Getting involved in a car wreck is a traumatic and stressful experience. After an accident, you may have to pay a considerable amount of money for medical care and some unwanted situations such as missing work, experiencing excruciating pain, and dealing with other effects and costs that can be overwhelming. In this case, you should talk to a Southfield car accident lawyer. They can help you get compensation and make sure you are not unfairly held financially responsible for a crash you did not cause.
Even though there are many car accident lawyers in Southfield and Michigan, it is not as easy as you might think to find an auto wreck law firm with a good reputation and a team of skilled, caring lawyers. At Goodman Acker, our Southfield car accident lawyers are known for being aggressive when it comes to fighting for their clients’ rights, seeking justice, and settling for nothing less than maximum compensation.
If you have been in a car accident, time is not on your side. Contact one of our Goodman Acker car accident lawyers in Southfield for help pursuing your claim and getting the damages you are owed at 248-286-8100 and request a free-of-charge initial consultation to learn more about your legal options.
Why Should You Choose Goodman Acker?
Our car accident attorneys are here to help you throughout the claims process. If you have been injured in an accident and you believe someone else is to blame, it is worth considering hiring a trustworthy car accident law firm from Southfield, MI. At Goodman Acker, we offer personalized attention to our injury cases.
We always put the needs of our clients above all. We also employ all relevant resources to ensure our clients get the best settlements for their car accident claims. Here is why you should choose Goodman Acker for your personal injury case:
- We are available 24/7 to help you with your case
- 150+ years of combined experience
- 99% success rate
- We offer free case evaluations
- We also love giving back to the community.
What Damages Are Available in a Southfield Car Accident Claim?
Auto accidents can lead to debilitating injuries and significant expenses for injured victims. By filing a personal injury lawsuit or claim, our Southfield car accident attorneys can assist you in recovering damages arising from your accident.
Damages refer to expenses accrued because of an accident. Our Southfield car accident attorneys can assist you in getting economic damages, which are measurable and calculable expenses like:
- Medical costs, rehabilitation expenses, and future medical costs
- Lost wages
- Property damage
- Loss of earning capacity
- Other miscellaneous expenses.
Our Southfield car accident lawyers can also help you get compensation for non-economic damages. These are losses that cannot be measured or put a price on. Non-economic damages include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Permanent disfigurement and scarring
- Loss of quality of life
- Loss of consortium.
Not all auto accidents are the same, and you may have surplus damages for which you are eligible. Reaching out to our Southfield car accident attorneys can assist in determining the types of damages your case qualifies for.
What Should I Do Following a Car Accident in Southfield?
Chances are that you will be confused after an accident, which means you will not be in the right mental state to come up with ideas. Having prior knowledge of what steps to take following a car accident can help you stay safe and preserve your rights.
If you want to recover maximum compensation for a car accident, make sure to follow these steps:
1. Seek Medical Attention
After getting into a car accident, even if you feel okay and have no visible injuries, call 911 or the Southfield Police Department right away. Seeking medical care is the only way to make sure you are okay. Going to the hospital also helps keep a record of the care you get, which is important if you want to get paid for what happened.
2. Obtain Contact Information
Make sure to get the contact information of the other drivers involved in the crash. This includes addresses, names, phone numbers, insurance information, license details, and registration plate numbers.
3. Document the Scene
Ensure you record the scene of the accident using photos and videos to show the extent of your injuries and car damage. Visual proof can help justify your case and assure compensation.
4. Notify Your Insurance Company
Inform your insurance carrier of the accident. Make sure to be concise with the details because insurers usually use exactly what you tell them to devalue your claim. Do not make any statements that may harm your case.
5. Contact a Southfield Car Accident Lawyer
Call a Southfield car accident lawyer right away before talking to anyone. At Goodman Acker, our lawyers will take care of all communications with the insurance companies and file your case while protecting your rights. What is more, we provide our legal expertise on a contingency fee basis.
Do not let insurance negotiations stress you out after a car accident in Southfield. Allow our Southfield car accident lawyers to help you through this tumultuous period.
What Does No-fault Insurance Mean in Michigan?
When it comes to Michigan’s no-fault insurance, car owners are required to pay for insurance covering some part of the costs incurred following an accident. This way, insurers will cover some part of the expenses and damages suffered regardless of who caused the crash.
