Port Huron Personal Injury Lawyers

Personal Injury Attorneys in St. Clair County

Helping the Injured in Port Huron with a 99% Success Rate

Often, when a person is hurt in an accident, it is no one’s fault but their own. In these cases, recovery is up to that person alone. When it is not their fault, another person or entity may be responsible, and finding an experienced Port Huron personal injury lawyer may be the key to recovery. Imagine slipping and falling at a local grocery store or being involved in a 15-car pileup accident in downtown Port Huron. Whatever type of accident it was, or however it transpired, you can file a claim through a personal injury lawyer in Port Huron to recover compensation.

The problem is: some people do not think they need a lawyer. They think filing a claim with the insurance company is enough.

Though that may be true in some cases, it is important to keep in mind that insurance companies are for-profit entities. Their priority is profit, and that is true even if you are insured. Only a committed, experienced Port Huron personal injury attorney will advocate for your rights and represent your best interests.

At Goodman Acker, our priority is you. We take care of our community members in Port Huron and throughout Michigan. Our Port Huron personal injury attorneys fight for your compensation — we do not settle unless it is in your best interests. Our 99% success rate for cases we conclude is a direct result of our commitment.

What Sets Our Port Huron Personal Injury Law Firm Apart?

Goodman Acker is not your ordinary law firm. We focus solely on personal injury law. We have the kind of legal insight that only comes from experience, and experience is what we have.

With a combined 150+ years of experience in personal injury, we have heard and seen about every type of personal injury case.

We have built relationships and developed extensive resources. We know all the tricks insurance companies may try to use to minimize or avoid a payout. We can also handle the types of personal injury cases other attorneys do not handle because they do not have the talent or resources to handle them.

At Goodman Acker, we rise to the challenge and use our collective knowledge, skills, and resources to make sure our Port Huron community members recover what is fair and just. Our reputation testifies to our commitment.

• Newsgroups, like FOX 17, feature our law firm regularly — we are a trusted name in our communities
• Former and current clients thank us for our help — and you can read our client testimonials to get a better understanding of how our work has impacted their lives
• We are available 24/7 for client emergencies, which is just another reason why we are trusted and respected in Port Huron and throughout Michigan
• Our reputation is also partly based on the millions of dollars we have recovered for our clients
• Our reputation is backed by awards and recognition, like inclusion on the Super Lawyers list, an AV Martindale-Hubbell Rating, and a spot on the list of Top 100 Trial Lawyers

Plus, we offer free initial consultations. This allows us to learn more about your case and give honest responses to all your questions. As it is, personal injuries are already traumatizing. You may not be able to work while you recover. You may not know how you are going to pay your bills. You may think your life cannot get any worse. We will not add to your stress. We will be straight with you. And we will do what we can to minimize the pain you are already enduring.

Rest assured, with Goodman Acker, if you have a personal injury claim in Port Huron and want to move forward with it, we will work hard so that you can regain your life.

Personal Injury Claims Versus Insurance Claims

Personal Injury Claims

“Personal injury” is a legal term that is defined as a case that involves harm to the body and/or emotional wellness of a person due to another person or entity’s wrongdoing. At least one plaintiff pursues a case for recovering damages from at least one defendant. Through litigation, interested parties work to discover who is responsible for the injuries, calculate the extent of the damages, and compensate the victim for those damages.

Insurance Claims

Insurance claims, on the other hand, do not involve the courts. When a person is injured, they file a claim with an insurance company, either their own or the insurer representing the negligent party. Depending on the type of accident, a claim may be filed against an auto insurance policy, a homeowner’s or property owner’s policy, a renter’s policy, or a professional liability policy.

Typically, an insurance claim is filed first. If a fair settlement is not reached, a personal injury lawsuit can be filed. One of our skilled personal injury attorneys in Port Huron will make sure your rights and interests are secured by a strategic, well-supported personal injury claim.

Compensation for Personal Injuries in Michigan

In Michigan, the law allows injured parties to seek compensation for the damages they suffer. “Damages” in a personal injury case include the financial expenses and non-economic harm that results from an injury. Most damages that result from a personal injury incident are medical expenses and property damage. When an injury is expected to last for an extended period or contribute to long-term expenses, litigation attempts to project the total costs of the incident.

Of course, other costs can result from an injury that is neither medical nor property related. Pain and suffering and emotional distress are non-economic damages that can be recovered by a personal injury claim. In rare cases, punitive damages (also known as exemplary damages) may be recovered if the liable party acted with malice or willful disregard for the victim’s rights.

In general, a person injured by another person’s negligence may be able to recover any or all of the following:

• Medical bills (including surgery, medication, rehabilitation, therapy, etc.)
• Property damages
• Transportation costs
• Lost wages
• Pain and suffering.

Port Huron Personal Injury FAQs

Our Personal Injury Lawyers in St. Clair County Answer Common Questions

At Goodman Acker, we build relationships with our clients. Part of this process involves answering their many questions about personal injury matters. Below are some of the questions we hear most frequently.

