Sterling Heights Car Accident Lawyer

The daily commute through Sterling Heights can be unpredictable. Heavy traffic flows along major arteries like Van Dyke Avenue and Hall Road (M-59), while local streets see their own share of activity. Unfortunately, where there are cars, there is always the risk of a collision. A moment of distraction or a single reckless choice can change your life in an instant, leaving you with serious injuries, mounting medical bills, and overwhelming stress.

After a crash, you may feel lost and unsure of where to turn for help. You don’t have to face this journey alone. A dedicated Sterling Heights car accident lawyer from Goodman Acker PC. can stand by your side, protect your rights, and help you navigate the path toward justice and recovery. If you or a loved one has been hurt, we invite you to reach out to our compassionate team for guidance.

Key Takeaways: Sterling Heights Car Accident Lawyers

• Michigan’s no-fault insurance system provides specific benefits to injured individuals, regardless of who caused the auto accident.
• There are strict deadlines, known as statutes of limitations, for filing a car accident lawsuit in Michigan.
• The value of a car accident claim is influenced by factors such as the severity of injuries, total economic losses, and the degree of fault of each party.
• An initial settlement offer from an insurance company may not cover the full long-term costs associated with a serious injury.
• Proving another party’s negligence is a critical step in securing compensation for pain and suffering and other excess damages.

Why Choose Goodman Acker PC for Your Sterling Heights Car Accident Claim

When you are recovering from an injury, choosing the right legal team can make all the difference. At Goodman Acker PC, our entire practice is built on a foundation of core values that guide every action we take. We are honest, ethical, and experienced lawyers who are deeply committed to serving personal injury victims throughout the Tri-County area. Our mission is to provide you with the highest quality of legal service available, and we pursue that mission with relentless dedication.

We understand the trust you place in us, and we honor that by making you a series of guarantees. We promise to be:

• Caring: We are good people who genuinely care about our clients. We see you as a person, not a case number, and we are dedicated to your well-being.
• Attentive: Your questions and concerns are important. We promise to listen, to keep you informed, and to provide prompt, honest answers whenever you need them.
• Aggressive: We are driven and hard-working advocates. We will be aggressive in our pursuit of justice and will not back down when fighting for the maximum compensation you deserve.
• Knowledgeable: With over 150 years of combined legal experience, our team has the knowledge and insight necessary to build a powerful and persuasive case on your behalf.

When you hire Goodman Acker, you are not just getting a single attorney; you are getting a highly functional team with a wealth of combined knowledge fighting for you.

Should I Accept the First Offer from the Insurance Company?

After a car accident, you will likely be contacted by an insurance adjuster from the at-fault driver’s company. They may seem friendly and helpful, and they might even make a quick settlement offer. While it can be tempting to accept this money, especially when bills are piling up, it is almost always a mistake to accept the first offer.

Insurance companies are for-profit businesses. Their primary goal is to protect their bottom line, which means paying out as little as possible on claims. The first offer is typically a lowball amount calculated to be just enough to make you go away before you understand the true value of your claim.

Here are a few reasons why that initial offer is often insufficient:

• It may not cover future medical expenses. Some injuries, like traumatic brain injuries or spinal cord damage, require lifelong care, multiple surgeries, or extensive rehabilitation. The first offer rarely accounts for these long-term costs.
• It doesn’t account for your full lost income. You may be entitled to compensation not only for the wages you have already lost but also for your diminished earning capacity if your injuries prevent you from returning to your old job or working at all.
• It fails to value your pain and suffering. The physical pain, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life caused by an accident are real damages. Insurance adjusters often minimize or completely ignore these non-economic losses in their initial calculations.

Before accepting any offer, it is crucial to speak with a Sterling Heights car accident attorney. We can help you calculate the full extent of your damages and negotiate with the insurance company for a fair settlement that truly reflects everything you have lost.

Laws that Impact Car Accidents in Michigan

Michigan has several key state laws that can significantly impact your ability to recover compensation and the process you must follow. Our attorneys are well-versed in these statutes and can guide you through the complexities of the legal system.

Michigan No-Fault Insurance

Michigan operates under a unique “no-fault” insurance system. This means that after a car crash, your own auto insurance policy is your primary source of coverage for certain economic losses, regardless of who was at fault for the accident. These benefits, known as Personal Injury Protection (PIP), are designed to provide prompt payment for your immediate needs.

PIP benefits typically cover:

• Your medical bills and expenses related to the accident.
• A percentage of your lost wages for up to three years if your injuries prevent you from working.
• Replacement services, which pay for tasks you can no longer perform, such as housekeeping or childcare, up to a certain daily limit.

While the no-fault system provides these important benefits, it also places limits on your ability to sue the at-fault driver.

To step outside the no-fault system and file a lawsuit for non-economic damages like pain and suffering, your injuries must meet a certain “threshold.” This usually means you have suffered a serious impairment of body function, permanent serious disfigurement, or death. An experienced attorney can help determine if your injuries meet this legal standard.

Michigan Statute of Limitations

The law sets a strict deadline for filing a lawsuit, which is known as a statute of limitations. In Michigan, you generally have three years from the date of the car accident to file a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault party.

