, or uninsured drivers who cause an accident by speeding, failing to follow the rules of the road, losing control of a vehicle, or imprudent driving under a variety of existing conditions. Motor vehicle accident injuries that can yield high medical bills and long recovery periods include whiplash, concussions, broken bones, internal bleeding that may cause organ damage, spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury. Accident attorneys in Michigan can be helpful in building a case by collecting medical documents, police reports and witness statements.
Insurance.
Michigan is a comparative fault state where damages are assessed based on fault, but will not be assessed if a party is more than 50% at fault. Comparative fault damages cover vehicle property damages and pain and suffering. The “comparative fault” law does not apply to claims for Michigan No-Fault benefits because, “fault” is not a pre-condition to collecting benefits that are reasonably necessary to a victim’s care, recovery, or rehabilitation. Dependents of a Michigan accident victim may be entitled to benefits under the Michigan No-Fault Law (MCL 500.3108), when that loved one dies due to injuries sustained in an automobile accident.
Personal injury.
Personal injury that occurs in any setting, as a result of the action, or inaction of another, may enable a victim to recover compensation, but fault and/or liability must be proven. Legally, the victim must be able to prove that another person, or entity was negligent, owed them a duty of care and caused the loss. Attorneys must file lawsuits for victims within three years of the injury date, or knowledge of injury.
Premises liability.
Premises liability accidents occur on another’s premises and may be covered under homeowners’ insurance. Injury may result from poor conditions on the property, improper maintenance, or upkeep of the property, and include encounters with occupants and animals on the premises. The responsibility of the property owner depends on the standard of care owed to the injured person, based on the reason for their presence on the premises. An invitee is owed a duty of care, but a trespasser may not be owed that same duty.
Medical malpractice.
Medical malpractice occurs when an individual is injured while under the care of a health care provider. There is a two-year period to file a claim with the help of an attorney who specializes in medical malpractice after:
- medical procedures caused complications and unexpected side effects.
- experiencing an actual injury due to a medical professional’s action
- a health care professional failed to diagnose a serious condition, or disease
- suspicion of being a medical malpractice victim
Workers’ compensation.
When a person becomes injured on the job, or contracts an illness that is job-related, they can make a worker’s compensation claim for monetary damages. Injuries may be caused by an accident, or event that results in physical injury, a medical condition that develops over time caused by repetitious use of a body part, or a condition associated with the workplace environment itself. It is important to discuss a potential workers’ compensation case with a knowledgeable attorney for cases that should be filed with the Michigan Department of Labor.
Wrongful death action.
A wrongful death legal action is a particular type of lawsuit that is brought by loved ones of someone who dies because of the negligent, reckless, or deliberate act of another person. Under Michigan’s Wrongful Death Act, only the deceased person’s spouse, children, step-children, descendants, parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, or the person inheriting the decedent’s estate, can receive compensation for this type of legal claim to cover:
- Medical bills and burial expenses
- Lost wage compensation (present and future),
- Pain and suffering,
- Punitive damages based on case particulars without caps.
There is a 3-year statute of limitations for filing a wrongful death claim, and surviving family members may be barred from seeking civil damages if they do not act within the set timeframe. An experienced Michigan wrongful death attorney can assist.
Contact a legal professional.
An accident victim can reduce stress and worry by hiring a competent legal professional. A competent accident attorney is familiar with state and federal insurance and accident laws. They can objectively speak on behalf of an injured party in court, or against an insurance company’s legal team, often yielding a swift and fair monetary settlement.
