Lansing Car Accident Lawyer
Getting into an auto accident changes your life in an instant. It’s nerve-racking and comes with an indescribable loss of control over life and anxiety. Some people even experience dreams about car accidents for years after the occurrence. Dreams about car accidents and having to relive those memories on top of any injuries you have sustained are traumatic.
Why Lansing Residents Choose Matz Injury Law
Matz Injury Law has spent decades advocating for the legal rights of accident victims, helping them recover financial compensation after auto collisions and other accidents. Our legal team listens to clients and works with them to get the most out of their car accident claims. The following are only a few of our experienced Lansing injury attorneys’ successes:
- A $4.15 million settlement in Washtenaw County, collected from three insurance companies, for the family of a college student killed in a motorcycle accident
- A $1.3 million settlement in a Monroe County truck accident case involving severe injuries to a mother and daughter
- A $500,000 settlement in Ingham County for catastrophic injuries to a 2-year-old girl in a car crash
Understanding Car Accident Attorney Fees in Lansing Michigan
Let’s consider a scenario where you receive a $120,000 settlement for PTSD:
- Standard 33 1/3% fee: You would receive $80,000 (120,000 – (120,000/3)).
- Matz Injury Law 22% fee: You would receive $93,600 (120,000 – (120,000 x .22)).
In this situation, the difference is $13,600, which you retain with Matz Injury Law’s fee structure. This financial advantage could be the difference maker that allows our client to get her new pickup truck and feel safe on the road again.
You should never have to suffer a car accident without compensation. Our auto accident attorneys have traveled thousands of miles 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.
Testimonials:
Michelle C. “Steve has been such a blessing throughout my whole process of working with my auto insurance after my traumatic car accident. He’s very attentive, willing to answer any question, and have it make sense! I truly got lucky to have him to represent my claim.”
Thomas C. “Following a near head-on collision that left my wife with serious injuries to her leg and a head injury from the airbag that caused “instant onset dementia,” she has been deteriorating and needs constant supervision. Hats off to Steve Matz and all the work he and his firm have done to secure the compensation needed from the insurance company to facilitate her care. Without his tireless help, I don’t know where we would be today. I highly recommend Matz Injury Law and, if needed, would definitely utilize the firm again.”
Ky W. “I reached out to Steve after my car accident, and even without paying him, he was there for me. They offered me advice and told me everything I needed to know about what my insurance company owed me. He cares about people, and it shows!”
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 Matz Injury Law Helped A Victim with PTSD From a Car Accident
We remember representing a woman from Lansing, Michigan who came to us due to PTSD after a car accident. She let us know that after her car accident in Michigan, she couldn’t drive without becoming seriously afraid. She now drives a pickup truck and only leaves the house to go to the doctor, and even takes a new route to work. We were very concerned for her because PTSD can cause further accidents on the road due to anxiety. We helped our client receive compensation, and you also deserve to be compensated for the changes that occurred in your life after a car accident. We are here to help you do just that.
Insurance companies won’t give you what you need or deserve. You need a lawyer, and we are here to help. Matz Injury Law has years of experience helping auto accident victims recover fair compensation from auto insurance companies and careless drivers across Michigan.
Car Accident Statistics in Lansing, Michigan
Lansing has some of Michigan’s most dangerous roads and intersections, including the I-496/US-127 corridor. The Michigan State Police have the following statistics on statewide accidents in 2022:
- 293,341 total car crashes
- 51,066 crashes causing injuries to 70,281 people
- 1,053 fatal crashes, resulting in 1,123 fatalities
According to the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, Ingham County had the following crash statistics in 2021:
- 7,887 car crashes
- 1,603 injury crashes, with 2,230 injured people
- 30 fatal crashes, causing 32 fatalities
Passenger cars, SUVs, and vans accounted for 83.2% of the vehicles involved in auto accidents in Ingham County in 2021, and 68.1% of the vehicles involved in fatal accidents.
Related Article: Where Do Most Michigan Car Accidents Happen?
Do I Have to Hire a Lansing Car Accident Lawyer?
It is always a good idea to have a local lawyer on your side when dealing with insurance companies after a car accident. An experienced personal injury lawyer will know all of the tricks the insurance company might use to try to get out of paying you the full amount of compensation you deserve. Hiring a lawyer near you in Lansing brings several additional advantages:
- A local lawyer will be familiar with both state and local laws.
- They know how the local court system works, including the often peculiar rules of specific judges, clerks, and court administrators.
- They are likely to know many of the players in your case. They might have worked with them or gone up against them before, and you can benefit from their experience.
Related Article: Without a Lawyer Can I Settle My Auto Injury Case?
What Are My Rights in a Car Accident in Lansing, Michigan?
Michigan’s no-fault insurance law means that you can recover damages from your insurance company without regard to who was at fault in your accident. While this law puts some restrictions on car accident cases, you still have important rights when an accident is someone else’s fault:
- You always have the right to recover compensation from your insurance policy’s personal injury protection (PIP) coverage.
