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The day your accident happened may have started off like any other. You may have been driving to an appointment, shopping, or visiting a favorite restaurant, when suddenly disaster struck. You were seriously injured in an accident that changed your life in an instant, and it never would have happened if someone else had been careful.
A Grand Rapids catastrophic injury attorney can protect your right to compensation by making sure you get your damages covered now and in the future. When another party’s negligence caused your serious injuries, they are responsible for covering your accident-related costs under Michigan law.
Your treatments and costs could last a lifetime. Let Christensen Law fight to get you the compensation you need to get the care you require. You can call the team at Christensen Law 24/7 to get help now.
Why You Should Choose Christensen Law for Your Catastrophic Injury Claim
When you’re dealing with a catastrophic injury, choosing a personal injury law firm is an important decision. No one understands that better than we do. Over our years of service to injured people and their loved ones, we have heard many stories about how serious injuries have forever changed their lives.
At Christensen Law, our Grand Rapids personal injury lawyers are committed to providing our clients with the compassionate care you need during this frustrating time. Let us put our resources to work for you so you can get the compensation victims of negligence are entitled to under Michigan law.
Insurance companies understand that you are at vulnerable after a catastrophic injury, and they will often try to take advantage of this. They know you overwhelmed with medical debt and other expenses, and they will offer a quick settlement check that will barely keep you afloat. We will fight to get you the full value of your damages – now and in the future.
What Counts as a Catastrophic Injury in Grand Rapids, Michigan?
Catastrophic injuries are life-changing injuries from which you will likely never recover. Some injuries may take months or years to fully heal, or to at least become manageable. These conditions include:
- Amputation injuries
- Back and neck injuries
- Blindness / Eye injuries
- Deafness
- Head trauma
- Multiple bone fractures
- Neurological disorders
- Organ damage
- Paralysis, including paraplegia and quadriplegia
- Severe bone fractures
- Severe burns
- Spinal cord injuries (SCI)
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
If you are suffering from these and other life-changing conditions in Michigan, filing a claim with your own insurance company may not be enough. Get help from Grand Rapids catastrophic injury lawyers who can calculate the full value of your damages.
How Michigan’s Catastrophic Injury Laws Can Affect Your Claim
Prior to Michigan’s 2019 no-fault auto insurance reforms, accident victims who suffered catastrophic injuries could count on receiving lifetime payments of “all reasonable charges” related to their injuries through their insurance coverage. These changes impacted how much victims could receive.
However, 2023 bills introduced to the legislature can impact payouts again, and it is more important than ever for seriously injured victims of accidents to seek legal counsel to protect their rights to compensation.
Our lawyers have helped i injury victims weather auto insurance reforms before, and we stand ready to help Michigan accident victims once again.
What Are the Elements of a Successful Grand Rapids Catastrophic Injury Claim?
For a personal injury claim to be valid in Michigan, it must meet certain key elements. To qualify for compensation, a successful catastrophic injury claim will use evidence to prove:
- Duty of care – The defendants (people/entities involved) owed the victim a legally recognized duty of care under certain safety standards, regulations, protocols, or laws that are relevant to the incident’s surroundings.
- Breach of duty – The evidence clearly shows the negligent safety breaches, rule violations, or insufficient practices committed by the defendants that did not meet expected duty of care obligations.
- Causation – The identified breaches of duty directly caused or significantly contributed to hazardous circumstances culminating in grievous harm that was inflicted upon the victim (with a provable cause and effect link).
- Severe damages – The documentation confirms that the victim experienced tremendous bodily injury damages, extensive treatment needs, lasting impairment, disability statuses, or wrongful death immediately from the incident.
- Liability – Based on the authoritative substantiated accounts, definitive legal liability is established that demonstrates that the compensation is warranted.
