East Lansing, MI, Personal Injury Lawyer

Personal Injury Lawyer Helps Recover Compensation

Using More than 150 Years of Experience to Win 99% of Our Cases

When you are seriously injured in an accident, it is a traumatic, devastating experience, especially if the accident happened due to another party’s negligence or fault. You may be left dealing with physical and emotional pain and suffering as well as the financial costs of medical, hospital, and rehabilitative bills, loss of income from being unable to work, and property damage resulting from the accident. Life may never be the same, and some injuries may lead to death.

If you or a loved one has been injured or someone has died from an accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your losses through insurance or a personal injury lawsuit. While no amount of money can fully make up for what you are going through, a successful claim can provide restitution, alleviate your financial problems, and allow you to concentrate on getting well.

Michigan personal injury law is complicated, and at this difficult time when you have so much to deal with, you do not have to fight for compensation alone. The East Lansing personal injury lawyers at Goodman Acker P.C. are available to help. Our skilled and experienced attorneys know the courts, the judges, and the system, and how to deal with insurance companies, who will often try to deny claims, get you to settle for less than your case is worth, or trick you into saying something that makes it seem that the accident was your fault.

We provide a free consultation to help you understand your rights and determine the best approach to winning the settlement you deserve. We work on a contingency basis, so there are no costs to you unless we win your case, so call us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you.

For a combined 150+ years, we have helped our community members get compensation, and have a 99 percent success rate to show for it.

Why Choose Our East Lansing, MI, Personal Injury Attorney

The term “personal injury” refers to legal cases where someone suffers harm to their emotional wellness or body due to another party’s negligence. Through litigation, your personal injury attorney will work to discover who was at fault for the injuries, determine the extent of the damages, and compensate the injury victim for the damages. Not every law firm is equal, so you should look for one with the experience, resources, and track record needed to win your case. Here are some very good reasons to choose Goodman Acker to represent you:

• We have 150+ years of combined legal experience.
• We get results and win large settlements, such as the $15.3 Million judgment for a catastrophically injured woman struck by an exploding manhole cover. Founding partner Barry J. Goodman has won a $14.5-million arbitration award as well as a number of seven-figure verdicts for injured clients.
• We have a success rate of 99% for cases we conclude. You can read testimonials from clients we have helped.
• We are routinely featured by newsgroups, like Fox 2 News and Local 4 Detroit.
• The achievements of our team have earned us numerous firm and individual credentials, including:
  • Top 100 Trial Lawyers
  • Inclusion on the Super Lawyers® list
  • AV® Rating by Martindale-Hubbell®
  • Inclusion on the Michigan Lawyers Weekly 2021 Hall of Fame list
• We are accessible and available 24/7 for client emergencies.
• We offer free initial consultations to get you started.
• We work on a contingency basis, so you pay us nothing unless we win and you get your money.

How Our Personal Injury Lawyer Works for You

Time is of the essence when building a personal injury case. When you have our Goodman Acker legal team on your side, we will start working on your case immediately. We will:

• Meet with you to discuss how the accident happened, who the at-fault parties may be, and determine what your case may be worth
• Investigate the accident scene to gather and preserve evidence, such as from photos and videos, and police and medical records and reports
• Interview witnesses and first responders
• Hire accident reconstruction experts to testify as to fault and life-care experts to estimate the costs and extent of your injuries and the effects on your life into the future
• Deal and negotiate with insurance companies and their attorneys for a fair settlement
• Build your case and take it to court if necessary.

At Goodman Acker, we have advocates who speak your language, including Aramaic and Arabic and we are available when you need us. We have the skills, knowledge, and resources available to fight our hardest for our clients, and we don’t let our clients settle for less than what they deserve.

Compensation Our East Lansing, MI, Personal Injury Lawyers May Recover

In a successful personal injury case, our attorneys can help you win an award called damages that should cover both your economic monetary expenses from the accident and your noneconomic damages that don’t have a specific monetary value, but negatively impact your life.

Economic damages are for:

• Medical bills, including medication, surgeries, rehabilitation, physical therapy, and emergency room visits
• lost wages and earnings, current and into the future
• property damage.

Noneconomic damages may include:

• physical pain and suffering
• emotional distress, anguish, or depression
• loss of companionship or consortium
• disability
• loss of enjoyment of life

In some rare cases, punitive damages may also be awarded to punish a defendant who acted with malice or reckless disregard.

Amounts of Damage Awards You May Receive

Damage award amounts for personal injury vary and may range from thousands to millions of dollars, depending on the individual circumstances of your case. In general, settlements will be higher in severe injuries requiring expensive treatment and continuing care or if a wrongful death was involved. The individual judge, jury, jurisdiction where the case is heard and the skill of your attorney to negotiate a settlement or litigate your case also affect settlement amounts.

Personal Injury Lawyers in East Lansing, MI, Must Prove Negligence

Proving negligence is essential in winning a personal injury case. Our attorneys would have to prove that another party (the defendant in the case) was negligent and at fault for the accident and resulting injuries. This means establishing the following legal elements:

• Duty. The defendant owed you a duty of care not to cause harm.
• Breach. The defendant breached that duty by actions or failure to act.
• Cause. This breach caused the accident that injured you.
• Damages. You suffered damages as a result.

Our East Lansing personal injury lawyers will do this by the preponderance of evidence produced by our investigations and testimony by witnesses and experts. In some cases, multiple parties may contribute to the accident, and our attorneys would seek to identify them all and hold them liable, as they all may have assets and insurance that can go toward a settlement.

Personal Injury Lawyers Answer Frequently Asked Questions

After a serious accident, you are bound to have questions and concerns. These are best answered at your free consultation, but to get started, here are some answers to common questions our personal injury attorneys are often asked:

Is there a time limit for filing a personal injury case in Michigan?

Yes, Michigan has a deadline, called a statute of limitations, for filing claims for personal injuries. According to the law, (section 600.5805) you generally must file your case within three years of your accident, with limited exceptions, such as if you were insane or under the age of 18 at the time of the accident.

What if I did something to contribute to the accident?

According to Michigan law, (section 600.2959), if you did something to contribute to the accident, your award will be reduced by the percentage of fault you are determined to have. Compensation for economic damages is available to injury victims even if they are over 50% at fault for an accident, but compensation for noneconomic damages is not available for people over 50% at fault.

What are common types of personal injury accidents?

Some common types of personal injury cases our attorneys handle include:

• Car accidents
• Truck accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• Injuries that occur during childbirth
• Accidents involving pedestrians
• Dog bite accidents
• Premises liability
• Product liability
• Slip and fall accidents

What does it cost to hire an East Lansing personal injury lawyer?

The good news is that it doesn’t cost anything upfront to hire our personal injury lawyers. You pay nothing unless and until we win your case, and then fees are taken out of the settlement.

When you have Goodman Acker on your side, we will be there for you throughout the entire legal process, answering any questions and keeping you informed.

Call Our East Lansing, MI, Personal Injury Lawyers for Help

At Goodman Acker P.C., our entire staff is committed to helping our clients who have suffered personal injury obtain the compensation they need to rebuild their lives. With millions of dollars recovered on behalf of our clients and a 99 percent success rate in winning cases, you can feel confident that we will do everything possible to win your case. We will review your case, determine your legal options, and protect your best interests and your rights. With more than 150+ combined years of experience, you can rest assured that we will provide you with reliable guidance and handle all legal hurdles and requirements needed to help get you the settlement you deserve, so you can focus on your recovery.

When you choose Goodman Acker, it’s 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 ]