- You have the right to claim damages from an at-fault driver’s insurance company in certain situations.
- If the at-fault driver’s insurance company refuses to settle your claim, you have the right to file a lawsuit against them to recover damages.
- In a claim against an at-fault driver, you have the right to recover non-economic damages like pain and suffering. These types of damages compensate you for the impact your injuries have had on your quality of life.
You may file a claim for damages against an at-fault driver if you can establish the following:
- The driver was negligent, meaning that they breached a duty of care in a way that caused you to suffer injuries. All drivers on Michigan roads owe a duty of care to the general public to drive safely and obey traffic laws.
- The driver’s negligence caused the accident and, therefore, caused your injuries.
- Your injuries involve “serious impairment of body function.”
Michigan law defines “serious impairment of body function” as follows:
- The injury has symptoms that other people can observe, such as if it affects you physically or it affects your behavior.
- The injury impairs “a body function of great value, significance, or consequence” to you.
- You cannot lead a “normal life” because of the injury, or it has negatively affected your “normal manner of living.”
Related Article: Third-party Statute of Limitations in Michigan
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.
No-Fault Lawyers: How Does the Process Work?
While each case is unique, the following steps occur in most Michigan car accident cases:
Step One
Seek medical attention so a doctor can assess the extent of your injuries.
Step Two
Report the accident to your insurance company to recover no-fault benefits. You have one year from the date of the accident to notify them, but you should start the process as soon as possible.
Step Three
Expect insurance adjusters to contact you. Remember that they are not your friends. Their initial settlement offer is likely to be far too low.
Step Four
Consult with our law office to discuss your case and determine how much compensation you should receive.
Step Five
We will issue a demand letter to the insurance company that outlines your injuries’ worth.
Step Six
The insurance company will respond and make a lowball offer. This will initiate negotiations.
Step Seven
We will negotiate back and forth with the insurance company. Each side is aiming for a satisfactory settlement agreement.
Step Eight
Most cases are settled outside of court due to cost and time concerns.
Step Nine
In rare cases, settlement negotiations fail. The next step is to go to court with a lawsuit.
Step Ten
Our Lansing car accident lawyers will support you throughout the court process, fighting for your rights.
Related Article: In A Multi-Vehicle Auto Accident, Who Is At Fault?
What Damages Can I Recover after a Lansing Crash?
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.
How Much Does a Lansing, MI Car Accident Lawyer Cost?
A Lansing car accident lawyer typically charges no upfront fees. They work on “contingency,” which means that the lawyer will not receive a fee until they recover damages for you, either through a settlement or a judgment. In other words, they don’t get paid unless you get paid.
Lawyers who work on contingency take a percentage of the final settlement or award as their legal fee. The percentage may vary from one law firm to another, but it is usually one-third of the amount recovered. Matz Injury Law has a lower fee than many other attorneys. Our law office takes only 22%.
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. Jared Matz was honored as one of America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators, the firm has 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.
Frequent Answered Questions
Yes, you can sue for pain and suffering. Remember when we spoke about your dreams? About 80% of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients suffer from nightmares or dysphoric dreams. These can cause major distress and impact both nighttime and daytime functioning.
Damages for pain and suffering can compensate you for harms that are not easy to value in a numerical sense. In addition to PTSD, this may include physical pain, mood swings, depression, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of relationships and support, and loss of consortium.
Related Article: Can You Sue For Aggravated Injuries Due to an Accident?
You have 3 years from the date of a car accident to file a lawsuit in Michigan. This deadline is known as the statute of limitations. You must act quickly to avoid hitting this deadline.
If you try to file a lawsuit after the statute of limitations has passed, the court can dismiss the case. You might also find that you cannot get the insurance company to discuss a settlement after the deadline for a lawsuit. One of the main reasons insurance companies settle claims is because they determine that paying a settlement will be less risky and expensive than going to court. If you can no longer go to court, you have no leverage over the insurance company.
Not all car accidents will go on your record in Michigan. Those that do go on your record will remain there for a minimum of a few years, but it could be longer. It depends on whether you were at fault in the accident and the circumstances of the accident.
- A no-fault accident, meaning one in which you did not share in any of the fault at all, will not go on your record.
- If the police ticketed you, and you were convicted of a traffic violation, you will get points on your record that will stay there for a minimum of two years.
- Most criminal convictions related to a car accident stay on your record for seven years.
- Convictions for DUI or a fatality resulting from a car accident stay on your record permanently.
Some research shows an association between certain colors and the number of car accidents. Black cars appear to get into the most accidents, with a 12% higher risk than many other colors. One possible reason for this is simply that black cars are more difficult to see, especially at night.
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Written By Steven Matz
Steven J. Matz is a founding shareholder of Matz Injury Law. The firm’s concentration is on personal injury litigation, with an emphasis on traumatic brain injury.
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