Have you ever been in Detroit, Michigan at the corners of Davison Street West and Linwood Street, and just missed an auto accident by a close call? Unfortunately, there have been many people who haven’t been so lucky at this intersection. From 2003 to 2007, Davison Street West and Linwood Street was the scene for 250 car accidents. It ranks No. 1 on our list of the 5 Most Dangerous Intersections in Detroit.

According to a report by Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), the following five intersections account for more than 1,000 car crashes from 2003 to 2007. So, where exactly are the dangerous intersections in Detroit that drivers should be aware of?

On Tuesday, I spoke at a Plymouth seminar on Michigan no-fault law for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE). My topic, “Locating and Effectively Dealing with Experts on Direct- and Cross-Examination in First- and Third-Party Litigation,” was vital for Michigan plaintiff lawyers and defense attorneys alike, who must overcome jurors that are skeptical of expert witnesses.

As co-chair of the Michigan Association for Justice (formerly Michigan Trial Lawyers Association) Automobile Accident No-Fault Committee and a seasoned personal injury lawyer, I’ve seen first-hand that most juries do not like experts. The problem with lawyers is that we can find an expert for almost any topic, and we often do. Therefore, we need to really think about our cases and specifically, how an expert should be used to persuade and satisfy our burden of proof. My message was that expert witnesses can be used to win cases.

This was the seventh year I’ve spoken at the ICLE no-fault seminar. It was a great opportunity to review the latest changes to the Michigan no-fault law, cutting-edge trial techniques and possible pitfalls. With more than 300 participants, the seminar was touted to provide expert guidance from Michigan’s leading no-fault practitioners.

[caption id="attachment_132" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Barack Obama and Michigan Supreme Court candidate Judge Diane Marie Hathaway"][/caption]

In a recent blog, “Vote for Judge Diane Hathaway in the Michigan Supreme Court Election,” I discussed the importance of voting for a judge that’s independent and not beholden to powerful insurance companies. As Election Day draws near, it’s imperative that voters do their homework, and hopefully take the advice of the car accident lawyers at Michigan Auto Law by replacing incumbent Chief Justice Cliff Taylor with Judge Diane Marie Hathaway of the 3rd Circuit Court in Detroit.

Meanwhile, the Michigan Democratic Party has released another advertisement on Taylor’s serious faults to point voters in the right direction. The ad depicts President Bush vying for Taylor during a speaking engagement. It says that Bush and Taylor share the same agenda based on Taylor’s rulings: “Drug companies can’t be sued, women raped at work can’t sue their own employers, Michigan environment cannot be protected by ordinary citizens.”

This weekend, I will be in Atlanta, Georgia, speaking at a seminar for the Association of Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America (AITLA) called, “How to Win Big in the Tough Trucking Case.” My topic is “Maximizing Personal Injury Damages in Trucking Cases.”

As a member of the AITLA board of governors and president of the American Association for Justice Interstate Truck Litigation Group, I’ve seen a problem that many lawyers have in truck accident cases: They spend all of their time proving liability or trying to find all of the insurance, while neglecting to properly document the personal injury damages case.

Proving liability and finding insurance are critical in handling a truck accident case, but a truck accident lawyer must also properly document the personal injury damages case to maximize the pain and suffering damages for his or her client.

It helps to think of the truck accident case as a stool. One leg of the stool is liability. The second leg is finding all of the insurance. The third leg, which is often ignored, is to properly document all of the injuries and damages the client has suffered. Without all three legs, the stool — and the truck accident case — will not stand.

As Michigan lawyers handling auto accident law, we are constantly asked by our clients and friends who we feel is best qualified for the Michigan Supreme Court. Our attorneys support Judge Diane Marie Hathaway for Michigan Supreme Court justice.

She is a 3rd Circuit Court judge in Detroit and a former prosecutor. Judge Hathaway is widely respected. She has a proven record of being independent. And unlike her opponent, she is not beholden to powerful insurance companies. Judge Hathaway is running against Cliff Taylor, chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.

Due to unfamiliarity with judicial candidates, many people don’t finish their ballots and therefore, do not cast votes in important judicial elections. Yet this vote is critical for Michigan families, as the Michigan Supreme Court has been ranked by a University of Chicago study as the worst Supreme Court in the nation, in the categories of fairness and integrity.

Recognizing the importance of this fact, remember when you vote to consider Judge Hathaway — “Vote all the way – Vote Hathaway.”

Have you ever arrived at an intersection amidst a frenzied Michigan rush hour and wondered, “How in the world am I going to cross this?” Or have you seen car accident after car accident at certain intersections and thought, “This is dangerous. Why doesn’t someone do something about this?”

Well the accident lawyers of Michigan Auto Law have compiled an extensive list of the most dangerous intersections in Michigan, to protect drivers from such common — and preventable — accidents.

We’re going to present the information in the form of four blogs and many detailed photos. Each blog will highlight five of the most unsafe intersections in southeast Michigan, Detroit, Macomb County and Oakland County.

According to the Michigan State Police Office of Highway Safety Planning, there were 315,322 total car accidents in Michigan in 2006. Of those, there were 1,084 people killed, 81,942 people injured and 264,144 properties damaged.

We have received much feedback from my recent blog, Michigan Man Killed by Epileptic Trucker Driving Out-of-Service Gravel Truck. The blog outlined the case of my client, who was killed in a truck accident when a fully-loaded 150,000-pound gravel hauler lost control on I-75 in Detroit and pinned his car against the highway retainer wall, where it burst into flames.

The truck 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. Furthermore, he had a seizure disorder and was on powerful epilepsy medication that causes drowsiness and delayed reaction time.

Readers are asking: How could such an unfit and irresponsible trucker be allowed to drive on Michigan roads?

On Oct. 7, The Macomb Daily newspaper published another story about my car accident case out of Macomb County, Michigan. The case resulted in a $5.65 million jury verdict for my clients Tony and Lisa Broeren. Still refusing to accept responsibility, Chrysler is now contesting the verdict.

Tony sustained very serious injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, a broken jaw and a crushed knee, when he was run over by a pickup truck. Tony can never work again as an electro-mechanical engineer. Chrysler is responsible for the damages under Michigan law, because Chrysler insured the pickup truck that was driven by the defendant Roy Bates II, a Chrysler employee.

Last week I went to Chicago for the American Association for Justice Interstate Truck Accident Litigation Group seminar. As president of the group, I helped organize the event, which was a great success with nearly 100 lawyers who handle truck accident cases coming together from all over the country. But the primary reason I counted the program a success is because it reminded the truck accident lawyers just how important our jobs are.

From talking with many of the attorneys, one message that came across loud and clear is just how many trucking companies will hurt others and allow others to be hurt if there is no punishment for their negligence.

In my previous blog, “Crotch Rocket” Motorcycle Death Rates Continue to Rise in Michigan, I discussed the extreme danger of young, inexperienced crotch rocket drivers who daringly dart down Michigan roads at speeds exceeding 150 miles per hour. For supersport drivers who cause accidents, the legal outcomes regarding a third-party tort case for injuries and pain and suffering are generally unfavorable — especially compared to those of car or truck drivers.

However, the no-fault attendant care lawyers of Michigan Auto Law have been able to successfully help many motorcyclists — even those who cause motorcycle accidents — receive important no-fault attendant care benefits.