Pontiac, MI, Personal Injury Lawyer

Oakland County Personal Injury Lawyer

Fighting the Fights Other Law Firms Will not

After you get into a serious accident, you need and deserve compensation. You also need the help of a Pontiac personal injury lawyer. Those responsible for injuries will rarely admit fault, and insurance companies do their best to avoid accountability. Some personal injury lawyers in Pontiac might even say that your case is too difficult for them to take on.

Our Pontiac personal injury lawyers at Goodman Acker are ready to step up to the challenge. We are proud and prepared to take on complex and high-stakes catastrophic injury claims that cause other personal injury attorneys in Pontiac to shy away. Our tenacious and deliberate approach to casework and representation has earned us a long history of incredible success for our clients, and we do not have any intention of changing our winning methods now.

You need an Oakland County personal injury attorney who is resilient, knowledgeable, and wants to do all they can to help you and your case. At Goodman Acker, our Pontiac personal injury lawyers are ready to learn more about you and how they can help. Give us a call at 248-286-8100 and ask for a free consultation today. 

We Handle All Types of Personal Injury Claims

Personal Injury Lawyers in Pontiac with Vast Experience

No matter how you were injured, our Pontiac personal injury lawyers have the experience needed to work with you. With the shared experiences and insight from our team of personal injury lawyers, we can prepare our clients’ cases for anything that the defense might try to use to escape liability. Thanks to our professional connections, we can also call upon experts from various fields to assist with an investigation like renowned doctors or accident reconstructionist professionals.

Here is what you should know about the Pontiac personal injury lawyers at Goodman Acker:

• We have 150+ years of combined legal experience
• 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 a growing group of completely satisfied clients
• We have won millions of dollars for our clients
• We offer free initial consultations to get you started.

In terms of personal injury cases, we handle car accidents, dog bites, pedestrian accidents, medical malpractice, truck accidents, premises liability cases, traumatic brain injuries, wrongful death cases, and much more. We also have the legal talent and experience needed to assist you with long-term disability and Social Security disability claims. If you have been hurt for any reason and deserve compensation, a Pontiac personal injury lawyer from Goodman Acker can help you obtain the damages that you are owed.

Why Hire a Pontiac Personal Injury Attorney?

If you have been injured, you might think that you can handle the insurance companies on your own or that you can even defend yourself in court if necessary. However, you will be much more likely to recover full compensation by working with an Oakland County personal injury attorney. Plus, why tax yourself while you are injured? Focus on recovery while we fight for your compensation.

Personal injury lawyers in Pontiac can help with your case by:

• Negotiating with insurers to make sure that they do not cut your compensation short
• Handling your claim and administrative tasks and filing the paperwork while you focus on healing
• Investigating your case by reviewing accident reports, medical records, on-site surveillance, and other evidence
• Identifying at-fault parties who may be responsible for an accident and owe you compensation
• Involving expert witnesses such as medical professionals and accident analysis professionals whose expertise can be used to support your case
• Representing you at trial if your case must go to court and there is no other option for obtaining a fair settlement.

By teaming up with personal injury attorneys in Pontiac, you will have expertise and experience on your side. At Goodman Acker, we take pride in being able to handle complex and high-stakes injury cases, and we know that our services and resiliency can be used to your benefit.

What Compensation Can Pontiac Personal Injury Lawyers Help Me Recover?

Do not Suffer Financially Because of Someone Else’s Negligence

The person or entity who caused your injuries should be the one who is held financially accountable for your damages — it is as simple as that. However, insurance companies rarely comply so easily. Instead, they will take all steps to deny your claim and to minimize any settlement that is offered.

Our Pontiac personal injury lawyers do not stand for such treatment from the responding insurance parties. If you deserve $1 million in damages, then we will fight for $1 million in damages when acting as your legal representatives. We do not slow down or tire until we achieve the optimal case result for you, which is how we have won 99% of our cases.

Our Pontiac personal injury attorney can help you to obtain damages for:

• Doctors’ bills and medical expenses
• Therapy costs and future medical expenses
• Lost income and lost wages
• Loss of quality of life
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of earning potential if injuries hinder your job performance.

How Does a Pontiac Personal Injury Lawyer Prove Negligence?

To recover compensation after an injury, personal injury lawyers in Pontiac must demonstrate that a defendant was negligent. If no one is accountable for an accident, compensation cannot be recovered.

