Michigan Truck Accident Attorney

We Have Strategic Partnerships With Michigan Truck Accident Lawyers Near You

At Goldwater Law Firm, it is our mission to help you after you suffer serious injuries in a Michigan truck accident. With over 20 years of experience, our award-winning firm partners with some of the best legal teams in Michigan to secure justice and compensation for our clients.

Our strategic partnerships give our co-counsels access to an extensive network of specialists, including truck industry experts and accident reconstructionists. These professionals are crucial in documenting what happened and showing liability in collisions involving large commercial vehicles. You can trust our co-counsels to understand truck accident victims’ unique challenges and be committed to ensuring you receive empathy, respect, and support throughout this process.

If you or a loved one suffered injuries in a Michigan truck accident, contact us today. We provide free consultations. If we refer you to one of our law firm partners, your attorney will offer contingency-based legal representation. You can focus on healing while they fight for your rights.

How a Michigan Injury Attorney From Our Law Firm Partners Shows Liability in Truck Accidents

The Goldwater Law Firm works with co-counsels across the state to help victims of

Michigan car accidents. When you trust one of our law firm partners with your case, they will determine your legal options, investigate, and develop a compelling argument to support your payout. 

Under Michigan law, all drivers must have Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance. These no-fault policies pay for the policyholder’s medical care up to policy limits, pay up to 85 percent of lost income for up to three years, and cover some of the cost of replacement services such as household chores.

For some accident victims, this is their only option for compensation. This may be true if you have minor injuries or caused the accident. However, your commercial truck accident attorneys could help you develop another approach if your injuries cause a “serious impairment of a body function” and a careless truck driver or another party is at fault. The options could include:

• Filing an insurance claim against a liable party
• Suing the liable party in civil court

In truck accident cases, liability works somewhat differently than it does for Michigan car accidents or motorcycle accidents. When a worker is on the clock and doing work for their employer, that employer is typically vicariously liable for any damages caused by the worker.

Truck accidents often occur due to a truck driver’s negligence. However, they are typically not the only liable party in these cases. Trucking companies usually share financial responsibility due to “vicarious liability.” If their employees behave negligently while performing their work duties, the employer is responsible for those behaviors. An 18-wheeler truck accident lawyer can hold all responsible parties liable for your damages.

Seeking and Recovering Damages Based on a Michigan Truck Collision

Truck accidents are devastating and often lead to life-changing injuries. The size and weight of 18-wheelers, especially at highway speeds, can cause devastation to any vehicle they hit. Occupants could suffer catastrophic injuries, such as:

• Traumatic brain injuries and lasting cognitive impairment
• Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
• Amputation
• Severe burns
• Internal injuries
• Scarring and disfigurement

Some Michigan truck accident injuries require treatment and rehabilitation at a trauma center where the victim can receive life-saving care, treatment, therapies, and rehabilitation. There are Level I Michigan designated trauma facilities in: 

• Detroit
• Royal Oak
• Kalamazoo
• Ann Arbor
• Grand Rapids
• Flint
• Lansing

Several Level II facilities are available across the state, as well. In addition to inpatient care, tractor-trailer accident victims might be away from work for weeks or months and struggle to pay household bills in the meantime. The income losses can be particularly stressful for victims and their families. 

How Can a Michigan Commercial Truck Accident Lawyer Help?

When you work with one of our co-counsels to pursue a fault-based claim, your attorney will know how vital recovering maximum compensation is to you. They will understand why you need to secure a fair payout to cover your current and future costs and losses, especially the cost of your future care and support needs. This understanding will drive their aggressive approach to fighting for your best interests. 

They will gather documentation, work with experts, and take other steps to pursue money for you based on damages that include:

• Medical bills and related expenditures
• Future care and support costs for your ongoing treatment and recovery
• Income losses while receiving treatment and healing
• Diminished earning capacity if you cannot go back to your previous job
• Other related expenses and losses
• Pain and suffering and other non-economic losses

Michigan Wrongful Death Lawyers Work With Families to Secure Fair Compensation

Under Michigan law, only the victim’s personal representative can file a wrongful death action. This party is also known as the estate administrator or executor. 

While the personal representative will be the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed against the liable party, they are not the only party who will recover compensation in the case. Beneficiaries of the estate commonly include surviving spouses, children, and parents, regardless of the identity of the personal representative.

If you lost a loved one in a truck crash, you may be able to recover compensation for: 

• Medical care costs for treating accident injuries
• Funeral and burial costs
• Loss of income and benefits
• Loss of services 
• Loss of intangibles endured by their loved ones, such as the loss of consortium, guidance, and more

A commercial truck accident lawyer will fight for the justice and compensation you deserve.

What Steps Will a Michigan Truck Attorney Take to Help Me Win My Case?

When you work with an attorney from one of our law firm partners, your legal team will take the necessary steps to develop a strong case and pursue compensation based on your expenses and losses. These steps could include: 

Developing a Case Strategy

Your attorney develops a strategy tailored to the circumstances of your accident, the severity of your injuries, and other key details of your case. This will define how they approach your case and their next steps.

Investigating the Accident

Your legal team will conduct a thorough investigation, including analyzing crash reports, obtaining truck driver logs, and reviewing black box data to determine liability. They will also take action to preserve crucial evidence held by the trucking company. 

Proving Negligence and Liability

The attorney identifies negligent parties, such as the truck driver, trucking company, or maintenance provider, and determines who might be liable for the accident. Often, the trucking company or another corporation is liable in these cases.

Handling Complex Regulations

Your Michigan truck collision attorney will know how to navigate federal and state trucking regulations. They can identify violations and use them to strengthen the case against the trucking company and other liable parties.

Meeting Deadlines

Your Michigan 18-wheeler truck accident lawyer will ensure you meet the applicable deadlines in your case. Deadlines that might apply to your case include:

• Three years from the date of your accident for filing an injury lawsuit under Michigan Compiled Laws § 600.5805
• Three years from the date of death for a wrongful death lawsuit
• One year if you need to sue based on a PIP claim under Michigan Compiled Laws § 500.3145

Negotiating with Insurers

Your attorney will deal with the insurance companies to negotiate a fair settlement and counter any tactics to reduce your compensation.

Litigating in Court

Sometimes, your attorney may need to take your case to trial to fight for the compensation you deserve. If so, they will build a robust case to hold the trucking company liable.

Giving You Peace of Mind

Your attorney handles the legal process, allowing you to focus on your treatment, healing, and moving forward.