As lawyers who specialize in serious motorcycle accident cases in Michigan, we’re certainly asked our share of questions about motorcycle safety. One question we’re frequently asked is how we feel about the increasing popularity of “crotch rockets,” also known, perhaps more politely, as supersports.

The truth is, as Michigan personal injury lawyers who often have to deal with the devastating consequences after a serious injury or death has taken place on supersports, we don’t like them very much at all.

For starters, these smaller motorcycles are called crotch rockets for a reason.

They go fast. Make that very fast.

I’m Bob Raitt, a partner of Michigan Auto Law. Recently, I moderated a seminar on traumatic brain injury for the Michigan Association for Justice. Steve Gursten and I agreed to sponsor this seminar for Michigan personal injury lawyers, as our law firm handles so many car accident cases that have caused traumatic brain injuries and devastated lives. The lawyers at our firm are experts on the subject, because we deeply care about helping people with brain injuries.

As a member of the American Association for Justice Traumatic Brain Injury Group, it bothers me that so many lawyers turn away traumatic brain injury cases, believing that representing the victims is too difficult.

It’s no surprise that texting while driving on Michigan roads greatly increases the likelihood of getting into a serious car accident. But one recent tragedy is providing a shocking, real-life example — that automobile accident lawyers can also learn from.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a Los Angeles Metrolink commuter train crash, which resulted in 25 deaths and 128 people injured. According to published reports, it’s suspected that the engineer of the train was text messaging when the train ran a stop signal and crashed into an oncoming freight engine.

As lawyers helping Michigan drivers involved in serious car accidents and truck accidents, we know from very real cases how dangerous texting while driving can be. Yet the same people who would never drink and drive think nothing about how completely unsafe it is to text while driving.

It is human nature to believe one is invincible, and people will no doubt continue to pound away on the keypads of their cell phones during their lengthy commutes. In fact, an estimated 18-20 percent of drivers are sending or receiving text messages while behind the wheel, stated a recent Nationwide Insurance study.

As Michigan lawyers specializing in truck accidents, our truck accident lawyers have litigated several truck underride crashes. Underride truck accident cases are usually catastrophic, as most involve cars smashing at high speeds into the rear or sides of large semi trucks or tractor-trailers.

Recently, my friend Ken Shigley, an excellent Atlanta truck accident lawyer, spoke on this subject. Ken stepped in to speak for Allan J. Kam, who consults on federal motor carrier safety issues around the country, at an advanced seminar on litigating truck accident crashes. The presentation was shocking. It showed how politicians and the trucking industry have conspired to oppose inexpensive safety changes that have led to thousands of semi truck accident wrongful deaths and catastrophic serious injuries from underride accidents over the past 40 years.

On June 26, Chrysler introduced UConnect Web, a dealer-installed accessory which makes its vehicles a moving WiFi hotspot with Internet access. The personal injury lawyers at Michigan Auto Law believe this is a recipe for disaster for Michigan drivers.

Keefe Leung, a manager in a Chrysler technology group, said in published reports that the accessory is tailored for kids in the back seat.

But Chrysler’s Web site says, “the industry-first technology delivers uninterrupted, secure Internet connectivity for all passengers in and around the vehicle.” That means front seat occupants — including the drivers — are able to surf the net, as the signals aren’t confined to video systems in the rear seats.

In late July, I took the deposition of a truck driver who killed a wonderful husband and father of two beautiful little girls. In this completely preventable Michigan truck accident case, the driver lost control of his fully-loaded 150,000-pound gravel truck and swerved into my client’s car as it was traveling alongside the truck on I-75 in Detroit, killing him.

The driver admitted he had received no formal training or supervision from his employer. He also said he failed to inspect the truck’s tires and brakes. Additionally, he had a seizure disorder and was on powerful epilepsy medication that causes drowsiness and delayed reaction time.

In late July, Michigan was listed among the top 12 most sanctioned states in the nation that allow truck drivers with serious medical problems, including seizure disorders, to drive large tractor-trailers on the roads and that fail to require truck drivers to carry valid medical certificates. Clearly, Michigan is destined to have more truck accidents due to this sad fact.

The Michigan Court of Appeals has thrown out yet another serious impairment of body function threshold case under the no-fault act, creating more confusion for Michigan car accident lawyers and more bad news for innocent victims of serious automobile accidents.

The case, Jeanene Adams and Beverly Adams v. Willie Hodge, is a striking reminder that cases that used to be worth big money — in the days before the Michigan Supreme Court passed Kreiner v. Fischer — may not be worth anything today.