Multi-Vehicle Accident Attorneys
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Several drivers can share responsibility for the same Michigan pileup while a separate no-fault system determines which insurer pays certain benefits. A Michigan multi-vehicle accident lawyer can help connect those two parts of the claim when one crash produces several versions of what happened.
Medical appointments, missed work, vehicle damage, and insurance calls can all start before fault is clear. You may also be wondering whether sharing some blame means you have lost the right to recover. In Michigan, the answer depends on the type of damages you are pursuing and how fault is ultimately divided.
At Matz Injury Law, we handle Michigan car accident claims involving multiple vehicles and chain reactions. We identify the personal injury protection (PIP) coverage that applies, investigate how each impact happened, and pursue available claims against the drivers who contributed to the crash. Early in the claim, we focus on the coverage, evidence, and deadlines that can affect your recovery.
Why Work With Us After a Michigan Multi-Vehicle Accident
Several insurers can take different positions on the same crash. We keep the claim organized around the evidence, the applicable coverage, and the losses the collision caused.
The Results Behind Our Michigan Auto Injury Work
Our clients have recovered more than $300 million. Our case results include a $3 million settlement in 2009, which Michigan Lawyers Weekly reported as the largest motor vehicle accident settlement in Michigan that year.
No two cases are alike, and prior results are not a promise of what yours will bring. For a multi-vehicle claim, our experience with serious Michigan auto cases supports the detailed work required when several policies, fault positions, and damage claims overlap.
How We Handle Multi-Vehicle Claims Across Michigan
Our attorneys, Steven J. Matz and Jared Matz, personally handle the cases we accept. We travel to clients all across Michigan, including the Upper Peninsula, and we charge a 22% contingency fee at every stage, including trial. You pay no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you.
When several insurers are involved, we review the policies, coordinate PIP and third-party issues, obtain available crash evidence, and address conflicting fault positions. Keeping those parts of the claim together reduces the number of insurance issues you need to manage while you are recovering.
Attorneys Specialize in Multi-Vehicle Accident
Client Testimonials
“I had an amazing experience working with Steve and his practice. Whenever I needed any help, he was right there to help. He even came to my house to discuss my case with me when I was bedridden! His dedication and professionalism truly made a difference. One of the best parts is he takes 22% not 33%!! I would highly recommend Matz Injury Law to anyone in need of legal assistance. Thanks again to Steve and his practice. You truly made this process simple and stress free for me!” — Grant B.
“I highly recommend Mr. Matz’s services. He is very knowledgeable, professional, and listens to his clients’ concerns. Definitely would use his services again.” — Dean S.
“I have used Matz Injury Law over the years, and they are the most honest and trustworthy attorney’s I have ever used. They go above and beyond for their clients. I would recommend them to anyone.” — David L.
What Is a Multi-Vehicle or Chain-Reaction Accident?
A multi-vehicle accident means a crash involving three or more vehicles. A chain-reaction crash is a common type of multi-vehicle accident in which one collision leads to another, striking several vehicles within seconds.
The causes of Michigan pileup accidents can include winter weather, limited visibility, tailgating, and abrupt traffic changes. On roads such as I-75 and I-96, a sudden stop or loss of control can involve vehicles traveling in different lanes or directions. Even when snow or ice contributes to the collision, fault after a vehicle slides on ice still depends on driver conduct and the facts of the crash.
More vehicles can mean more insurers, witnesses, damage patterns, and separate fault allegations. Those added layers make a multi-car accident claim different from a typical two-vehicle accident.
Who Is at Fault in a Michigan Pileup, and What If You Were Partly to Blame?
Michigan can divide fault among several drivers, and sharing some responsibility does not automatically eliminate every part of an injury claim. Under MCL 500.3135, pain-and-suffering damages are barred when the injured person is more than 50% at fault. At exactly 50%, recovery can still be available, reduced by the person’s share of fault.
Excess economic loss follows a different rule. MCL 500.3135 allows recovery of certain economic losses beyond PIP, while Michigan’s comparative fault statute, MCL 600.2959, reduces those damages according to the injured person’s percentage of fault rather than cutting them off solely because that percentage exceeds 50%.
How Fault Is Divided Among Several Drivers
In a lawsuit involving fault by more than one person, a jury or judge can assign percentages of total fault among the people who contributed to the injury. The decision considers each person’s conduct and how that conduct contributed to the claimed harm.
The sequence of impacts can become especially significant in a multi-vehicle accident fault dispute. Witness accounts, photographs, video, vehicle damage, roadway evidence, and reconstruction can help establish who contributed to each collision and to what extent.
How Michigan No-Fault Coverage Works When Several Cars Are Involved
Michigan law uses a statutory priority system to identify the PIP carrier after a multi-vehicle crash. For most injured drivers and passengers, coverage through the injured person’s own policy or a qualifying household policy comes before the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan. MCL 500.3114 contains separate rules for certain passenger-transportation vehicles, employer-owned vehicles, motorcycles, and other situations.
