Michigan Car & Motor Vehicle Accident Lawyer
A motor vehicle crash can turn an ordinary day into a long list of questions. Who pays the medical bills? What happens if you miss work? What should you tell the insurance company? Most importantly, what rights do you have under Michigan law?
Run Point.
Mungo Law helps injured people understand what comes next. We represent clients in Wayne County, Genesee County, Oakland County, and throughout Michigan. You run point in your case, but you do not have to run the whole floor alone.
What Types of Motor Vehicle Accident Cases Does Mungo Law Handle?
Motor vehicle accidents are not limited to two cars colliding at an intersection. The vehicles involved, insurance coverage, injuries, and cause of the crash can all change the legal issues.
We help clients evaluate claims involving:
- Car and passenger vehicle accidents
- Rear-end collisions
- Intersection and left-turn crashes
- Distracted driving accidents
- Drunk or impaired driving crashes
- Hit-and-run accidents
- Multi-vehicle collisions
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian and bicycle accidents
- Rideshare accidents
- Commercial vehicle and truck crashes
- Work zone accidents
- Government or municipal vehicles
- Fatal accidents and potential wrongful death claims
Some crashes involve more than one responsible party. Others involve insurance coverage that is not immediately clear. Understanding the complete picture is an important first step.
The type of crash matters. It can affect available insurance coverage, evidence, responsible parties, and the claims you may pursue.
How Does a Michigan Car Accident Claim Work?
Michigan uses a no-fault auto insurance system. However, “no-fault” does not mean fault never matters. It also does not mean every loss gets paid automatically.
After many Michigan crashes, there may be different paths for recovering benefits or compensation. Which path applies depends on the accident, injuries, insurance policies, and other facts.
Understanding Personal Injury Protection Benefits
Personal Injury Protection insurance is commonly called PIP. Depending on the applicable coverage, PIP benefits may help with certain losses after a motor vehicle accident.
Those benefits can include:
- Accident-related medical expenses
- A portion of lost wages
- Certain replacement services
- Some rehabilitation and care expenses
- Other benefits allowed under Michigan law
Michigan drivers can have different levels of PIP medical coverage. That makes reviewing the applicable insurance policies especially important after a serious injury.
Can You Make a Claim Against the At-Fault Driver?
Michigan law may also allow an injured person to pursue certain damages from an at-fault driver. These claims are different from claims for no-fault benefits.
For example, pain and suffering is not automatically covered through PIP benefits. Michigan law places requirements on when an injured person may pursue noneconomic damages from an at-fault party. The specific injuries and circumstances matter.
Every case is different. Speak to a lawyer to understand your rights.
- Accident-related medical expenses
- A portion of lost wages
- Certain replacement services
- Some rehabilitation and care expenses
- Other benefits allowed under Michigan law
- A separate claim from no-fault benefits
- Pain and suffering is not automatically covered through PIP
- Michigan law places requirements on pursuing noneconomic damages
- The specific injuries and circumstances matter
What Should You Do After a Motor Vehicle Accident in Michigan?
The minutes and days after a collision can matter. Evidence can disappear, memories can fade, and injuries may become more noticeable later.
Your health comes first. After addressing immediate safety concerns, good documentation can help create a clearer record of what happened.
Michigan Crash Checklist
When possible:
- Move to a safe location.
- Call 911 and report the collision.
- Seek appropriate medical attention.
- Photograph the vehicles and surrounding scene.
- Document road, weather, and traffic conditions.
- Exchange driver and insurance information.
- Collect witness names and contact information.
- Keep medical bills and treatment records.
- Save repair estimates and other accident expenses.
- Be careful when discussing the accident on social media.
Continue following your medical provider's treatment recommendations. Gaps in care can create questions about the nature and progression of an injury.
Be Careful With Insurance Communications
An insurance adjuster may contact you soon after the crash. A request for a statement can arrive before you fully understand your injuries.
Your obligations can differ depending on which insurer is requesting information. Before giving a recorded statement or signing a release, consider speaking with an attorney. You should understand what is being requested and how it could affect your claim.
Who Could Be Responsible for a Michigan Motor Vehicle Accident?
The driver who caused the collision may be the most obvious responsible party. However, some accidents require a broader investigation.
Depending on the circumstances, potentially responsible parties could include:
- A negligent driver
- A vehicle owner
- An employer whose employee caused a crash while working
- A trucking or transportation company
- A maintenance contractor
- A vehicle or component manufacturer
- Another business involved in the collision
- A government entity in certain cases
Commercial vehicle accidents can be particularly complex. Driver records, maintenance documents, electronic data, company records, and other evidence may become relevant.
Claims involving government vehicles can also raise special legal issues. Michigan recognizes a motor vehicle exception in certain claims involving negligent operation of government-owned vehicles.
Commercial vehicle claims can turn on driver records, maintenance documents, electronic data, and company records. Claims involving government vehicles can raise separate legal issues.
What Compensation Could Be Available After a Michigan Crash?
There is no standard amount that every injured person receives after an accident. Two people involved in similar crashes can have very different claims.
Depending on the circumstances, available benefits or compensation may relate to:
- Medical expenses
- Rehabilitation and ongoing care
- Lost income
- Reduced earning capacity
- Replacement services
- Vehicle or property damage
- Pain and suffering when permitted by Michigan law
- Disability or loss of function
- Other economic or noneconomic losses
- Wrongful death damages in qualifying cases
Is There an Average Michigan Car Accident Settlement?
