No-Fault insurance lawyer explains how “independent” medical examiners devastate lives after serious car accidents and undermine our No-Fault system

When people suffer personal injury in  car accidents in Michigan, their auto insurance companies must pay No-Fault insurance benefits for all auto accident-related medical treatment that’s reasonably necessary for the injured person’s recovery and rehabilitation. By simply filing an application for No-Fault insurance benefits within one year of the car accident date with their own No-Fault insurers, auto accident victims are provided with legally mandated No-Fault insurance so they can try to heal and put their lives back together.

Personal injury attorney exposes insurance companies threats and scare tactics - and huge profits - following McCormick v. Carrier

The insurance industry in Michigan sure must think we are pretty dumb. Within hours of the monumental McCormick v. Carrier being issued by the Michigan Supreme Court on August 1, 2010, a lobbying group representing 90 Michigan insurance companies issued a press release to the media threatening to raise auto insurance premiums. They say, the McCormick case will “seriously undermine the viability of the state’s No-Fault statute.”

Another reason why Farm Bureau wins our 2010 Insurance Company Skunk Award

In my last blog, I discussed how difficult it is to get Farm Bureau adjusters to give permission to accept tendered underinsured motorist coverage (UIM) policy limits for their own customers who have been seriously injured in car accidents. In other words, how hard it is to just get the additional protection that these people paid for from this insurance company!

No-Fault insurance lawyer warns car accident victims about Farm Bureau insurance company

Farm Bureau is at it again. I’ve written about this insurance company before. Despite their nice commercials, I personally see Farm Bureau treating their own customers the worst out of all the automobile insurance companies that I personally deal with as a lawyer representing victims of car accidents and truck accidents.

Again, the latest incident involves Farm Bureau finding new ways to avoid their obligation to their customers. Insurance companies like Farm Bureau get paid every year in insurance premiums by their customers, but as soon as their help is needed, they often look for ways to avoid meeting their legal, contractual obligations.

Michigan Auto Law partner gets insurance policy limits and medical benefits for auto accident victim with head, neck and back injuries

I’d like to congratulate my fellow partner David E. Christensen for yet another trial win. Dave’s Washtenaw County car accident case was against our client’s insurance company, USAA, as well as the at-fault driver.

The accident occurred on Ecorse Road in Ypsilanti, when the at-fault driver pulled out from a side-street and crashed into our client. Our client sustained serious personal injuries including herniated discs in his neck and lower back that both required surgery, and a closed-head injury.

Personal injury attorney says NO – It’s the bloated and unregulated insurance industry profits

I recently received a reader inquiry regarding my blog, A New Dawn for Car Accident Victims? The blog covered the Michigan Supreme Court’s motion for reconsideration in McCormick v. Carrier, a Flint auto accident case that could restore common sense and fairness to Michigan’s broken auto accident law, Kreiner v. Fischer. The reader, Kristen, believed that Michigan’s auto insurance coverage contributes to soaring insurance rates. The truth is quite the contrary. Below is the note from Kristen and my response.

Insurance attorney advises on why primary medical No-Fault can protect drivers

As a personal injury attorney specializing in insurance and No-Fault litigation, I read a lot of insurance policies.  I continually see many situations where it’s beneficial for people to use medical benefits from their auto insurance. Another term for this is primary medical PIP (personal injury protection benefits).  Even though it may be a little more expensive, the positives far outweigh the slightly higher costs.

Here are a few examples of when people are better off with primary medical PIP insurance benefits:

Insurance attorney explains primary versus coordinated medical No-Fault benefits for car accident victims in Michigan

As an attorney who specializes in Michigan No-Fault insurance, I speak with hundreds of auto accident victims a year, many who are confused about their insurance policies and benefits. A lot of my clients ask why they have to pay a medical deductible after a car accident, or a medical deductible that is more than $300.

The Michigan No-Fault law can be complicated and difficult to understand. This is what I tell my clients in efforts to help them:

Insurance company sends full no-fault release seven days after car accident

Wow, I’ve seen a lot of dirty tricks pulled by Michigan auto insurance companies over the past 16 years I’ve been helping people injured in car accidents. But what Dairyland Insurance just did to a group of unsuspecting accident victims may actually top my list for dirty tricks. In fact, I’ve never, ever seen a  Michigan auto insurance company pull a stunt this outrageous before.

Here’s what happened:

Just Say No: Lawyers Should NOT Take Fees on Voluntarily Paid No-Fault Benefits Like Wage Loss, Replacement Services and Medical Bills

Let me be clear: There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for a Michigan personal injury lawyer to try to take an attorney fee when an auto insurance company is voluntarily paying a crash victim wage loss and replacement services.

This practice by some lawyers who handle car accident cases in Michigan makes me cringe. It represents the worst excesses of my profession; and these personal injury lawyers have no excuse for doing this  They are literally taking thousands of dollars that rightfully belongs to their injured clients for no reason.