An Oakland County personal injury attorney looks for four key legal elements used to demonstrate negligence:

1. Duty of Care – The defendant owed you a duty of care to not cause harm.
2. Breached Duty – The defendant breached this duty by acting negligently.
3. Cause – As a result of this negligence, you were injured.
4. Damages – You suffered damages (meaning monetary expenses) because of your injury.

Personal injury attorneys in Pontiac know how to look at the facts of a case to identify where a defendant was negligent. After doing so, a Pontiac personal injury attorney can pursue the damages that you are rightfully owed.

Personal Injury FAQ

Common Questions for Personal Injury Attorneys in Pontiac

Below are some of the most common questions and answers that you might have for a Pontiac personal injury lawyer. You likely have other questions, as well. So, give our office a call at 248-286-8100 and ask for a free consultation to learn more about how we can help.

Probably not. Over 95 percent of civil claims settle out of court. Unfortunately, this number is so high in part because some attorneys look for a quick settlement and an uncomplicated way out. Our Pontiac personal injury attorneys are different. Most of our clients would rather settle their cases that face the uncertainty of trial. However, we never look for a quick resolution.

Instead, we resolve many of our personal injury cases during mediation. This court-supervised negotiation session happens toward the end of the litigation process, so the best evidence, and therefore maximum compensation, is available. Additionally, a third-party mediator ensures that insurance companies negotiate in good faith. So, we do not waste our clients’ time by passing along lowball offers. During mediation, our Pontiac, MI, personal injury lawyers always get a favorable offer, which means a favorable resolution.

How much is my personal injury case worth?

Much like the value of a home depends on the market, the condition of the property, and some other factors, the settlement value of a personal injury claim depends on several factors.

Economic losses may be the most key component. Medical bills, followed closely by property damage, are usually the two largest categories. Lost wages, which really means lost productivity at work, is a major factor as well.

To determine a fair amount of non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment in life, and emotional distress, most Pontiac, MI, personal injury attorneys multiply the economic losses by two, three, or four, depending on the facts of the case and some other factors.

These other factors include the motivation of the parties to settle quickly. Many personal injury victims, for one reason or another, want to settle their cases as soon as possible. On the other side, some insurance companies roll over and play dead.

At your initial case evaluation, our professional team usually generates an estimated settlement value. Then, we collect evidence and otherwise work extremely hard to ensure maximum compensation for your serious injuries.

What should I do after I have been injured in an accident? 

Mostly due to head injuries, many victims are not thinking clearly in the wake of an accident. So, they unintentionally do, or do not do, certain things that negatively affect their claims later. Here are a few quick examples:

• See a Doctor: Many injury victims do not “feel” hurt, mostly because adrenaline temporarily masks the pain. Only a qualified doctor can determine how badly you were hurt. If money is an issue, our Pontiac, MI, personal injury lawyers can connect victims with lawyers who charge nothing upfront.
• Stay Quiet: Do not give a statement to the other insurance company. As mentioned, many accident victims are not thinking clearly after an injury. Additionally, do not apologize to the other party. What you mean as an expression of sympathy could be construed as an admission of liability.
• See a Lawyer: Only a doctor can evaluate your medical situation, and only a Pontiac, MI personal injury attorney can accurately evaluate your legal situation. You simply do not know how much compensation you might be entitled to until an attorney examines your case.

In addition to economic and non-economic losses, this compensation could also include additional punitive damages, in some extreme cases.

I was partially at fault for my accident. Can I still get compensation? 

Most states, including Michigan, have comparative fault laws which divide responsibility if both parties were partially at fault. For example, Sam may slam on his brakes unexpectedly and Diane, who was tailgating, might rear-end him. Things are a little more complex if a defective product, like a defective tire, was partially to blame as well.

The Wolverine State is a modified comparative fault state with a 51 percent threshold. If the victim was not more than 50% responsible for the car wreck or other incident, the tortfeasor (negligent party) must pay a proportionate share of damages.

What is my deadline to file a personal injury claim in Michigan? 

Michigan has a three-year statute of limitations for most personal injury cases. This means that you have three years from the date your injury occurred to file a claim. If you miss this deadline, your claim will likely be dismissed.

Recommended Reading

• How the Personal Injury Claim Process Works
• Is There a Minimum Value for a Personal Injury Settlement?
• How Long Will My Personal Injury Case Last?

Call a Pontiac Personal Injury Attorney at Goodman Acker

For years, Goodman Acker has been helping the people of Pontiac and Oakland County seek justice, compensation, and a sense of closure after serious accidents occur. If you want to know more about our law firm and how we can help you with your injury case, feel free to browse our client testimonials or check out some of our best case results.

Goodman Acker. 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 ]