Steve Matz and his team have been practicing law in Michigan for decades. They’ve logged hundreds of thousands of miles traveling to virtually every county in Michigan’s lower and upper peninsulas, meeting with clients, and doing the work necessary to earn significant settlements on their clients’ behalf.
Getting into an auto accident changes your life in an instant. It’s nerve-racking and comes with an indescribable sense of anger and anxiety. You’re dealing with potentially serious injuries to your body and major damage to your vehicle. It gets worse when your medical bills start to pile up and you cannot work anymore, so you’re not bringing money in to pay them.
You know someone should pay for the harm you’ve suffered, but the insurance company seems to be going out of its way to look for a reason not to pay you what you deserve. That’s where help from knowledgeable, experienced car accident lawyers comes into the picture. Matz Injury Law has experience helping auto accident victims recover fair compensation from auto insurance companies and careless drivers for many years.
Established Car Accident Attorneys Serving Lansing, Michigan
The Lansing car accident attorneys at Matz Injury Law have years of experience dealing with all forms of personal injury cases, including motor vehicle accident cases. The law firm’s founding attorney, Steven Matz, has more than 43 years of experience, and he founded the firm in 1977. Steven has also been consistently recognized for his legal work by Super Lawyers.
Our auto accident attorneys have logged thousands of miles traveling all across Michigan’s lower and upper peninsulas, doing all the work needed to earn significant settlements for clients. We represent accident victims in diverse areas of Michigan such as Lansing, East Lansing, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Marquette, Okemos, and beyond.
Matz Injury Law has earned millions for clients including settlements or judgments exceeding $1 million in no fewer than nine distinct areas of personal injury practice areas, including a record-setting automobile accident settlement of $3 million in 2009. We have the experience, verdicts, and knowledge to represent you, and the testimonials to support our work. Call 866-226-6833 or complete our online contact form to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney and get a free consultation on your case today.
How Frequently Do Car Accidents Occur in Lansing, Michigan?
Lansing is no stranger to serious motor vehicle accidents. These incidents can happen anywhere at any time, but our city has some of Michigan’s most dangerous roads and intersections. Some of the most dangerous roads in the state include the I-496/US-127 corridor.
Across the nation, according to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), over 25% of fatal accidents involve speeding as a primary cause. Across the United States, in 2019 alone, almost 2,500 deaths were caused by drivers who were going too fast for road conditions.
In 2021, Michigan saw over 1,000 fatal car crashes and nearly 44,500 crashes involving serious personal injury. Over 200,000 involved property damage. Personal injury claims require knowledgeable lawyers to pursue them. Our car accident attorneys have represented many accident victims in automobile accident cases including truck accidents and motorcycle accident incidents.
Do I Really Need a Lansing Car Accident Lawyer?
While you do not legally need the services of a car accident law firm, it’s always a good idea to have auto accident attorneys in your corner. Auto insurance adjusters often offer lowball settlements that will not cover your medical expenses, let alone property damage and non-economic damages. When you refuse, they will apply many tactics to try to change your mind, including threatening you with no settlement at all unless you sign.
These insurance company adjusters have their own attorneys. Shouldn’t you have someone equally versed in Michigan car accident law to assist you with your accident claim? The right Lansing, Michigan car accident lawyer can fight for your rights, remind everyone who the victim is, and deal with the auto insurance company so you can focus on the all-important fight to recover your life.
The Matz Injury Law office can assist you with your car accident case in Lansing, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, or anywhere else in Michigan. Get in touch with us using our contact form or by calling 866-226-6833 to request a free consultation today.
What Are My Rights in an Accident?
Michigan is a no-fault state for automobile accidents. This does not mean, however, that the rights of accident victims are restricted. This fault law just means that Michigan drivers must carry insurance to cover their own injuries regardless of who the at-fault driver might be. State law is intended to protect you against uninsured or underinsured drivers in an accident and ensure that you can start getting treatment.
No-fault law in Michigan applies only to car accidents, not to other types of personal injury cases like medical malpractice, workers’ compensation, or slip and fall cases. When you are in a car wreck in the state of Michigan, you turn your damages in to your insurance company rather than the at-fault driver’s.
Unfortunately, this system has flaws, and these flaws have all too often led to delays in claim processing and even unfair claim denials that lead to lawsuits. Victims have to fight their own insurance companies as well as those of other drivers far more often than they should.
When this happens, its is important to know that under Michigan law you have the right to compensation after an accident that was someone else’s fault. It’s important, however, to have the right legal advice and legal services from a personal injury law firm experienced and knowledgeable in Michigan state law that can fight back against adjusters who are trying to get away with not paying you your fair settlement.
Can You Sue for a Car Accident in Lansing?
