After a comprehensive investigation of thousands of legal documents, the American Association for Justice recently compiled a list of the worst insurance companies in America. Each of these companies writes auto insurance policies in Michigan. For Michigan automobile accident lawyers, the list is no surprise.

Reprint of Steven M. Gursten’s Letter to Michigan Lawyers Weekly

Rarely does the Michigan Lawyers Weekly completely miss the point of an important case, but I feel compelled to respectfully suggest that your recent story on Benefiel v. Auto Owners Insurance Company¹ did exactly this.  

Benefiel is the most important automobile negligence case to be decided since the Michigan Supreme Court decided Kreiner v. Fischer.²   Benefiel is a published decision, and it may hopefully help lawyers and judges better understand Michigan’s chaotic threshold law.     

Don’t let your insurance company shortchange you on medical mileage reimbursement after a car accident.

Medical mileage reimbursement is an important insurance benefit that is provided under the Michigan No Fault Act.  It is available to anyone injured in an automobile accident in Michigan, provided there is no fault insurance coverage for the car or truck involved in the motor vehicle accident.  Pedestrians hit by motor vehicles are also covered.   With gasoline prices now so expensive, doctor visits and physical therapy appointments frequently can result in thousands of dollars in mileage.   And insurance companies in Michigan are not reimbursing many of these claims at a fair rate. 

How Can All lawyers in Michigan be The Best?
As a lawyer myself, I have always been bothered by how many lawyers advertise.  And the internet seems to make most of these problems worse.  When it comes to selecting a lawyer to help you, there are very few rules to protect the public from false or misleading advertising.  This lack of rules is the reason why so many personal injury lawyers have websites and advertisements calling themselves the “best lawyer in Michigan” or “Michigan’s top personal injury lawyer.”  

The NHTSA recently released its preliminary figures for its 2006 motor vehicle crash safety assessment.   The overall numbers show a small 2% decline in overall car accident deaths, but that bit of good news was overshadowed by a disturbing trend: motorcycle accident deaths once again increased, marking the 9th straight year in a row that motorcycle accident deaths have increased.   

The numbers of people killed on motorcycles is staggering.  Motorcycle accident deaths reached 4,810 people in 2006.  This represents a 5.1% increase in fatalities for motorcycle riders and motorcyclists now represent 11% of total motor vehicle highway accident deaths in 2006.