Michigan personal injury attorney shares  “Worst Toys” list to help keep kids safe during the holidays

As a Michigan personal injury attorney who wrote the book “How to Keep your Children Safe,” I’m often asked by parents and friends about child safety.

With the holidays quickly around the corner, I wanted to share this great list of the 2011 10 “Worst Toys.”

For instance, in the photo is one of the 2011 “Worst Toys,” the Incredible Shrinky Dinks Maker. This toy has the potential for burn and shock injuries. It has an oven that uses a 120 volt house current and shrinks a “shrinky dink” in a chamber with a 60 watt light bulb! Clearly, a product like this doesn’t lend itself well to children.

A Thanksgiving checklist to help you avoid a holiday in  the hospital, from our Michigan injury lawyers

William Shatner is getting attention this Thanksgiving holiday for another satiric commercial. But this funny commercial for State Farm has a great message: Be careful with your turkey fryer!

Why does Shatner care? Well, more cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year. According to State Farm, grease and cooking-related claims more than double on Thanksgiving Day compared to an average day in November.

Michigan workers compensation lawyers says HB 5002 will cost innocent and injured workers thousands

Even though I’m a lawyer who helps people injured in auto accidents, many of my cases involve workers compensation. These people are  injured in the course and scope of their employment and are driving a car “on the job.”  Therefore, even though I would define myself (and the other 17 lawyers in my office) as Michigan auto accident lawyers, a very high number of my cases have a workers compensation component that require a workers compensation lawyer as well.

Don’t let the defense IME “independent” medical examiner defame your client by calling deterioration malingering!

Of all the notorious independent medical examiners (IMEs) out there who are paid a fortune by defense lawyers, insurance companies, and workers comp carriers to say there is nothing wrong with truly injured people so benefits can be stopped, the nastiest IME doctors in my opinion are those who are hired to defend traumatic brain injury (TBI) and psychiatric injury cases for insurance companies.

No wonder so many doctors won’t accept car accident victims as patients

I often write about how badly Michigan auto insurance companies treat their customers.  After all, I have a lot to write about.  Michigan is a state without any protections to hold insurance companies accountable for abusing people, such as bad faith laws or punitive damages. Also, the Michigan Consumer Protection Act cannot be used by No-Fault insurance lawyers against insurance companies who unfairly deny legitimate claims (which makes zero sense).

Insurance attorney shares a compelling letter to the editor about the importance of Michigan’s No-Fault law and lifetime medical benefits for car accident victims

I want to share this compelling commentary that recently appeared in the Detroit Free Press. This letter is from a woman named Erica Nader Coulston, who sustained a cervical spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed from a 2001 auto accident.

Completely paralyzed from the chest down, with no control of her limbs, hands, bladder and bowel, Erica required years of physical therapy and expensive medical care. She still needs 24-hour attendant care (nursing services) for her basic needs.

Michigan brain injury lawyer supports proposed legislation aimed at preventing concussion injuries to student athletes

Last week, SB 716 was introduced in the Michigan Senate. It requires public schools to adopt concussion and head injury information to protect student athletes and children with concussions.

Increased awareness has sharpened the spotlight on traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and concussions, and as a result, public schools and coaches from the littlest leagues to the NFL are now looking at the issue of brain injuries and sports.

Michigan Auto Law partners Larry Gursten, Steve Gursten, Dave Christensen and Bob Raitt are honored for 2012

It’s a nice honor to announce that four of our partners at Michigan Auto Law have been named Best Lawyers in America. Last week, Super Lawyers listed nine of our attorneys as Michigan Super Lawyers in the personal injury category.

It’s especially pleasing because our firm does almost no marketing whatsoever. We have no billboards (anyone else amazed by how many there are these days?), bus ads, TV or Yellow Pages. Our entire marketing campaign is simply to try to have the very best car accident and truck accident verdicts and settlements in Michigan every year - and business will come.

Michigan personal injury lawyer lists 4 tips to help keep young children safe in case of a car accident

It’s National Child Passenger Safety Week again.  This is a very important topic, and I want to  share this information with my readers, loved ones and  Michigan drivers.

As a Michigan personal injury lawyer, I’ve handled  auto accident lawsuits involving children who were seriously injured or killed because their car seats weren’t properly installed. Some of these young children still have very serious disabilities many years later and their young lives will never been the same.

Consider the following:

Injury attorney says Rule 1.5 of the MRPC harms public and removes incentive to find the best lawyers

I recently discussed the recent interview I had with Michigan Lawyers Weekly about the proposed amendment to rules governing referral fees between lawyers. If passed, this rule would limit referral fees to 25 percent, among other harmful changes.

The Michigan Supreme Court clerk is taking comments on the proposal until Sept. 1, 2011. They can be sent by email to MSC_clerk@courts.mi.gov, or in writing to: P.O. Box 30052, Lansing, MI 48909. This is what I wrote: