How do you find the lawyer in your community that is the best for your case? I believe that there are certain questions to ask that will lead you to the best person for your case—no matter what type of claim you have. It may involve some time on your part, but that’s fine because the decision as to who your attorney will be is very important.   

The world of personal injury, accident and disability claims is, in our opinion, much too specialized for someone who does not regularly handle these cases. Too many times we have looked at cases that other—inexperienced—attorneys have handled.  

You should be aware that the insurance companies who defend personal injury and accident cases know who the attorneys are in your area who actually go into court to try cases and those who do not. The insurance companies use that information to evaluate their risk. One of the first questions some insurance adjusters will ask when a serious claim comes in is: who is representing the plaintiff? If this information is important to the insurance company, shouldn’t it be important to you? 

The fact that Attorney Ernie drafted a will for your uncle or that Lawyer Linda handled your cousin’s divorce case does not make them qualified to handle an injury or accident case.  Many attorneys who claim to be specialists in auto accident cases do not know the intricacies of these areas of law. 

While many lawyers will offer to represent you in your case, it is important to choose a lawyer to represent you that handles serious accident and injury cases everyday and has significant experience and expertise in representing injury victims.  Lawyers without this knowledge and experience may not be familiar with or even understand these laws and its many technicalities, which could cause you to lose your benefits and your opportunity to obtain a settlement in your case.

What questions should you ask before your hire an injury lawyer? 

The best way to find the right lawyer is to know the right questions to ask the lawyer before you hire the lawyer for your case.  These questions are a good start:

1.         What percentage of your practice is devoted to handling serious auto accident injury claims?

2.         Have you ever written any books or reports on auto accidents and insurance claims?

3.         Have you ever spoken to groups of other lawyers and professionals about accident cases and insurance laws?

4.         Do you have a website with information on auto accident cases and free forms that I can print to make my insurance claims?

4.         Have you ever taken an auto accident case to trial and won a verdict for your client?

5.         What kinds of settlements have you received for your clients?

You need to get honest and direct answers to these questions before you make your final choice on your Michigan Personal Injury Lawyer.  Your choice of lawyer is often the difference between receiving a fair settlement or no settlement at all.

I am often called by potential clients asking if they have a wrongful death case that can be filed for their family.  Most people, though, are not really sure what a wrongful death case actually involves.  Generally speaking, a wrongful death case is a lawsuit that the victim was killed or died as the result of the negligence or conduct of another individual, a business, a hospital or doctor, or even a governmental entity.  Examples would be claim for a car accident, motorcycle accident, or truck accident that takes the life of a person.  Other examples would be a medical malpractice case that results in death, a defective product case, or a swimming pool drowning.  There are many other types of these cases but all involve the death of someone due to the fault of another.

In Michigan, there is the Wrongful Death Statute that describes the types of damages and compensation that can be sought in a wrongful death case, the person(s) who can bring such a case, and how a wrongful death settlement is distributed amongst family members and others.  The courts must follow the terms of this statute and family members must be given notice of any hearing to distribute a wrongful death settlement if they cannot agree amongst themselves how the money is shared between them.  Anyone with questions about a potential wrongful death case should contact me at anytime and Iam more than happy to answer any other questions.  My toll-free number is 1-800-606-1717.

Attorney Daniel Buckfire at our office has a statewide reputation as being one of the top Michigan car accident lawyers with expertise in the complex and often confusing Michigan No-Fault Insurance system.  After reading pamphlets and materials from other lawyers that were confusing and overwhelming for Michigan car accident victims, he wrote “The Ultimate Michigan Car Accident Handbook.”  The book is written in plain English and answers the most common questions about the Michigan No-Fault laws.

Daniel was recently interviewed by noted attorney Ben Glass regarding the book and on specific issues that are important to Michigan car accident injury victims.  Best of all, the interview was recorded and placed on a compact disc.  I would be happy to send a free CD to anyone who calls our office and this is something great to listen to in conjuction with reading the book.  Just give me a call at 1-800-606-1717 or send me an e-mail to larry@buckfirelaw.com and I’ll drop it in the mail.

My firm handles many very complex Michigan N0-Fault Insurance claims for clients who suffered traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and other catastrophic car and motorcycle accident cases.  A tremendous benefit that these injured clients can receive are  Medical Payment Benefits, which include prescription expenses. 

Attorney Daniel L. Buckfire in my office authored “The Ultimate Michigan Car Accident Handbook,” a book that explains the no-fault insurance laws in plain English.  His book has been called the “best book ever written for Michigan consumers on car accident cases.” The book has a great section on Medical Expense Payment Claims and I have pasted that section below for your review.  For a free copy of the book, just visit www.buckfielaw.com/getbook.cfm and fill out the request.  We will send it out right away for you.  answered. Our website also has free Michigan N0-Fault Insurance Forms that you can download for free if you wish to file your claims on your own with your insurance company.  In the meantime, you can call anytime to have your questions.

Type of Benefit

What do I do if the insurance company refuses to pay these benefits?

If your insurance company refuses to pay these benefits, your only recourse is to file a lawsuit against the company that demands payment for the benefits.

How much time do you have to file your lawsuit? 

If the claims are presented within one year but are not paid by the insurance company within one year of the date of expense or claim, it will be necessary to start a lawsuit within that one year period in order to protect your claim.  If you choose to begin a lawsuit against your insurance company for No-Fault benefits, you must file a lawsuit within ONE YEAR of the date on which the last unpaid No-Fault benefit was incurred.

If you fail to file your lawsuit within this one year period, you will lose the right to have the benefit or expense paid.

As you are approaching the one year anniversary of your car accident, and there are any outstanding claims that have not been paid by the insurance company, we recommend that you file a lawsuit prior to the one year anniversary of the accident.

Author Daniel L. Buckfire is recognized as a legal expert on Michigan Car Accident cases and the Michigan No-Fault Laws.  He frequently speaks to groups of lawyers and medical providers on these issues.  The firm website is www.buckfirelaw.com

Kent, Ohio Chipotle Mexican Grill food poisoning customers are still calling my office to learn about their legal rights from the recent food poisoning outbreak.  Apparently, the restaurant and its insurance adjusters are trying to settle claims with customers who became ill after eating at the restaurant by offering to pay some medical bills and giving coupons for free food.  I have heard from several customers who have informed me that the restaurant is refusing their claims because they did not received medical treatment.  Of course, many of those sick customers were students or others without health insurance and unfortunately had to ride out the illness with no medical treatment and suffered for days in their apartments (and mostly their bathrooms).  This, of course, is a ridiculous position from Chipotle. 

Anyone looking for a lawyer to handle their claim should contact me immediately or you can learn more about Chipotle Food Poisoning Cases by looking at our website.