The purpose of the no-fault doctrine is to get victims reimbursed quickly. Instead of filing a claim against another driver, victims can look to their own insurance policy for compensation.
Still, you should know that your insurance will not pay for all the costs and damage. If the car accident caused you to have ongoing costs that your insurance does not cover, you should talk to our Southfield car accident lawyers about filing a lawsuit against the person who caused the accident.
Car Accidents FAQs
Common Questions for Our Southfield Car Accident Lawyers
Most of our car accident clients have never been in this situation before. So, they understandably have lots of questions about their cases, our legal representation, and the claims settlement process.
Below are answers to some of the questions we hear the most:
What Is a Fair Settlement for My Car Accident Case?
Ultimately, a case’s settlement value depends on the legal and negotiation skills of your Southfield car accident lawyer. The settlement process begins with a claim’s settlement value.
Basically, a settlement value is like a sticker price. Both figures serve as starting points for price negotiations. A claim’s settlement value begins with the economic damages in the case. Then, an attorney adds a reasonable number of non-economic damages, usually by multiplying the economic damages by two, three, or four, mostly depending on the evidence in the case. Some other factors, such as the strength of insurance company defenses, usually come into play as well.
How Quickly Will I Receive Compensation for My Car Accident Case?
Occasionally, all the issues in a car accident claim are crystal clear, so the case settles almost immediately. Much more often, however, substantial questions exist about the facts of the case, the applicable law, and other such issues. If a Southfield car accident lawyer settles a case before these questions are resolved in favor of the victim, the victim could end up settling for less.
Because of these lingering questions, most car accident claims settle during mediation, which is basically a court-supervised negotiation session that happens as the trial date draws near. Since both sides have a duty to negotiate in good faith, mediation often succeeds when informal settlement negotiations have stalled or even broken down entirely.
Why Should I Work with a Southfield Car Accident Attorney at Goodman Acker?
As mentioned above, the Goodman Acker team has a long track record of successful results. This success is built on a solid foundation every good Southfield car accident attorney should have. Hundreds of lawyers in Oakland County could probably handle your claim, but only a select few have the right combination of:
- Dedication: Injury law should be more than a sideshow. It should be a passion. Only passion for protecting the rights of victims fuels the challenging work necessary to obtain maximum compensation.
- Accessibility: Many victims are understandably impressed by the vast resources of huge firms. But clients at these firms often don’t work with senior attorneys. Instead, they work with less-experienced associates or non-lawyer paralegals.
- Experience: Most law school classes did not teach necessary skills like settlement negotiation and procedural prowess. Only experience teaches lawyers how to act like lawyers. Your injury claim is far too valuable to be a training tool for an inexperienced attorney.
This combination of qualities makes us very well-suited to handle your injury claim and obtain maximum compensation for your serious injuries.
Do I Still Have a Case If I Was Partially at Fault for My Southfield Car Accident?
Yes, in many cases. Michigan follows a modified comparative negligence rule. So, even if you were partially to blame for your accident, you may still be able to recover compensation via a claim or lawsuit, as long as the extent of your fault does not exceed 50 percent. Your compensation will be reduced by the percentage that you were deemed at fault.
Will I Always Be Able to Obtain Compensation After an Accident?
Car accident victims must have actual damages, meaning monetary expenses, which resulted from the accident. Typically, a defective product (such as a defective tire) or a negligent driver causes such accidents. In order to obtain compensation from other drivers and entities, it is usually necessary to demonstrate their negligence and show that these negligent actions caused the accident.
Injured? Get Legal Help from Our Southfield Car Accident Attorneys
If you consult our skilled car accident lawyers in Southfield, you will give your case the best possible footing to get maximum compensation. At Goodman Acker, our team of lawyers will help you understand the details of your case, handle negotiations on your behalf, look at the evidence to build a strong case, and help you get the money you’re owed.
Taking into account our 99% success rate in the cases we have handled; we are confident in our ability to help you. We would like to learn more about your situation.
LEGALLY REVIEWED BY BARRY J. GOODMAN
Barry J. Goodman has devoted his professional life to keeping courthouse doors open for victims seeking justice. Always a tireless advocate for his own clients, Goodman sees his responsibility as a Detroit personal injury attorney in a broader sense as well. [ Attorney Bio ]
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