Proposed law hurts injured Detroit auto accident victims and those who need No-Fault most

Sen. Virgil Smith, Detroit

Sen. Virgil Smith of Detroit says he wants to help Detroiters and  low-income people with his proposal to provide a bare-bones auto insurance to Detroit residents. But, as I wrote in a previous blog, Who’s really behind Sen. Virgil Smith’s plan to destroy Detroit residents’ No-Fault insurance rights?, Smith’s plan would devastate people who are seriously injured in auto accidents. If he really wants to lower - even slash - the price of No-Fault for his constituents, there are much easier, and much better, ways to do it that don’t take away vital protections from those who would be hurt the most under his plan.

Insurance lawyer lists factors determining who pays No-Fault PIP benefits

For Michigan residents who have been injured in motor vehicle accidents, one of the most confusing  questions that first needs to be addressed is :

What auto insurance company is going to pay for my  No-Fault PIP benefits?

To answer the question of “Who is going to pay?,” these are the factors that any insurance lawyer or insurance company adjuster must first consider:

Whether an auto accident victim, her spouse or a relative that lives with her is covered by a Michigan No-Fault auto insurance policy.

No-Fault benefits are best if the train accident involved a car or a truck, as the recent Amtrak train accident did, says Michigan accident attorney

Our accident attorneys are still receiving inquiries from train passengers involved in the Amtrak train crash with the semi-truck in early February. I thought I would post a question from one of the train accident victims and our answer, regarding the best option for medical care and insurance coverage.

Q. I was in the train crash Feb. l, 2012 and would like more information on hospital bills and coverage. I was standing up in the food car at the time of the crash… worried about hospital bills.

Penny-pinching insurers’ scrutiny of auto accident victim’s medical bills provides invaluable lesson on ‘driving a hard bargain’

You will never guess who has devised a sure-fire, fool-proof strategy for helping Michigan drivers save money on their mandatory Michigan No-Fault auto insurance.

Here’s a hint: It’s the same group of “people” that is responsible for No-Fault insurance prices being so high.

That’s right: It’s Michigan’s No-Fault auto insurance companies.

In their tight-fisted zeal to boost profits by minimizing payouts to seriously injured auto accident victims, Michigan’s greedy No-Fault insurers have taught everyone – especially Michigan drivers – a valuable lesson about “driving a hard bargain.”

By distorting beyond common sense the meaning of a word, justices deny No-Fault PIP benefits to woman ‘alighting’ from her car

The conservative Republican justices on the Michigan Supreme Court strike again. This time they have ruled that accident victim Mona Lisa Frazier cannot collect Michigan No-Fault benefits. But the thing that should trouble all lawyers and judges is how the Court arrived at its decision to deny No-Fault benefits in this case.

The Court’s Republican majority determined that her injuries were not sufficiently related to her use of her car to merit allowing her to collect No-Fault benefits. These insurance benefits include important protections for people in Michigan, such as medical expense coverage and wage loss.

Insurance attorney advice on what insurance covers your family members, and saves you extra deductible costs in case of a car accident

This blog is written by  Jeffrey Bussell. Jeff is an excellent No-Fault insurance attorney who helps clients in the early stages of a car accident lawsuit. He also helps people get their mini-tort, No-Fault wage loss and guides them through ever-increasingly complex medical plans and policies.

Jeff frequently gets asked, “how can I protect my family when not everyone in the household has health insurance?”

We hope the information below helps.

Insurance lawyer says truth is not what the insurance industry would like public to believe

There is a lie being spread by the auto No-Fault insurance industry in Michigan — a lie that our auto insurance premiums are more expensive due to insurance fraud.

This from an insurance industry that is making record-breaking profits — and on the heels of a $1 billion raise. The insurance industry would love to divert attention away from its own profits and find something - anything - to blame the cost of our premiums on.

Michigan No-Fault attorney adds his insight to list of ‘need to know’ No-Fault topics created by Michigan Watch’s Lester Graham

There’s a lot more to know about the Michigan insurance industry’s misguided campaign to dismantle Michigan’s nearly 40-year-old No-Fault auto insurance system.

In January 2012, investigative reporter Lester Graham of Michigan Radio’s Michigan Watch did an excellent job of identifying some of the most important aspects of the debate concerning so-called No-Fault “reform.”

He outlined his findings in his story, “Seven things to know about changes to Michigan’s mandatory auto insurance,” which I encourage everyone to check out.

Michigan Auto Law insurance lawyer Steve Gursten explains to Macomb County newspaper that Michigan is without bad faith laws to prevent insurance abuse

On Sunday, I was interviewed by Jameson Cook from the Macomb Daily newspaper in a story about a paralyzed Sterling Heights woman who is forced to sue for her No-Fault insurance benefits.  It’s an important story and I thank Jamie Cook for the chance to share one of the real problems that I see on a weekly basis.

Michigan has a serious problem. Thousands of seriously hurt people with legitimate No-Fault (PIP) claims are being denied by auto insurance companies on a daily basis.

Lets lower insurance rates by giving our insurance commissioner the power to regulate profit-gouging, not taking away valuable benefits; and let’s have real enforcement by the MI Secretary of State

Yesterday, I wrote about the most dangerous, unfair loophole in our Michigan No-Fault law today. A quick recap: under Michigan No-Fault law, a completely innocent driver is required to pay the medical bills and wage loss of the “at fault” driver who causes an auto accident — even when the “at fault” is a drunk driver who has caused serious personal injury.