Personal Injury Lawyer-Michigan blog » attorney

When You Can Go To Court Without An Attorney

NoNonsense — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:11:28 +0000

Few people realize that, after an accident, it is often possible to deal with the personal injury yourself. With basic information about how the accident claims process works, if you are organized and patience, you can handle your own injury insurance claim without a lawyer—and without being treated unfairly by the insurance company. In fact, you could actually get more compensation for your injury and a faster resolution to your claim by handling it yourself instead of hiring a lawyer (and paying her or his fees).

Which claims you might be able to take to small claims court without a lawyer? As a general rule of thumb, you case should not involve

serious long-term or permanently disabling injuries
severe injuries
medical malpractice
toxic exposure

If you case does not involve these issues, the insurance company may well be willing to negotiate and settle out of court. Many times, it’s simply cheaper for them to pay you than to prolong the fight.

One-size-fits-all insurance law hurts drivers

NoNonsense — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:46:43 +0000

I agree completely. Read on…

from Detroit News Feb, 16, 2008

We agree with The Detroit News that Michigan drivers need options when purchasing medical coverage through their auto insurance (“Insurance reform plan misses root of problem,” Feb. 11). Our coalition believes offering people a choice in the amount of personal injury protection they are required to buy will reduce premium rates. We have a plan — called PIP Choice — to do that.

We’re happy Gov. Jennifer Granholm acknowledged this problem in her State of the State address. Unfortunately, the state insurance advocate’s proposal lacks the urgency needed to reduce rates now. Parts of Butch Hollowell’s proposal might help slightly, but it could take years to grind through the process. Drivers need relief now.

Michigan is the only state that forces drivers to purchase unlimited medical coverage, even if they are insured through personal health plans or seniors through Medicare. This overlapping coverage and one-size-fits-all law is wasteful and costly to drivers.

Roughly 95 percent of claims in Michigan are under $50,000, yet 100 percent of Michigan drivers are forced to purchase the unlimited amount. Drivers should be allowed to choose a plan that works best for them.

At last count, 55 percent of Detroiters drive without car insurance. The dire economy coupled with the city’s astronomical premium rates will cause that number to rise and force even more motorists to drive without it.

Detroit has the highest premium costs in the country, sometimes costing up to $4,000 per year. This is outrageous. PIP Choice could reduce their premium rates up to 16 percent.

Diana Christensen

Drivers for Savings Coalition

Lansing

Average Personal Injury Award in Michigan

NoNonsense — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 04:44:05 +0000

Jury Verdict Research recently released a new study looking at the average personal injury awards in Michigan: $1,089,638. As always, big personal injury verdicts conflate the average; the median personal injury compensation award in Michigan is $99,506. Interestingly, plaintiffs receive a financial recovery in 44% of personal injury lawsuits that go to trial compared to the national average of 52%. These numbers are misleading because the type of case has a huge bearing on both the average recovery and the plaintiffs’ success rate. But this data from Michigan is still interesting to personal injury lawyers and accident and malpractice victims in Michigan.