After being hit by a drunk driver, the road to recovery should not fall on your shoulders alone. At Christensen Law, our Ann Arbor drunk driving victim lawyers stand beside injured people and grieving families across Washtenaw County, so you can focus on healing while we handle the legal fight.
We have advocated for Michigan accident victims since 1991, and we treat every client like family.
If a drunk driver injured you near the University of Michigan, along US-23, or anywhere in the Ann Arbor area, we are ready to listen to your story, protect your rights, and pursue the full compensation you deserve. Call us 24/7 at (734) 519-7576 for a free, no-risk consultation. Listen. Protect. Win. It is what we do.
CHRISTENSEN LAW HAS A 24 HOUR RAPID RESPONSE SERVICE
How Can an Ann Arbor Drunk Driving Victim Lawyer Help You?
An Ann Arbor drunk driving victim lawyer protects your health, your finances, and your legal rights while you recover from a crash you did not cause. From the first phone call, we take over the stressful parts of your claim, so you never face the insurance companies alone.
Our team investigates the crash quickly, before key evidence disappears. We gather police reports, request bar and restaurant records, and work with your treatment team to document the full extent of your injuries. As part of our Ann Arbor car accident practice, we build every case as if it will go in front of a jury.
Managing Partner Sarah Stempky-Kime keeps our approach clear, because in her experience your story is the heart of every case, and the defendant’s own conduct often proves our point. We let your doctors and the evidence do the talking, and we hold negligent drivers, and sometimes the businesses that over-served them, accountable.
When you hire us, we take on the tasks that slow your recovery, including:
- Communicating with insurance adjusters and the at-fault driver’s lawyers on your behalf
- Identifying every source of compensation, from your own policy to third-party claims
- Calculating current and future medical costs, lost wages, and attendant care, which is the in-home help you may need
- Preparing your case for trial from the very first day
Taking these burdens off your plate lets you focus on what matters most, which is getting better.
Common Ways Drunk Drivers Cause Serious Crashes in Ann Arbor
Drunk drivers cause some of the most violent and preventable crashes on Ann Arbor roads, often because impaired judgment leads to speeding and wrong-way driving. These wrecks tend to produce catastrophic injuries, meaning life-altering harm such as traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, and severe burns.
Across Washtenaw County, we see impaired-driving crashes cluster on busy corridors like US-23, I-94, M-14, and Washtenaw Avenue, as well as near the downtown nightlife around Main Street. Late nights and early mornings carry the greatest danger.
The severity is rarely a matter of chance. A driver whose reactions and vision are impaired often fails to brake in time, drifts across lanes, or misjudges speed, which turns an ordinary intersection or highway merge into a life-changing event.
The most serious drunk driving crashes we handle include:
- T-bone, or side-impact, collisions, when an impaired driver runs a red light or a stop sign
- Head-on collisions, which often cause the deadliest injuries because of the combined force
- Wrong-way crashes, when a drunk driver enters a ramp or lane going the wrong direction
- High-speed rear-end collisions, when an impaired driver fails to slow for stopped traffic
No matter how your crash happened, our Ann Arbor drunk driving victim lawyers know how to trace its causes, and build a strong case for you.
What Compensation Can You Recover After Being Hit by a Drunk Driver in Ann Arbor?
If a drunk driver hit you in Ann Arbor, you may recover both no-fault benefits from your own insurance and additional compensation from the at-fault driver. Michigan’s system splits your recovery into two paths, and we pursue every dollar available under each one.
First, Michigan’s No-Fault law provides Personal Injury Protection, known as PIP (MCL 500.3105). These first-party benefits pay your medical bills, a portion of lost wages, and attendant care, no matter who caused the crash.
Second, you can bring a third-party lawsuit against the drunk driver for losses that no-fault does not cover. Under Michigan law (MCL 500.3135), you can pursue pain and suffering when a crash causes death, permanent serious disfigurement, or a serious impairment of body function.
A serious impairment of body function means an injury that changes how you live your daily life, such as a lasting disability, or a long and difficult recovery. Because insurance companies fight hard over whether your injuries clear that bar, detailed medical records matter from your very first visit.
Common damages in a drunk driving victim claim include:
- Medical expenses beyond your PIP coverage
- Pain, suffering, and emotional distress
- Lost earning capacity and future wage loss
- Loss of companionship and support for surviving family members
Because Michigan follows a modified comparative fault rule (MCL 600.2959), your compensation drops by your share of fault, and pain-and-suffering damages end only if you are found more than 50% responsible, so it is worth talking with us even when fault feels uncertain.
Michigan Dram Shop Law: Holding Bars Accountable
Michigan’s dram shop law lets you hold a bar, restaurant, or store financially responsible when it served alcohol to a visibly drunk person who then caused your crash. This claim can matter enormously, because the drunk driver alone may not carry enough insurance to cover a catastrophic injury.
Under the Michigan Dram Shop Act (MCL 436.1801), a licensed business cannot serve alcohol to someone who is visibly intoxicated, or to anyone under 21. When it does, and that person injures you, the business can share liability for your damages.
Ann Arbor dram shop liability cases move fast, and the rules are strict. You must send the establishment written notice within 120 days of hiring an attorney, and you must file a dram shop lawsuit within two years of the crash. Those deadlines are shorter than the standard three-year window for most injury claims.
Proving one of these claims takes early, careful work, including:
- Tracing where the drunk driver drank before the crash, through receipts and card records
- Securing surveillance video before a business deletes it
- Interviewing servers, bartenders, and other patrons
- Documenting the signs that the driver was visibly intoxicated when served
When a driver visited more than one bar before the crash, each establishment that served that driver while visibly intoxicated can be independently liable. We trace the whole evening, so no responsible business slips away from accountability.