Determining liability is not as simple as saying someone else hurt you. You must use evidence to help support you claim and have an understanding of the nuanced laws and scenarios surrounding your catastrophic injury claim. The stronger your claim, the better. Our lawyers have the knowledge, experience, and skillset necessary to hold the other party accountable for your harm.
How Grand Rapids Catastrophic Injury Attorney Can Helps You Maximize Compensation
As catastrophic injury lawyers in Grand Rapids, we have a deep understanding of what the victims of these life-changing injuries and their loved ones go through. These are the steps we may take throughout your case to handle the process for you and maximize your case’s value:
Investigation of the Accident
Your Grand Rapids catastrophic injury attorneys will utilize top reconstructionists, engineers, technicians, and discovery tools to build arguments that aim to hold the responsible parties accountable. We will use various forms of evidence to help demonstrate that the other party acted negligently and is directly at-fault for the catastrophic injuries and losses you’ve suffered.
Evaluation of Your Injuries and Other Costs
Our injury lawyers work closely with treating physicians, life care planners, and rehabilitation specialists to assess profound trauma impact, generate long-term treatment costs, and report on the true impact of the catastrophic injury on your life.
Personal injury lawyers also account for every tangible loss and intangible impact spanning medical bills and lost earning capacity. This includes how your injuries will impact you decade by decade, how your pain levels hinder function, and the devastation to your overall well-being.
Litigation of Your Case
If the insurance company does not offer a fair payout during negotiations, our lawyers will use their vast trial experience to advocate for our clients. From admitting compelling evidence to arguing before juries and judges, we navigate the trial process for you if it becomes necessary.
Call Christensen Law to learn more about why so many clients in Michigan have chosen us to represent them after catastrophic injuries. You can read more about our client testimonials here.
How a Grand Rapids Catastrophic Injury Lawyer Proves Liability in a Case
Here are the main ways a Grand Rapids catastrophic injury lawyer can prove liability in a Michigan personal injury case:
- Secure accident site evidence – We’ll document defective conditions, safety equipment failures, containment breaches, warning absence, and visibility impediments.
- Question witnesses – We will interview any first responders, bystanders, and participants and conduct extensive discovery procedures.
- Assess industry standards – Our lawyers will make note of conventional safety precautions, protective gear, redundant safeguarding features, and protocols to reveal areas that were ignored or willfully compromised
- Examine regulatory duties – We will Investigate statutes mandating maintenance schedules, licensed operators, protective equipment, hazard signage, weight limits, lighting requirements, and more to identify where written policies were breached.
Accidents that cause catastrophic injuries typically stem from systemic breakdowns across areas, including oversight, training, and cost-cutting measures. We uncover each failure of the system through extensive analysis of all contributing factors to build indisputable liability.
Michigan’s Comparative Fault Laws and Catastrophic Injuries
What happens when the injured party shares some fault in the accident? This is when Michigan’s modified comparative negligence laws come into play. According to Mich. Comp. Laws §600.2959, in Michigan, if you share fault in an accident, your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault.
For example, if the total value of your damages was $100,000 and you were found to be 40% responsible for your injuries, your settlement would be worth $60,000. If you are over 50 percent at fault, you could risk losing some valuable forms of compensation.
In cases of shared fault, the defendant’s insurance company will try to pin as much fault on you as possible to hold onto their own profits. Our lawyers can help defend your right to compensation.
Get a Free Consultation with a Grand Rapids Catastrophic Injury Lawyer
When a life is forever altered by an act of negligence, Michigan families can quickly be plunged into financial crises that leave them wondering where to turn for help. Our catastrophic injury lawyers in Grand Rapids will be the legal advocates you can turn to for all of your questions and concerns.
Reach out to the team at Christensen Law. We will craft a customized legal strategy for you that is designed to protect your rights at every turn.
The combination of legal knowledge and client dedication we bring to the table will make this difficult time easier for your family. We know how to impact the full impact of your losses, from understanding your medical issues to knowing specifically how it has impacted your lives.
