Car Accident Lawyer Responds to Remark by Insurance Institute of Michigan on Obscene, Unregulated Auto Insurance Profits

An engaged reader recently inquired about a blog I wrote last year on the regulation of Michigan auto insurance rates. Donna wanted me to elaborate on a comment I made, as she was seeking an expanded perspective from a car accident lawyer.

In discussing another round of auto insurance reform bills highlighting the dire need to clean up our no-fault system and support countless injured people who are  abused by the insurance companies that are supposed to protect them, I said:

Insurance companies resort to robocalls in attempt to shield industry from accountability

I would like to say kudos to Michigan State Rep. Ellen Cogen Lipton (D-Huntington Woods), who recently blasted auto insurance companies for 11th-hour attacks on lawmakers who are trying to hold the insurance industry accountable and helping make insurance more affordable. As an auto accident attorney, I dedicate my life’s work to protecting those injured in crashes, and I take it personally when insurance companies take advantage of my clients. Lipton is highlighting this serious issue.

Attorneys from Michigan Auto Law Teaching Personal Injury Lawyers at Trial Institute

Three auto attorneys from Michigan Auto Law will be volunteering to help educate Michigan personal injury lawyers from throughout the state during the Michigan Association for Justice (MAJ) first annual Trial Institute. The trial institute is in Southfield this week.

Faculty members Steve Gursten and Dave Christensen will speak on opening statements and cross examination of the defense “independent” medical examiner as part of the auto track. The auto track is geared toward lawyers handling truck accident and car accident cases in Michigan. There will also be an employment law and a medical malpractice track.

To follow-up on a recent blog on my own impressions of the Michigan Supreme Court hearing on McCormick v. Carrier, I’d like to run a comment by C-PAN regarding the McCormick case and why Kreiner v. Fischer is wrongly decided. CPAN, the Coalition Protecting Auto No-Fault, is a Lansing-based, bi-partisan organization of medical, consumer and legal groups.

McCormick is the case that will hopefully change Michigan’s broken auto threshold law, Kreiner— and restore the rights of injured auto accident victims. Here’s what CPAN has to say:

What happens when Michigan no-fault law and real-life medicine conflict?

Our attorneys tell people that the law in Michigan is black and white: Anyone injured in a car accident must provide information as to the nature or type of injury to his auto insurance company within one year, or the insurance company can deny payment for medical bills and other no-fault benefits (MCL 500.3145(1)).

It’s very easy to comply with a one-year notice provision when there is a physical injury like a broken arm - after all, it hurts immediately and upon X-ray, it’s either there or it isn’t. Notice for a tangible injury like this on an application for benefits to an auto insurance company can be easily made.

Truck Accident Lawyer Says Drivers Who Text Are 20 Times More Likely to Crash

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, drivers take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds out of every six seconds while texting. FMCSA research shows drivers who text are more than 20 times more likely to get in an accident than non-distracted drivers.

Our truck accident lawyers are happy to announce that drivers of commercial trucks and buses will be prohibited from texting under federal guidelines that U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood issued Tuesday.

A reader recently wrote in after reading my blog on the Dirtiest Insurance Company Trick of All. “Phil” stated that in the very serious car accident case I had written about, Farm Bureau Insurance company had every right to deliberately mislead the jury (I assume Phil is not a claims adjuster who works for Farm Bureau).

Actually, I really appreciate Phil’s comments and I am sure there are many people feel the same way as he does. That’s why I decided to re-post his comment and my response as today’s blog.

Accident Attorneys Urge Drivers to Take “No-Texting” Pledge

Our car accident attorneys have seen far too many preventable car accidents resulting from distracted drivers texting and talking on cell phones. Research shows that talking on a cell phone while driving can have the same effect on perception and reaction timing as driving with four drinks in your system, while texting can have the same effect as driving with eight drinks in your system.

We are happy to announce that two personal injury attorneys from Michigan Auto Law have received the largest car accident settlement and verdict in the state for 2009, according to a year-end compilation of trial verdicts and settlements by Michigan Lawyers Weekly.

Steve Gursten’s settlement was for a serious traumatic brain injury accident in Roseville, which is in Macomb County, Mich. In this case, the metal leg of a traffic sign that was not properly secured, blew through the windshield of the plaintiff’s vehicle, striking her in the head.

The long-awaited Michigan Supreme Court hearing on McCormick v. Carrier was Tuesday.  McCormick is the case that will hopefully change Michigan’s long-broken auto threshold law, Kreiner v. Fischer — and restore the rights of injured auto accident victims.

Kreiner is a 2004 Michigan Supreme Court decision that interpreted the no-fault act’s “serious impairment of body function” statute. It establishes the precondition plaintiffs must meet before they can sue for non-economic damages in such a way that many people who suffer serious injuries and who miss months from work, lose their right to bring car accident claims.