Southfield sits at the crossroads of some of the busiest roads in metro Detroit, and cyclists share that pavement with heavy commuter traffic every day. A crash on one of these roads can leave you with mounting bills and a case that feels stacked against you.
When a careless driver leaves you injured on the pavement, our Southfield bicycle accident lawyers at Christensen Law are ready to listen to your story, protect your rights, and pursue the full compensation you deserve. We have stood beside injured cyclists across Oakland County since 1991, and we treat every client like family.
You should never have to face the insurance companies alone while you are trying to heal. From our Southfield office on Telegraph Road, we take on the legal fight, so you can focus on your recovery and the people who depend on you.
From the D to the UP | Proven Expertise | Powerful Results
Call Christensen Law 24/7 at (248) 600-4591 for a free, no-risk consultation with a member of our team.
CHRISTENSEN LAW HAS A 24 HOUR RAPID RESPONSE SERVICE
How Our Southfield Bicycle Accident Lawyers Protect You
Our Southfield bicycle accident lawyers protect you by taking over every part of your claim, from the first call with an adjuster to a jury trial, so you are never left to fight the insurance system on your own. We built our firm around three core principles: listen, protect, and win.
First, we listen. We sit down with you, learn how the crash has affected your body and your family, and give you honest answers in plain language, not legal jargon.
Then we protect. Insurance adjusters often move fast to reduce what they pay, and their tactics can catch injured cyclists off guard. Here are a few of the moves we shield you from:
- Requests for a recorded statement, which can later be twisted against you
- Lowball settlement offers made before you know the full extent of your injuries
- Pressure to sign broad medical release forms that hand over your entire history
- Independent medical exams arranged by the insurer to downplay your condition
We handle each of these on your behalf, so a stressful moment never becomes a costly mistake. Finally, we work to win, preparing every case as if it will be decided by a jury.
That trial focus matters. Founder David Christensen has earned the highest honors a trial lawyer can hold, and insurers know that our name means we are prepared to go the distance for you.
If you were hurt in a car crash instead of on a bike, our Southfield car accident lawyers bring that same relentless approach to your claim.
Who Pays the Medical Bills After a Bicycle Accident in Southfield?
In most cases, your own auto insurance pays your medical bills after a bicycle accident in Southfield through Michigan’s No-Fault system, even though you were riding a bike and not driving a car. These payments are called Personal Injury Protection benefits, or PIP, and under Michigan’s No-Fault law, they are paid regardless of who caused the crash.
PIP is a first-party benefit, which simply means you collect from your own insurer rather than from the driver who hit you. It can cover your medical treatment, a portion of your lost wages, attendant care, and replacement services.
Attendant care is the help you need with daily tasks while you recover, and replacement services cover chores you cannot do, like cleaning or yard work.
Many cyclists are surprised to learn they qualify for PIP even without owning a vehicle. If you do not have your own auto policy, you may draw benefits from a resident relative’s coverage, and if no auto policy exists in your household, the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan may step in.
Some drivers carry coordinated policies, which link auto coverage to a health plan and change which company pays first. We untangle these details for you, and we make sure no insurer quietly passes the responsibility to another.
Coordination and priority can get complicated fast, and one wrong form can delay your care. We map out exactly which policy owes your benefits, so the bills do not land on your kitchen table. This is one of the first things we sort out for every client.
Common Bicycle Crash Scenarios on Southfield Roads
Most Southfield bicycle crashes happen in a handful of predictable ways, and each one calls for its own investigation and strategy. Under Michigan law, a person on a bicycle has the same rights and duties as the driver of a car, which means a motorist who injures a cyclist can be held accountable.
These arterials move fast, and traffic near the I-696 and Lodge Freeway interchange stays heavy well into the evening. That mix of speed and volume is exactly where cyclists face the greatest danger.
We see these patterns again and again along fast corridors like Telegraph Road, Northwestern Highway, Twelve Mile Road, and Greenfield, as well as near the Southfield Civic Center and Lawrence Technological University:
- Dooring crashes, when a driver opens a car door into the path of a passing cyclist
- Left-cross collisions, when a turning driver fails to yield to an oncoming rider
- Right-hook crashes, when a vehicle passes a cyclist and then turns across their path
- Intersection crashes caused by drivers who run red lights or roll through stop signs
- Distracted driving crashes, when a motorist looks at a phone instead of the road
- Hit-and-run crashes, when the driver flees and leaves the injured cyclist behind
Every one of these scenarios leaves behind evidence, and that evidence fades quickly. The sooner we begin, the more we can preserve to build a case that reflects what truly happened to you.
Can a Southfield Cyclist Hit by a Car Recover Compensation?
Yes. A Southfield cyclist hit by a car can often recover compensation for pain and suffering and other losses by filing a third-party claim against the driver who caused the crash, on top of the No-Fault benefits paid by their own insurer. A third-party claim is a lawsuit against the at-fault driver for the harm your PIP benefits do not cover.