If you fail to file your lawsuit within this three-year window, the court will almost certainly dismiss your case, and you will lose your right to seek compensation forever. There are very few exceptions to this rule. This is why it is so critical to contact a Sterling Heights car accident lawyer as soon as possible after your crash. We can ensure all necessary paperwork is filed correctly and on time, protecting your legal rights.

Michigan Comparative Negligence Rule

In many car accidents, an insurance company or jury may find that more than one person shares blame for the crash. Michigan follows a “modified comparative negligence” rule to address these situations.

Here is how it works:

• If you are found to be partially at fault for the accident, your total compensation award will be reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if you are found to be 20% at fault, your award will be reduced by 20%, and you will receive 80% of the damages.
• However, if you are found to be 51% or more at fault for the accident, you are barred from recovering any non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering.

Insurance companies often try to use this rule to shift as much blame as possible onto the injury victim to reduce or deny a claim. Our lawyers are skilled at fighting back against these tactics and work to prove the other party was primarily responsible for your injuries.

How Our Lawyers Prove Negligence in Sterling Heights, Michigan Car Accident Cases

To win a car accident lawsuit and recover compensation for damages like pain and suffering, we must prove that the other driver was negligent. In legal terms, negligence means that someone failed to act with reasonable care, and this failure caused harm to another person.

Proving negligence involves establishing four key elements:

• Duty: The other driver had a legal duty to operate their vehicle safely and follow traffic laws to avoid harming others on the road.
• Breach: The driver breached, or violated, that duty. This could be through actions like speeding, texting while driving, running a red light, or driving under the influence.
• Causation: The driver’s breach of duty was the direct cause of the accident and your resulting injuries.
• Damages: You suffered actual losses, or damages, as a result of the accident, such as medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Our legal team conducts a thorough investigation to gather the evidence needed to build a strong case and prove each of these elements. We leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of the truth. This process often includes collecting police reports, interviewing witnesses who saw the crash, obtaining traffic camera or dashcam footage, and consulting with accident reconstruction professionals to show exactly how the collision occurred.

Compensation Available in a Michigan Car Accident Lawsuit

If you have been injured in a car accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to recover compensation for a wide range of losses. This compensation, legally referred to as “damages,” is intended to help restore your life to how it was before the injury. In Michigan, damages are generally categorized into two main types: economic and non-economic.

Economic damages are designed to reimburse you for your direct financial losses. These are tangible costs that can be calculated with bills and receipts.

• Past and future medical expenses, including hospital stays, surgeries, physical therapy, and prescription medications.
• Lost wages and income from being unable to work.
• Loss of future earning capacity if your injuries are permanent and affect your ability to earn a living.
• Property damage to your vehicle.

Non-economic damages are meant to compensate you for the intangible, personal losses you have suffered. These are often the most significant part of a serious injury claim.

• Physical pain and suffering.
• Emotional distress, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Loss of enjoyment of life.
• Permanent disfigurement or scarring.

At Goodman Acker, our goal is to meticulously document all of your losses to fight for a settlement or verdict that provides for your complete physical, emotional, and financial recovery.

Sterling Heights Car Accident Lawyer FAQs

Here are answers to some common questions we receive from people who have been injured in car accidents.

What should I do if the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured?

If the at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough to cover your damages, you may still be able to recover compensation through your own insurance policy’s Uninsured Motorist (UM) or Underinsured Motorist (UIM) coverage. These are optional coverages, but they are incredibly important for protecting yourself in these situations. An attorney can review your policy to see what options are available.

How much does it cost to hire a car accident lawyer?

At Goodman Acker, we handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. This means you do not pay us any attorney’s fees unless and until we win your case and recover compensation for you. Our fee is a percentage of the final settlement or award, so you never have to pay anything out of your own pocket. The initial consultation is also completely free.

Can I still file a claim if the accident was a hit-and-run?

Yes, you still have options. You may be able to file a claim for your PIP benefits through your own no-fault insurance. Additionally, if you have Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage, it may apply in a hit-and-run situation. It is also possible that a thorough investigation could identify the driver who fled the scene.

Discuss Your Case with Our Experienced Sterling Heights Car Accident Lawyers

The time after a car accident is filled with uncertainty and challenges. You should not have to face insurance companies and complex legal procedures while trying to heal. Let our family at Goodman Acker PC help your family move forward. We are ready to take the burden off your shoulders so you can focus on what matters most: your recovery.

When you trust us with your case, we will:

• Handle all communication with insurance companies on your behalf.
• Conduct a full investigation into your accident to gather evidence and establish liability.
• Work with medical and financial professionals to calculate the full value of your claim.
• Fight tirelessly to secure the maximum compensation you need and deserve.

We are honest, ethical, and experienced lawyers who truly care about our clients. If you were injured in a crash in Sterling Heights or anywhere in Michigan, we are here to help. Contact us today at (586) 261-8457 or through our online form for a free, no-obligation consultation. We are available 24/7 to listen to your story and explain how we can help.

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 ]