For most motor vehicle occupants, the order works like this:
- Your own auto policy applies first if it covers you.
- If you do not have your own policy, a policy covering your spouse or a relative domiciled in your household may apply.
- If no policy applies under that household priority and no statutory exception changes the order, the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan may provide benefits.
If PIP coverage applies, benefits are payable without regard to fault. Michigan no-fault claims can include allowable medical expenses, work loss, replacement services, and other statutory benefits. These first-party benefits are separate from a liability claim against another driver.
Michigan policyholders can select different limits for PIP allowable expenses, which include medical care and attendant care. Certain eligible policyholders can also elect not to maintain PIP medical coverage. Under MCL 500.3107c, the selected limit applies to allowable expenses under MCL 500.3107(1)(a), not to benefits such as work loss or replacement services.
A third-party claim for non-economic loss is separate. Under MCL 500.3135, the injured person generally must have suffered death, permanent serious disfigurement, or a serious impairment of body function. A serious impairment must be objectively manifested, affect an important body function, and affect the person’s general ability to lead their normal life.
What Compensation Can You Recover After a Multi-Car Crash?
A Michigan multi-car accident claim can involve PIP benefits plus a third-party claim against one or more drivers when Michigan law allows it.
PIP benefits can include:
- Allowable expenses for reasonable and reasonably necessary medical care related to crash injuries, subject to applicable PIP medical coverage limits.
- Work-loss benefits that generally replace 85% of qualifying lost income for up to three years, subject to the monthly limit set by law.
- Replacement services for reasonably incurred help with ordinary and necessary tasks the injured person would have performed, up to $20 per day for the first three years.
- Reimbursement for qualifying mileage related to medical treatment and other covered care.
- Survivor’s loss benefits for qualifying dependents after a fatal crash.
A separate third-party claim can include excess economic loss and, if the statutory threshold is met, pain and suffering after a Michigan accident. Pain and suffering, inconvenience, and other non-economic losses are subject to the threshold and comparative-fault rules in MCL 500.3135.
Michigan’s mini-tort can also provide up to $3,000 for vehicle damage not covered by insurance for crashes after July 1, 2020. Comparative fault applies to a mini-tort claim, and a claimant who is more than 50% at fault cannot recover those damages.
The categories available in a specific case depend on the person’s PIP coverage, injuries, fault allocation, and documented losses.
What to Do After a Multi-Vehicle Accident in Michigan
Early documentation can help separate what happened in each impact and preserve the records needed for PIP and third-party claims. After a Michigan multi-vehicle crash, consider these steps:
- Move to a safe place if you can and call 911. A police report creates a basic record of the vehicles and people involved.
- Get medical care for new or worsening symptoms. Consistent medical records can help connect the injury and treatment to the crash.
- Preserve photos, video, witness contact information, and insurance information for each involved vehicle. The sequence of impacts may become significant when fault is disputed.
- Give the PIP insurer written notice promptly. Under MCL 500.3145, written notice within one year or a prior payment of PIP benefits can affect whether an action for benefits may be brought more than one year after the crash.
- Use care when another driver’s insurer asks for a recorded statement. Statements about the sequence of impacts, your injuries, or your own driving can become part of a disputed multi-vehicle claim.
Michigan’s PIP deadline is more specific than a simple one-year application rule. An action to recover PIP benefits generally must be filed within one year of the accident unless timely written notice was given or PIP benefits were already paid. When notice was given or payment was made, additional timing and one-year-back rules apply.
Most third-party injury lawsuits are generally subject to a three-year period under MCL 600.5805. The Michigan car accident statute of limitations differs from the rules governing PIP benefits, so the applicable deadline depends on the claim being pursued. Missing a deadline can bar all or part of a claim.
We can identify the PIP carrier, request available crash evidence, track the applicable dates, and handle insurer communications while the claim develops.
Review Your Michigan Multi-Vehicle Accident Claim Before You Respond to an Offer
An early offer can arrive before the full injury picture or fault allocation is clear. A free consultation gives you a chance to learn which coverage may apply, how shared fault could affect a third-party claim, and which losses Michigan law allows you to pursue.
We offer free consultations, and our 22% contingency fee applies at every stage, including trial. There is no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for you. Call 866-226-6833 or reach out through our contact form to have us review your Michigan multi-vehicle accident claim.
Written By Steven Matz
Steven J. Matz is the founder of Matz Injury Law, specializing in personal injury litigation with a focus on car accident victims. With over 40 years of legal experience, Mr. Matz has achieved numerous million-dollar settlements. He holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and has been recognized among Michigan’s Top Attorneys. Steven J. Matz is a frequent lecturer on legal ethics and personal injury law, and serves on the Michigan Attorney Discipline Board.
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