Using More than 150 Years of Experience to Win 99% of our Cases
Our personal injury lawyers in Macomb Township know that accidents that cause serious injuries can occur anywhere, in all sorts of situations, and turn your whole world upside down. You may be facing a long hospital stay, mounting medical bills, time off work, and a great deal of uncertainty about your future.
If you or a family member has been injured or someone has died from an injury that was caused someone else’s negligence or fault, you may be entitled to compensation through insurance or a lawsuit. However, Michigan personal injury laws are complicated, and insurance companies and their insurers have high-powered lawyers on their side who will attempt to get you to settle for the lowest amount possible. Going up against them on your own is difficult and may lead to costly mistakes.
Fortunately, you don’t have to deal with getting compensation alone. Our skilled and experienced personal injury attorney in Macomb Township, Michigan, are here to fight for your rights and hold the at-fault parties accountable. While money can’t fix everything or replace a loved one who died in an accident, a successful personal injury lawsuit can alleviate your financial worries and provide resources for your family’s future needs, so you can concentrate on your recovery
At Goodman Acker, personal injury law is all we do, and there’s a reason for that: We are good at it.
For a combined 150+ years, we have helped our community members throughout the Macomb Township metropolitan area. We have a 99 percent success rate to show for it.
The Macomb Township personal injury lawyers of Goodman Acker P.C. are available to answer any questions you may have and advise you on your case. We offer free consultations, which give us a chance to provide guidance on your individual situation. Contact us at 248-286-8100 today to learn more about our services and how we can help you.
Why Choose Our Personal Injury Attorneys in Macomb Township?
Not every law firm is equal, and you should do some research before retaining any lawyer. Here are some reasons why we think Goodman Acker is your best choice:
- We have 150+ years of combined legal experience.
- We get results. We have a success rate of 99% for cases we conclude.
- We are routinely featured by newsgroups, like Fox 2 News and Local 4 Detroit.
- We are available 24/7 for client emergencies.
- We have won millions of dollars for our clients.
- We offer free initial consultations to get you started.
- We treat our clients like family, and their testimonials reflect that.
It’s no secret that our Macomb Township personal injury attorneys at Goodman Acker are experienced and well-established. We are consistently recognized as top personal injury lawyers by:
- Super Lawyers
- AV Martindale-Hubbell
- The National Trial Lawyers Top 100.
In Macomb Township, it is important to also recognize that, as a suburb of Detroit, we have the largest Muslim population in America. For those of you who feel most comfortable speaking Arabic, attorney Ronita Bahri is available to all our clients. Born in Iraq, she fluently speaks Aramaic, Arabic, and English.
Don’t let miscommunication harm your personal injury case. Speak to a highly skilled Macomb Township personal injury attorney who speaks your language.
At Goodman Acker, not only do we have advocates who speak your language, but we also want to make sure we are available when you need us. We offer access to a representative 24/7 for client emergencies. It’s our goal to make sure you understand whether you have a personal injury case and, if so, what your best options are. From experience, we know that informed clients make better choices for themselves.
Macomb Township Personal Injury Lawyers Explain How Personal Injury Cases Work
No one cares more about the well-being of their clients than our team here at Goodman Acker. Every time we take a case, we devote our full attention to it. To understand whether you may have a personal injury case, you must understand what a personal injury case is. Many people confuse it with an insurance claim.
Personal injury involves mental and physical injuries to a person caused by someone else’s negligence. When you file a lawsuit for personal injury, you are attempting to collect financial compensation from the party that caused you harm. Personal injury lawsuits are civil cases, as opposed to criminal ones.
While making an insurance claim is typically the first thing an injured party may do after the incident occurs, Insurance policies have limits on how much and what damages (property or bodily injury) can be recovered by the victim (third-party claim) or the insured (first-party claim). So, in terms of insurance claims, the amount of compensation you recover is restricted by the policy. In addition, insurance companies are out for profit and will try to pay out as little as possible, or even deny claims or try to put the blame for the accident on you.
Personal injury claims are lawsuits that often happen when the insurance company fails to settle for a fair and just amount or the policy doesn’t cover all the damages. In a lawsuit, the complaint can be made against more than the insurance company, but the actual at-fault party and other parties may be sued as well.
At Goodman Acker, nothing is too complex for us to rise to the challenge. We handle all types of personal injury cases, including:
- Vehicle crashes
- Truck accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Premises liability
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Wrongful death
- Bicycle accidents
- Birth injuries
- Pedestrian accidents
- Dog bite accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Nursing home incidents/accidents
- Product liability.
Damages in a Macomb Township Personal Injury Case
In a successful personal injury case, you may receive an award called damages that covers both your economic and noneconomic damages.
