When a drunk driver shatters your sense of safety, you deserve a Michigan drunk driving accident lawyer who will listen to your story, protect your rights, and win the justice you are owed.
At Christensen Law, we have advocated for injury victims across Michigan since 1991, so we understand how one reckless choice by an impaired driver can change everything in an instant. We are here to carry the legal burden, so you can focus on healing.
You did not ask to be hit by a drunk driver, and you should not have to face the insurance companies alone. Our trial attorneys have secured record results for Michigan families, including a $17.8 million motor vehicle accident verdict and a $9.5 million wrongful death recovery. As you weigh your Michigan car accident claims, our team is ready to stand beside you.
Call Christensen Law 24/7 at (248) 213-4900 for a free, no-risk consultation.
From the D to the UP | Proven Expertise | Powerful Results
CHRISTENSEN LAW HAS A 24 HOUR RAPID RESPONSE SERVICE
How Can a Michigan Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Help You?
A Michigan drunk driving accident lawyer helps you recover full compensation while shielding you from insurance company tactics. We investigate the crash, preserve key evidence, and build a powerful case that holds the impaired driver accountable.
After a drunk driving crash, insurance adjusters often move fast to limit what they pay. They might request a recorded statement, push a quick lowball offer, or ask you to attend an independent medical exam. We deal with these entities on your behalf, so your recovery always comes first.
Our team treats every client like family. We listen closely to what you have been through, and we let your treatment team and the facts tell the story of your injuries. As Managing Partner Sarah Stempky-Kime puts it, the client is the most important part of every case, so we let the evidence do the heavy lifting.
Here is how we support Michigan drunk driving victims from day one:
- We gather police reports, chemical test results, and witness accounts before they disappear.
- We identify every source of compensation, including the at-fault driver and other responsible parties.
- We coordinate your medical care, wage-loss claims, and Personal Injury Protection benefits.
- We prepare each case for trial, and we refuse to accept a lowball settlement.
When we prepare a case this thoroughly, insurance companies take notice, and that preparation often drives stronger results for our clients.
A skilled Michigan drunk driving accident lawyer also protects the details that decide a case. We document how the crash changed your daily life, from missed work to the help you now need at home, so the true cost of your injuries is never undersold.
What Are the Most Common Drunk Driving Crashes in Michigan?
The most common drunk driving crashes in Michigan are T-bone collisions, head-on wrecks, and wrong-way crashes, and each one tends to cause severe, life-altering injuries. Impaired drivers react slowly, misjudge distance, and often speed, which turns an ordinary drive into a catastrophe.
Drunk driving crashes happen everywhere in our state, from I-96 near Grand Rapids to Woodward Avenue in Detroit and the highways around Ann Arbor. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, impaired driving remains a leading cause of preventable roadway deaths. No community is immune, and the injuries rarely stay small.
We see several crash patterns again and again:
- T-bone collisions: An impaired driver runs a red light or stop sign and strikes the side of your vehicle, causing broken bones, spinal cord damage, and internal injuries.
- Head-on crashes: A drunk driver drifts across the centerline, and the combined speed produces some of the deadliest wrecks on the road.
- Wrong-way crashes: An intoxicated driver enters a highway ramp going the wrong direction, leaving victims almost no time to react.
- Rear-end crashes: Delayed reaction time causes an impaired driver to slam into stopped or slowing traffic.
These crashes often lead to traumatic brain injuries, burns, and other catastrophic harm, so our trial attorneys work hard to prove the full value of those losses.
How Does Michigan No-Fault Insurance Work After a Drunk Driving Crash?
Under Michigan’s No-Fault system, your own auto policy pays your medical bills and wage loss first, no matter who caused the crash. These Personal Injury Protection benefits, often called PIP, apply even when a drunk driver hit you. Michigan’s No-Fault law, found in MCL 500.3105, requires drivers to carry this coverage.
PIP is a first-party benefit, which means the claim goes to your own insurer. It covers reasonable medical expenses, a portion of lost wages, and attendant care when you need help at home during recovery.
PIP benefits are only part of the picture, though. No-Fault covers your economic losses, but it does not pay for the physical pain, emotional suffering, and long-term life changes a drunk driver caused. That is where a third-party claim comes in, which we explain next.
Attendant care deserves special attention after a serious drunk driving crash. If your injuries mean you need help bathing, dressing, or moving safely, PIP can pay for that care, and in some cases, a family member who provides it can be paid too.
We help you open your first-party PIP claim correctly, so your medical providers get paid, and your household stays afloat. Getting these first-party benefits right early on keeps your recovery on track while we pursue the drunk driver.
Can I Sue a Drunk Driver in Michigan?
Yes, you can sue a drunk driver in Michigan when your injuries meet the legal threshold for a third-party claim. While No-Fault handles your basic economic losses, a third-party lawsuit lets you pursue the impaired driver for pain, suffering, and other noneconomic damages. Michigan law defines drunk driving, or operating while intoxicated, in MCL 257.625.
This claim is available when a crash causes death, serious impairment of body function, or permanent serious disfigurement. Many drunk driving injuries clear that bar, because impaired drivers so often cause devastating harm.
A third-party claim can seek compensation for:
- Physical pain and emotional suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Excess wage loss beyond your PIP limits
- Future medical needs and reduced earning capacity
Because a drunk driver broke the law, a jury may also weigh that conduct when it decides the case, and we know how to present it clearly. When responsible parties are held accountable, our clients gain the resources they need to rebuild their lives.