An “average settlement” tells you very little about an individual claim. The value of a case can depend on injuries, insurance coverage, fault, medical evidence, and long-term effects.
A quick settlement can also arrive before the full extent of an injury is known. Once a valid settlement and release are finalized, reopening the claim may not be possible.
An average Michigan car accident settlement tells you what a claim is worth.
An average settlement tells you very little about an individual claim. Value can depend on injuries, insurance coverage, fault, medical evidence, and long-term effects, and a quick settlement can arrive before the full extent of an injury is known.
Why Local Knowledge Matters in Wayne, Genesee & Oakland Counties
Michigan drivers face different traffic conditions depending on where they live and work. Dense city streets, major freeways, construction zones, and suburban intersections can create very different crash scenarios.
Wayne County Motor Vehicle Accidents
Detroit and surrounding Wayne County communities include busy freeways and heavily traveled surface roads. Drivers regularly share these roads with commercial vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and commuters.
Crashes can happen on I-94, I-96, I-75, the Lodge, and neighborhood streets. The location and circumstances of each collision can affect what evidence should be investigated.
Genesee County Motor Vehicle Accidents
Flint and surrounding Genesee County communities include urban roads, suburban corridors, and major highways. Serious collisions can involve commuters, commercial traffic, pedestrians, and multiple vehicles.
Understanding where a crash happened can help identify witnesses, roadway evidence, video, and other useful information.
Oakland County Motor Vehicle Accidents
Oakland County includes communities such as Novi, Southfield, Pontiac, and Troy. High-volume commuter routes and busy intersections create frequent opportunities for collisions.
Mungo Law's office is located in Novi, giving us a strong connection to Oakland County. We also represent eligible clients throughout Michigan.
| Wayne County | Detroit and surrounding communities, including I-94, I-96, I-75, the Lodge, and neighborhood streets. |
| Genesee County | Flint and surrounding communities, with urban roads, suburban corridors, and major highways. |
| Oakland County | Communities such as Novi, Southfield, Pontiac, and Troy, with high-volume commuter routes and busy intersections. |
You Run Point. We Help You Read the Defense.
“You Run Point” is more than a tagline for us. It describes how we believe an attorney-client relationship should work. You should understand your case, know your options, and have a voice in important decisions.
Our job is to help you see the floor. We investigate the facts, explain the legal issues, communicate clearly, and deal with the other side.
Our Game Plan
Listen: We learn what happened and how the collision has affected your life.
Investigate: We gather relevant records, evidence, insurance information, and available crash documentation.
Strategize: We explain your options and build an approach around the facts of your case.
Advocate: We communicate with insurers and opposing parties while pursuing the available legal path.
A good point guard does not play every position. The point guard sees the floor, communicates, and keeps the team moving together. That same teamwork drives how we represent our clients.
You should understand your case, know your options, and have a voice in important decisions.
You Run PointUnderstand the Road Ahead Before Making Your Next Move
A motor vehicle accident can put several things in motion at once. Medical care, missed work, insurance questions, and vehicle repairs can quickly compete for your attention. Understanding your rights can help you make informed decisions instead of reacting to pressure.
Mungo Law serves people injured in Wayne County, Genesee County, Oakland County, and throughout Michigan. Contact us for a free consultation and learn what options may be available. All calls and correspondence are responded to within 24 hours. You run point. We help you see the floor.
Every case is different. Speak to a lawyer to understand your rights. This information is educational and does not constitute legal advice.
What people ask us about this claim.
What Are You Agreeing to When You Sign an Insurance Release?
Possibly the end of the claim. Once a valid settlement and release are finalized, reopening the claim may not be possible, which is why the terms deserve careful review before anything is signed.
An average settlement figure tells you very little about an individual claim, and two people involved in similar crashes can have very different claims. Understanding what a release covers, and what is still unknown about your injuries, is part of deciding whether an offer makes sense.
Should You Give a Recorded Statement to an Insurance Adjuster?
Consider speaking with an attorney first. An insurance adjuster may contact you soon after the crash, and a request for a statement can arrive before you fully understand your injuries.
It also matters who is asking. Your obligations can differ depending on which insurer is requesting the information, so it is worth knowing what is actually being requested before you answer. Before giving a recorded statement or signing a release, you should understand what is being asked for and how it could affect your claim.
Should You Settle Before You Know the Full Extent of Your Injuries?
Injuries are not always obvious right away. The minutes and days after a collision can matter, and injuries may become more noticeable later, so a quick settlement can arrive before the full extent of an injury is known.
Continuing to follow your medical provider's treatment recommendations helps, because gaps in care can create questions about the nature and progression of an injury. The value of a claim can depend on injuries, insurance coverage, fault, medical evidence, and long-term effects, none of which may be clear in the first days after a crash.
How Long Do I Have to File a Michigan Car Accident Claim?
Michigan accident claims can involve different deadlines depending on the type of claim. Waiting can also make evidence harder to preserve. Speak with an attorney promptly about the deadlines that apply to your circumstances.
What If the Other Driver Does Not Have Insurance?
Available options depend on the circumstances and applicable insurance policies. Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may become important in some cases. Reviewing all available policies can help identify possible sources of coverage.
What If I Was Partly Responsible for the Crash?
Being partially responsible does not always mean you have no claim. Michigan's comparative fault rules can affect whether damages are available and how much may be recovered. The percentage of fault can make a significant difference.
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