™

You should find a lawyer that has extensive experience representing individuals involved in auto accidents. When you find the right attorney you know you will be well represented because of their car accident case knowledge. If you elect to hire an attorney that doesn't have adequate auto accident knowledge this will become apparent at the wrong time - your trial. If you fail to do your homework you end up hiring an attorney that has tried few car accident cases. If you work with an attorney that doesn't have a positive track record with type of case its doubtful his record is going to change with you. However, if you hire a San Diego car accident lawyer with a positive track record and results to prove it, you have a much better change to win your case. You should ask these questions when Browse around this site speaking to a lawyer. By asking many questions you will have a better feel for how he works and whether he is the right lawyer to represent you and your case.

At this point you're probably wondering what is the best approach for locating a San Diego auto accident lawyer. If you still use the yellow pages you may be able to find a local attorney there, but local business results in the search engines are the quickest and most efficient to find a lawyer. You may also view San Diego attorney websites and see what awards they have received, case results and even settlement figures. Don't forget to work with a lawyer that understand your needs and never work with anyone you're not comfortable with. Cases take time so you don't want to cause yourself anymore trouble or suffering than you have already experienced.

The laws that govern Michigan automobile accidents are long and complex. Often, the terms used by car accident insurance agents and lawyers are confusing. Two important terms you should know:

Michigan is a No-Fault State. This means that your own Michigan car accident insurance company pays most of the economic losses you suffer in an automobile accident, regardless of who was at fault. These economic benefits are called First-Party Benefits.

Third-Party Benefits usually cover non-economic losses, including damages for pain and suffering. Both of these types of benefits are described in detail below.

Michigan First-Party Basics

The Michigan law defining First-Party Benefits states: First-party benefits are payable to anyone who suffers an injury arising out of the ownership, operation, maintenance or use of a motor vehicle as a motor vehicle.

The following analysis looks at:

Michigan First-Party Order of Priority

Although your own insurance is first in line to pay in a Michigan automobile accident, there are times when an uninsured individual is an innocent passenger in a motor vehicle. In these circumstances, determining who is responsible to pay Michigan No-Fault Benefits can be complex.

Driver or Passenger Order of Priority

Pedestrian Order of Priority

Motorcycle Order of Priority

A different order for receiving benefits exists if you were on a motorcycle when the accident happened, because motorcycles are not considered "motor vehicles" under Michigan law. In a motorcycle/auto collision, the priority would be as follows:

The Michigan Assigned Claims Facility

The Michigan Assigned Claims Facility is a State Agency with the power to assign an auto accident insurance company to provide benefits, if an injured victim cannot obtain benefits from other sources. Remember that uninsured drivers, operating vehicle they own, do not qualify for Michigan Assigned Claim Facility assistance. To apply for Assigned Claims Benefits, call the Michigan Assigned Claim Facility directly at 517-322-1875.

Specific Michigan First-Party Benefits

The First-Party No-Fault Benefits that you claim from your own insurance company include:

Medical Bills for Life

Michigan motor vehicle accident law requires that medical coverage continue for life, or for as long as you need treatment for injuries suffered in the accident.

There are many complicated factors to getting your medical bills paid, if you are in a Michigan motor vehicle accident. We recommend that you contact our office about your rights.

To qualify for medical expense reimbursement, a bill must be reasonable (in cost and necessity) and the bill must be actually incurred. Michigan law does not provide for guaranteed pre-payment of bills due to a motor vehicle accident. Sometimes, an auto accident insurance company will try to escape its responsibility, by questioning the need to a medical test or procedure, which your physician ordered, or by disputing the amount of the medical bill.

Insurance companies in Michigan provide two types of medical coverage in the event of an automobile accident:

Your insurance policy states which type of benefits you should receive. An uncoordinated policy pays benefits, regardless of the presence of other health insurance. A coordinated policy requires your other health insurance to pay first, and your automobile insurance to pay amounts that your primary insurer does not cover.

It is common for a primary health insurance policy and a motor vehicle insurance policy to contain contradictory language about which one has the first obligation to pay medical bills. Meanwhile, the motor vehicle insurance company may escape its obligation to pay a bill, if it did not receive it within one year of the date that you got the medical treatment.

Wage Loss

Michigan No-Fault Law allows an injured individual to receive 85% of his or her lost wages, if a doctor found the victim disabled from work due to injuries suffered in a car accident. This benefit cannot exceed a period of 3 years. The wage loss benefit is set at 85%, rather than 100%, of lost earnings because the benefit is tax-free. The law also sets a monthly cap on the amount of lost wages that the insurance company must reimburse.

Attendant Care

Michigan auto accident law requires the no-fault insurance company to pay for attendant care (also known as nursing services) for an injured victim who needs supervision or assistance while recovering at home. Sometimes, a physician determines that a person with severe injury needs around-the-clock supervision. A caregiver who is a member of the victim's family is entitled to attendant care reimbursement. Although the law does not set a specific hourly rate for the caregiver, the reimbursement should reflect the Additional reading type and complexity of the services that the injured person receives. Frequently, insurance companies unreasonably and unlawfully refuse to pay for adequate attendant care.

Replacement Services

This term refers to reimbursement for services that you would have performed on your own, if you were not injured in an accident. If you paid or promised to pay for household services, chores, errands, etc., which you usually accomplished on your own, then you may be entitled to reimbursement for these expenses. A physician needs to provide a written statement that you are unable to do these tasks on your own. In addition, your insurance company may require documentation of who performed which services. Michigan law states that an auto accident insurance company is obligated to reimburse up to $20 per day for replacement services and that these benefits last for up to three years.

Mileage Reimbursement

Often, proper medical treatment, tests, and physical therapy require an injured person to travel long distances. Michigan No-Fault Law provides for the reimbursement for mileage traveled to and from this medical care.

Third-Party Auto No-Fault Law Basics

Under Michigan auto law, while First-Party Benefits cover most economic losses, Third-Party Benefits provide damages for pain and suffering, scarring or disfigurement, death, and wage loss in excess of 3 years. In Michigan, a Third-Party legal claim is filed against the at-fault driver in the motor vehicle accident. With the exception of excess wage loss, the damages sought in a Third-Party case are non-economic in nature. To prevail in a claim against a careless driver for non-economic damages in Michigan, the injured auto accident victim must show that he or she suffered a "threshold injury." Michigan law defines this as:

It is very common for insurance company adjusters to assert that an injury is not a "serious impairment of a body function." However, if you have an objectively documented injury to an important part of your body, and this affects your life, then you should talk with an experienced Michigan auto accident lawyer dedicated to helping Michigan auto injury victims.