You can absolutely sue for your car accident case. When you are in an accident that is caused by the reckless or careless acts of another person, they are responsible for the harm you suffered, from broken bones and loss of limbs to traumatic brain injury, disfigurement, and even wrongful death when you lose a loved one.
How Does the Process Work?
The process of filing a lawsuit can take some time and requires patience on your part, but know that when you work with our law office, you will be kept informed every step of the way about where we are and how your case is proceeding.
When you are injured, you will likely be contacted by an adjuster for your insurance company within a few days. They will evaluate your injuries and economic damages and offer a settlement that often is too low to cover your medical expenses, let alone your other damages.
After you discuss your case with us, we will determine a reasonable value for compensation and issue a demand letter to the other side, outlining why we think your injuries are worth what they are. The other side (the defendant) will issue a response letter with another lowball offer, picking apart our letter and issuing their own reasons for it. From there, we begin a series of back-and-forth negotiations.
The vast majority of cases do not go to court, because this is not in anyone’s best interests. Court is expensive and time-consuming, so it’s more common to arrive at an agreement that satisfies everyone. Sometimes, however, negotiations break down and we are forced to go to court. When this happens, our personal injury lawyers will stand by your side and fight for your rights every step of the way.
What Damages Can I Recover?
When you sue for a car accident, you can be eligible to recover a wide range of damages. These can include, but may not be limited to:
- Medical bills and medical expenses including doctor’s visits, procedures, surgeries, medication, therapy, transportation to appointments, and estimated future medical needs.
- Lost wages and loss of potential future earnings.
- “Invisible” injuries like trauma, PTSD, emotional damages, loss of comfort and companionship, loss of consortium, and loss of enjoyment of life.
- Funeral costs, medical bills, and other economic and non-economic damages from the loss of a loved one in a wrongful death case.
Can I Sue for Pain and Suffering?
Pain and suffering specifically refers to the non-economic damages suffered from a car accident. This covers things like mood swings, depression, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of relationships and support, loss of consortium, PTSD, and other harm you’ve suffered that is not easy to numerically value.
These are sometimes also called general damages in legal terms. Because there are not specific dollar values placed on these things, they can be tricky to calculate and often are the sticking point in negotiations for an injury case.
Your Lansing car accident attorneys usually value your pain and suffering as a multiplier of the economic, or monetary, damages, also called special damages in legal terms. In some cases, however, car accident lawyers might have a reason to apply a different figure. Because these damages are so subjective, it’s vital to have Lansing,
Michigan car accident lawyers in your corner who have experience handling these cases and can build a strong body of evidence to support the need for pain and suffering damages in your case.
How Long Do You Have to Sue After a Car Accident in Lansing, Michigan?
Every state has a law known as a “statute of limitations” that applies to legal cases. The statute of limitations simply means a window of time within which you have to file your lawsuit. In Michigan, this window of time is three years from the date of the injury, or in the case of wrongful death, three years from the date of death.
If you file your lawsuit outside of the statute of limitations, you may lose your right to compensation. That is why it is so important to contact car accident lawyers quickly. It should be noted that each case is unique, and factors do exist that can extend this time frame. If you have been hurt in an accident, even if you think it’s been too long, you can contact the Lansing car accident lawyers at Matz Injury Law for a free consultation to see if you have a case.
How Much Does a Lansing, MI Car Accident Lawyer Cost?
Most good car accident lawyers work on contingency, which means your initial case review and legal advice won’t cost you a thing. Thereafter, you won’t pay a fee for legal services from your Lansing MI car accident lawyers unless we win a fair settlement for your injuries.
While there is no set amount for the fees, Matz Injury Law has a lower fee than many other attorneys. While the average, traditional fee for legal services is 33%, our law office takes only 22%. That’s why our phone number is 866-226-6833. Get in touch with us today for your consultation.
At What Point Should I Call a Lansing, Michigan, Car Accident Lawyer?
Because of the statute of limitations and the inherent advantages of the insurance company, it’s vital that you call car accident lawyers for your case sooner rather than later. This will help you avoid mistakes like making potentially incriminating statements or mistakes in filing paperwork.
Directly after an accident, call 911 first to get first responders to the scene and get examined by medical professionals. Then, gather all the evidence you can, including witness contact information, documentation of the scene, photographs, and the like. Third, report the accident to your insurance company, but stick strictly to the facts. Finally, call your lawyer and let them handle things from there.
Let Matz Injury Law Help You With Your Lansing, Michigan, Car Accident
Steve and Jared Matz at Matz Injury Law are understanding attorneys with decades of combined experience handling car injury cases and extensive knowledge of Michigan law. They’ve recovered over $12 million in settlements and judgments for clients, and they are ready to fight for you. Contact us with our online form or by calling 866-226-6833 for your free consultation today.