Because this evidence disappears quickly, contacting our Ann Arbor drunk driving victim lawyers soon after the crash helps preserve what a dram shop claim depends on.
Can You Sue a Drunk Driver in Washtenaw County?
Yes, you can sue a drunk driver in Washtenaw County when your injuries meet Michigan’s legal threshold, and you can often pursue more than one defendant. A criminal case against the driver is separate from your civil claim, and a conviction is not required for you to recover money for your losses.
Suing a drunk driver in Washtenaw County usually means filing in the local circuit court, where our trial attorneys know the process and the community. We build your civil case around your injuries, your treatment, and the driver’s conduct, rather than relying on the outcome of any criminal charges.
We handle Michigan drunk driving accident claims statewide, and Washtenaw County cases sit at the center of that work.
Many drunk driving crashes involve more than one responsible party, so depending on the facts, we may pursue:
- The impaired driver who caused the crash
- A bar, restaurant, or store that overserved the driver
- The owner of the vehicle, when someone other than the driver owned it
- An employer, when the driver was working at the time
Washtenaw County juries expect thorough, well-documented cases, and we prepare accordingly. We line up medical records, accident reconstruction when it helps, and clear testimony, so the facts speak for themselves.
Identifying every responsible party often makes the difference between a partial recovery and a full one, so we investigate each angle from the start.
I recommend all of my friends and family to Christensen Law. The attorneys and staff there are amazing and really care about their clients where you're treated with care and not...
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If it wasn't for Christensen Law, I don't know where I would be today. Thanks to Dave, Stephanie, and Michelle for getting me through this hard time. I didn't know what to do, I...
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My name is Erin, my experience with Christensen Law was Overwhelming… But in the very... Christianson Law stepped in after my motorcycle accident when another firm had dropped the ball—and they completely and very quickly...
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I hired this law firm after being hit by a drunk driver in my of... They were communicative, compassionate, made the process easy for me to understand. I was able to effectively receive a size-able...
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From the moment I spoke with Dustin, I felt like I was in good hands He, Samantha, and the entire staff at Christensen Law treated me like family, demonstrating kindness, expertise, and a genuine interest...
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Why Injured Ann Arbor Families Trust Christensen Law
Injured Ann Arbor families trust our firm because we pair decades of trial experience with genuine, personal care. We do not run a high-volume settlement mill, and we focus our energy on serious, life-altering injury and wrongful death cases.
Our results and credentials reflect that focus:
- More than 35 years advocating for Michigan accident victims since 1991
- A $17.8 million motor vehicle accident verdict, and a $9.5 million motorcycle accident recovery, among our record of results
- Founder David Christensen, a Michigan Hall of Fame attorney, ABOTA member, and AV Preeminent-rated lawyer through Martindale-Hubbell
- Managing Partner Sarah Stempky-Kime, an ABOTA member and recognized Leader in the Law
- A 4.9 to 5.0 review rating across our Michigan offices
Behind those numbers is a simple promise, which is that we treat every client like family, and we prepare every case for trial. If a drunk driver upended your life, let our Ann Arbor drunk driving victim lawyers carry the legal weight, so call (734) 519-7576 today for your free, 24/7 consultation.
FAQs Answered by Our Ann Arbor Drunk Driving Victim Lawyers
Below are answers to questions that injured people and families in Ann Arbor often ask us after a drunk driving crash.
In most Michigan injury cases, you have three years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit against the at-fault driver. Dram shop claims against a bar or store are shorter, at two years, and they also require written notice within 120 days of hiring an attorney. Because a missed deadline can end your claim, speaking with a lawyer early protects your options.
You may still recover through your own policy even when the drunk driver carries little or no insurance. Your no-fault PIP benefits pay medical bills and wage loss regardless of the other driver’s coverage, and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may add compensation for pain and suffering. We review every policy that could apply to your crash.
Our consultations are always free, and we handle drunk driving victim cases on a contingency fee, which means you pay nothing up front. We collect a fee only if we recover compensation for you. This arrangement lets injured people get strong representation without financial risk during a hard time.
An early offer is often far lower than what your claim is truly worth, so it is wise to speak with a lawyer before signing anything. Adjusters may request recorded statements or push a quick settlement to limit what they pay. We measure any offer against the full cost of your injuries before you decide.
No, you do not need the drunk driver to be convicted of a crime for your civil claim to succeed. The criminal case punishes the driver, while your civil case seeks compensation for your losses. These two cases follow different rules and different standards of proof.
Helpful items include the police report, photos of the crash and your injuries, insurance information, and any medical records or bills you have received. If you do not have these yet, that is completely fine, and we can help you gather them. The most important step is simply reaching out, so we can start protecting your claim.
Talk to an Ann Arbor Drunk Driving Victim Lawyer Today
You do not have to face a drunk driving injury claim alone, and the sooner you call, the sooner we can protect the evidence your case depends on. Our Ann Arbor drunk driving victim lawyers are ready to listen to your story, shield you from aggressive insurance tactics, and fight for the justice your family deserves.
Reaching out is about far more than money. It is about getting the medical care, the financial stability, and the answers you need to rebuild your life after someone else’s careless choice.
Call Christensen Law 24/7 at (734) 519-7576, or visit our Ann Arbor office at 3049 Miller Rd, for a free, no-risk consultation. Listen. Protect. Win. Serving all of Michigan, from the D to the UP.