1. Economic damages are for your monetary expenses that have an actual dollar value, such as:
- medical and rehabilitative bills
- lost wages and earnings, current and into the future
- property damage
- caregiving expenses
- transportation costs to medical appointments.
2. Noneconomic damages are for damages that don’t have a specific monetary value; these are calculated by the negative impact on your life. Examples include:
- pain and suffering
- loss of companionship or consortium
- disability
- emotional distress
- loss of enjoyment of life.
3. Punitive damages may be awarded in some rare cases. These are intended to punish a defendant who acted in an especially reckless or egregious manner and to deter such behaviors in the future.
Macomb Township Personal Injury Attorney Must Prove Negligence
To win your case, your Macomb Township personal injury lawyer must prove that another party or parties, the defendants in the case, were negligent or at fault for causing the injuries you received. Proving negligence legally means showing the following elements:
- Duty: The defendant owed you a duty of care not to cause harm.
- Breach: The defendant breached this duty by actions or failure to act.
- Cause: The defendant’s breach caused your injuries.
- Damage: You suffered damages as a result that can be monetarily quantified.
Everyone has a duty of care to act responsibly to avoid harming others. Examples of breaching duty and causing harm include:
- A drunk driver ran a red light and crashed into your car.
- A surgeon amputated the wrong limb.
- A defective product exploded and injured you.
Some claims, however, won’t require all these elements. For example, claims that involve product defects may require you to prove a defect but not necessarily that there was negligence involved. Dog bites do not require proof of negligence or intent. According to M.C.L.A. § 287.351, the owner of the dog is liable for any damages suffered by the person bitten, regardless of whether or not the dog was known to be vicious. In both of these situations, strict liability applies.
To prove negligence, our legal team will investigate your case thoroughly, gathering evidence from the accident scene, photos and videos, hospital and medical records, and interviews with witnesses and first responders. If necessary, we will utilize experts in accident reconstruction to testify as to who was at fault, as well as experts to testify about how your injuries negatively impact your life.
Macomb Township Personal Injury Attorneys Answer FAQs
After an accident, it’s natural to have questions and concerns. These are best answered at your free consultation, but to get started, here are some answers to some of the most common questions we receive.
Damage awards for personal injury can vary widely, from several thousands to millions of dollars, depending on the individual circumstances of the case. Factors that are considered include:
- the circumstances of the accident and degree of fault
- the severity and permanence of your injuries
- the amount of property damage and the costs you incur
- the availability of insurance and assets of the defendants
- the individual judge and jury involved
- how well your attorney can negotiate a settlement or litigate your case.
At Goodman Acker, our personal injury attorneys in Macomb Township know from experience what to look for and what to seek in terms of compensation, and then we put all our effort into obtaining it for you. Rest assured that our attorneys will fight for the maximum compensation possible.
Michigan has a deadline, called a statute of limitations, for filing claims for personal injuries and wrongful death. According to the law (section 600.5805), you must file your case within three years of your accident, with limited exceptions. You may have longer to file if you were insane or under the age of 18 at the time of the accident.
In some personal injury cases, you have less time. In auto accidents, you have one year to file; and in medical malpractice claims, you have two years.
If you did something that contributed to the accident, you may still be able to get a settlement, since Michigan considers comparative negligence. However, your compensation will be reduced according to your degree of fault. For example, if you are determined to be 20% at fault and the award is for $100,000, you would receive $80,000. Compensation for economic damages is available to injury victims even if they are over 50% at fault for an accident, but compensation for non-economic damages is not available for people who are over 50% at fault.
The good news is that it doesn’t cost anything up front to hire our Macomb Township personal injury lawyers. We work on a contingency basis, which means we take on all costs and expenses of your case, and you pay nothing unless and until we win. Fees and costs are then taken out of the settlement award. You have nothing to lose, so call us today to get started.
Call Our Macomb Township Personal Injury Lawyer for Help
At Goodman Acker, our compassionate personal injury attorneys know what you are going through and will handle all legal hurdles and requirements so you can concentrate on your recovery. With more than 150+ years of experience leading our way, you can expect exceptional representation for your personal injury case.
We make it easy and stress-free to begin your personal injury claim right now. Call us today at 248-286-8100 to get started while evidence is fresh and witnesses can be found.
When you choose Goodman Acker, it’s a good decision. Goodman Acker does not have an office in Macomb Township, but we proudly provide representation to injured claimants throughout the state of Michigan from our Detroit and Grand Rapids offices.
LEGALLY REVIEWED BY BARRY J. GOODMAN
Barry J. Goodman has devoted his professional life to keeping courthouse doors open for victims seeking justice. Always a tireless advocate for his own clients, Goodman sees his responsibility as a Detroit personal injury attorney in a broader sense as well. [ Attorney Bio ]
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