To pursue pain and suffering under Michigan’s No-Fault threshold law, your injuries generally must meet a standard called a serious impairment of body function. Catastrophic bicycle injuries, such as a traumatic brain injury, a spinal cord injury, or multiple fractures, frequently meet that bar.
Beyond your medical care, a third-party claim can help you recover several kinds of losses:
- Pain, suffering, and the loss of enjoyment of the activities you love
- Wage loss and lost earning capacity that go beyond your PIP limits
- Excess medical and future care costs above your No-Fault coverage
That list is only a starting point, because every rider’s losses are personal, and we tailor each claim to the life you are trying to rebuild.
Michigan also follows a modified comparative fault rule. This means you can still recover money even if you were partly to blame, as long as you were not more than 50% at fault, though your award is reduced by your share of responsibility.
Insurers often try to pin extra blame on cyclists to shrink what they owe, and we push back with facts. We handle Michigan bicycle accident claims for riders across the state, and we treat your story as the heart of the case.
Why Choose Our Southfield Bike Accident Attorneys?
Injured cyclists choose our bike accident lawyers in Southfield because we pair record-setting trial results with the personal care of a firm that treats every client like family. Our results show what focused, courtroom-ready advocacy can achieve, including a $17.8 million verdict in a motor vehicle injury case and a $9.5 million wrongful death recovery.
Our firm is led by two attorneys widely respected across Michigan:
- David Christensen, our founder, is a Michigan Hall of Fame attorney, a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), and holds AV Preeminent status from Martindale-Hubbell.
- Sarah Stempky-Kime, our managing partner, is a recognized “Leader in the Law” and also an ABOTA member.
We do not run a high-volume settlement mill. As Sarah puts it, we like to let the treatment team do the talking, and we let the defense reveal the weakness of its own position. That patient, evidence-driven method, backed by a 4.9 to 5.0 review rating across our offices, is why families trust us with their most serious cases.
Call us 24/7 at (248) 600-4591 to talk with our team today.
Building a Strong Bicycle Accident Case Near Southfield, MI
A strong case is built in the first days after a crash, which is when a bicycle accident lawyer near Southfield MI can lock down evidence before it disappears. Skid marks fade, security cameras record over their footage, and memories blur, so early action matters.
In our decades representing injured riders, we have found that the client’s own experience is the most powerful part of any case. That is why we let your doctors and your treatment records show the true extent of your injuries, rather than relying on argument alone.
Our team moves quickly to gather what your case needs. Specifically, we work to secure the police report, locate and interview witnesses, request nearby surveillance and doorbell video, and preserve data from the vehicle that struck you.
For catastrophic injuries, we also look ahead. We work with medical and economic professionals to project the cost of future surgeries, therapy, and long-term care, so any settlement reflects a lifetime of need and not just today’s bills.
We then connect your medical care to the crash, so no injury or future need goes unaccounted for. Because we prepare every file for trial, insurance companies know we are ready to see it through. That readiness is often what moves a fair offer onto the table.
Southfield Bicycle Accident Lawyer FAQs
Below are answers to questions we hear often from injured cyclists and their families in Southfield and across Oakland County.
Nothing upfront. We handle bicycle accident cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay no attorney fee unless we recover money for you. Your first consultation is always free, and we advance the costs of building your case, so a lack of money never stands between you and strong representation.
Deadlines apply, and they are strict, so acting early is important. For a third-party lawsuit against the at-fault driver, Michigan law generally allows three years from the date of the crash.
No-Fault PIP benefits follow a separate and shorter clock under Michigan’s No-Fault deadline rules, and our Michigan personal injury case timeline lays out these key dates so nothing slips past you.
You may still have a path to compensation. Michigan’s No-Fault PIP benefits generally cover your medical bills and wage loss even in a hit-and-run, because those benefits do not depend on identifying the driver.
Your own uninsured motorist coverage, if you carry it, may add further recovery, and we work to track down the driver through police reports, cameras, and witnesses.
Yes, in most cases. Michigan does not require adult cyclists to wear helmets, so riding without one does not automatically bar your claim. An insurer may still raise the issue, and we are ready to counter that argument with medical evidence and the facts of how the crash happened.
It is best to speak with us first. The driver’s insurer may sound friendly, yet its goal is to limit what it pays, and an early recorded statement can be used to reduce your claim. Let us handle those conversations, so your words are never turned against you.
Yes. While this page focuses on Southfield, we represent injured cyclists throughout Oakland County and across Michigan, with offices in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, and Troy. Wherever your crash happened, our team is ready to help.
Talk to a Southfield Bicycle Accident Lawyer at Christensen Law
You do not have to carry the weight of a serious bike crash alone. Our Southfield bicycle accident lawyers are ready to listen to your story, protect you from the insurance companies, and win the justice and resources your recovery requires. This is not about getting even; it is about securing the support you and your family need to move forward.
Serving all of Michigan, from the D to the UP, Christensen Law stands ready 24/7. Call us now at (248) 600-4591 for your free, no-risk consultation, and let us start fighting for you today.