What Is Dram Shop Liability in Michigan?
Dram shop liability means a bar or restaurant can share legal responsibility when it serves alcohol to a visibly intoxicated person who then causes a crash. Michigan’s Dram Shop Act, found in MCL 436.1801, gives drunk driving victims a path to compensation beyond the driver alone.
This matters because a single driver’s insurance may not cover the full cost of a catastrophic injury. When a licensed establishment overserved the driver, that business may also be accountable for what happened.
Dram shop cases carry strict rules and short deadlines to file—two years. Michigan requires that the allegedly intoxicated person be named in the lawsuit, and victims must give written notice to the establishment within a set time—generally 120 days from the time the plaintiff enters into an agreement with their lawyer. Missing these steps can end the claim before it starts.
Adding a dram shop claim can widen the pool of compensation available to you. For a family facing a lifetime of medical needs, that added source of recovery can make a real difference.
We move quickly to preserve receipts, surveillance video, and server records before they are lost. This is one reason acting fast after a drunk driving crash protects your rights.
How Michigan’s Comparative Fault Rule Affects Your Recovery
Michigan follows a modified comparative negligence rule, which means you can still recover compensation even if you were partly at fault, as long as you were not more than 50 percent responsible. Your recovery is then reduced by your share of fault. This standard appears in MCL 600.2959.
Insurance companies know this rule well, so they often try to shift blame onto injured victims to pay less. A drunk driver’s insurer might claim you were speeding or distracted, even when the intoxicated driver clearly caused the crash.
Strong evidence is the answer. We build your case with crash reconstruction, medical records, and witness testimony, so blame lands where it belongs. We stand between you and these blame-shifting tactics, and we fight to protect the full value of your claim.
Compassionate Support for Wrongful Death Families
When a drunk driver takes a loved one, no amount of money can fill that loss, and pursuing a claim is never about getting even. A wrongful death claim is about justice, and about securing the resources your family needs to move forward.
We handle these cases with deep compassion, because we understand the pain behind them. Our firm has recovered significant results for grieving Michigan families, including a $9.5 million wrongful death recovery.
Michigan’s wrongful death law allows certain family members to seek compensation for lost financial support, loss of companionship, and funeral costs. We guide families gently through every step, so they can focus on one another. You will never wonder where your case stands when you work with us, because we keep you informed at every turn.
Why Choose Christensen Law
Injured Michigan drunk driving victims choose us because we combine record-setting results with the personal care of a firm that treats clients like family. We are trial attorneys first, so we prepare every case as if it will be decided in front of a jury.
Our results and credentials reflect that commitment:
- A $17.8 million motor vehicle accident verdict and a $9.5 million motorcycle accident verdict.
- Firm founder David Christensen, a Michigan Hall of Fame trial attorney, an ABOTA member, and an AV Preeminent attorney by Martindale-Hubbell.
- Managing Partner Sarah Stempky-Kime, a recognized Leader in the Law and an ABOTA member.
- Free consultations 24/7 and a 4.9 to 5.0 review rating across our Michigan offices.
We are not a volume settlement mill, so we focus on life-altering injuries and give your case the time it deserves. From our offices in Southfield, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, and Troy, we serve drunk driving victims across the state. To put this experience to work for you, call Christensen Law 24/7 for a free, no-risk consultation.
FAQs Answered by Our Michigan Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers
Below are answers to questions we often hear from Michigan drunk driving victims and their families.
Hit by a drunk driver in Michigan, what should I do about my medical bills?
Your own Personal Injury Protection coverage pays first under Michigan’s No-Fault system, regardless of fault. We help you open that first-party claim correctly, so your providers get paid, and we pursue the drunk driver for the losses PIP does not cover.
How long do I have to file a claim after a drunk driving crash in Michigan?
Michigan sets strict deadlines, and they differ for No-Fault benefits, third-party lawsuits, and dram shop claims. Because some notice periods are short, we encourage you to reach out quickly, so no deadline slips by.
What does it cost to hire a Michigan drunk driving accident lawyer?
Nothing upfront. We work on a contingency fee, which means you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you, and consultations are always free.
Can I still recover money if the drunk driver had little or no insurance?
Often, yes. We look for additional sources of recovery, including your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, and possible dram shop liability against a bar that overserved the driver.
What if I was a passenger in a drunk driving crash?
Passengers have strong rights after a drunk driving crash. You can seek PIP benefits and, in many cases, pursue a third-party claim against the impaired driver, even if that driver was a friend or family member, because the claim is paid through insurance.
Will my drunk driving injury case go to trial?
Many cases settle, but we prepare every case for trial from the start. That readiness signals to the insurance company that we will not accept a lowball offer, which often improves the outcome for our clients.
Talk to a Michigan Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Today
If a drunk driver hurt you or someone you love, the team at Christensen Law is ready to listen to your story, protect your rights, and win the justice you deserve. We have fought for Michigan injury victims since 1991, and we bring that same relentless preparation to every drunk driving case.
Reaching a Michigan drunk driving accident lawyer early gives us a strong chance to preserve evidence and hold every responsible party accountable. The sooner we start, the sooner we can take the pressure off your shoulders.
Call us 24/7 at (248) 213-4900 for a free, no-risk consultation. There is no fee unless we win, and there is never any pressure.
Serving all of Michigan, from the D to the UP.
From the D to the UP | Proven Expertise | Powerful Results