How Long Do You Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in Port Huron?

The statute of limitations, which limits the amount of time victims must file legal claims, protects victims and tortfeasors (negligent parties). Victims should strike while the iron is hot and not delay their claims. Tortfeasors, although they did something wrong, should not have to look over their shoulders forever.

Generally, Michigan’s statute of limitations in personal injury cases is two years. A different statute of limitations may apply in some cases.

The SOL usually is not an issue in trauma injury cases, like car wreck claims. The medical bills and other expenses quickly mount up, so most of these victims quickly ask a Port Huron personal injury lawyer to evaluate their cases.

The SOL may be an issue in chronic illness claims, like toxic exposure and dangerous drug side-effect claims. Cancer and other such conditions usually have exceedingly long latency periods. So, by the time these victims discover they are ill, the statute of limitations has passed. The discovery rule may apply in such cases. According to this legal doctrine, victims need not file claims until they know the full extent of their injuries and they connect those injuries to a tortfeasor’s conduct or misconduct. However, the discovery rule only has limited applicability in Michigan.

How Does Michigan’s No-Fault Law Impact My Personal Injury Claim?

In July 2020, Michigan lawmakers approved a new auto insurance policy, which is also known as Michigan’s no-fault law. This law applies unless the victim sustained a severe injury in a car wreck. The law defines a severe injury as:

• Death: Some car accident victims die at the scene or at a hospital immediately following the wreck. Others live on for several months, or even several years before they succumb to their injuries. These delayed wrongful death claims are quite complex.
• Permanent Serious Disfigurement: The no-fault law does not define this phrase. Usually, this phrase refers to a scar, lost function in a limb, or lost function in a digit. Any scar or loss of use could be “serious,” as this word is quite subjective.
• Serious Impairment of a Bodily Function: The impairment must be objectively manifest (apparent to someone other than the victim) and so severe that it interferes with daily activities. Note that there is a difference between a “serious” and a “permanent” impairment. Indeed, the no-fault law states that “there is no temporal requirement for how long an impairment must last.”

In general, if your vehicle was not drivable after the accident, you probably sustained a severe injury, as defined in Michigan law.

The no-fault law usually applies to nonserious “fender bender” accidents which cause mostly property damage. Parking lot collisions and backing-out-of-the-driveway collisions usually fall into this category.

Car crashes are the most common personal injury case. Driver error, which is usually driver negligence, causes over 98 percent of vehicle collisions in Washington. However, there are many other claims. Some examples include:

• Falls: In Michigan, property owners generally have a legal duty to provide safe environments for business customers and social guests. The duty applies if the owner knew, or should have known, about the injury-causing hazard, and the owner did not properly address the hazard. Falls often cause brain injuries and other serious wounds.
• Assaults: These same principles apply in assault cases. Criminal courts punish these offenders, but only a Port Huron personal injury attorney can obtain compensation for victims in civil court. This compensation is generally available if negligent security, such as a broken gate, contributed to the assault.
• Dog Bites: Typically, animal owners are liable for animal attack damages if they knew, or should have known, that the animals were potentially vicious, and they failed to control the animals. Other legal theories may be available as well. The average settlement in dog bite cases has increased significantly in recent years.
• Medical Malpractice: Doctors often take shortcuts when they treat patients. Doctors rarely listen to patients when they describe their symptoms, and doctors often do not order a full battery of diagnostic tests. Doctors also take shortcuts during the labor and delivery process. Usually, when doctors take these shortcuts, their patients suffer injury.

In general, if you were hurt because of someone else’s negligence, regardless of the situation, compensation is generally available. This compensation typically includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.

How Do I Know I Have a Port Huron Personal Injury Claim?

That is what we at Goodman Acker are here for. We will help you understand, at no cost to you, whether you have a personal injury claim. In brief, however, you may have a personal injury claim if:

1. A duty was owed to you
2. That duty was breached
3. The breach caused you to suffer bodily injury, and
4. The injury can be monetarily quantified (meaning you had to spend money on a medical evaluation or treatment).

How Much is My Personal Injury Claim Worth?

The damages you can seek in a personal injury claim in Port Huron are fully dependent on the damages you suffered considering all the facts and circumstances. At the initial free consultation, we will review your case and clarify expectations. The real worth of any given personal injury claim, however, cannot be realized until after a full investigation into the accident or incident.

Our highly skilled staff members and personal injury lawyers in Port Huron have the resources to conduct a thorough investigation. We will uncover all the facts so that the real worth of your claim is revealed, and you receive what you deserve.

Contact Our Trusted Port Huron Personal Injury Lawyer Today

If you need a St. Clair County personal injury attorney, contact our team online or at (248) 286-8100. Our risk-free, no-obligation consultation will help determine whether you have a claim. If so, we will outline what we can do for you.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Goodman Acker family. When you choose Goodman Acker, it is a good decision.

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 ]