Injured in a motorcycle crash?

We take motorcycle cases on a contingency fee, so there is no upfront fee or cost to you and no charge for the initial consultation. We are paid a percentage of the recovery, and if we do not recover money for you, you owe us no attorney fee. The specific percentage and how case costs are handled are set out in a written fee agreement that you read and sign before we represent you.

This is the rule that catches most riders out. Because a motorcycle is not legally classified as a "motor vehicle", you are only entitled to comprehensive No-Fault PIP medical benefits if a car, truck or commercial vehicle was involved in your crash.

If a motor vehicle was involved, Michigan law sets a strict order of priority for who pays your medical bills and lost wages: the auto insurer of the owner or registrant of the motor vehicle involved, then the auto insurer of its driver if that is someone else, then the auto insurer of the motorcycle operator, then the auto insurer of the motorcycle owner.

A rider is required to carry liability insurance for damage or injury they cause. A rider is not required to buy No-Fault insurance in Michigan.

Only if your case clears two requirements. Your injuries have to cross the legal threshold: a serious impairment of an important body function, permanent serious disfigurement such as severe road rash scarring or amputation, or wrongful death.

The second one is harder. If you were the owner or registered owner of the motorcycle and you rode without valid motorcycle liability insurance, Michigan law strips away your right to sue the at-fault driver for pain and suffering entirely. Tell us about your coverage on the first call so we can tell you honestly where you stand.

MCL 500.3135

Yes. If you were injured in a motorcycle accident you can sue the at-fault party whether or not you were wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

It can cost you, though. In Michigan a victim's compensation is reduced according to their degree of fault. If a rider is found 20% liable for riding without a helmet, they receive 80% of the damages they would otherwise have been entitled to.

Michigan enforces two separate deadlines depending on what you are claiming. Missing either one can end that part of your case permanently.

One year for No-Fault benefits. To collect PIP benefits, which cover medical bills, rehabilitation and 85% of lost wages, you must file a formal application for benefits with the correct auto insurance company within one year of the date of the crash. If the insurer refuses a specific medical bill, a lawsuit over that expense must be filed within one year of the date it was incurred.

Three years to sue the at-fault driver. If you are suing for pain and suffering, emotional distress and excess economic losses, you have three years from the date of the crash to file.

MCL 500.3145 (No-Fault benefits); MCL 600.5805 (third-party lawsuit).

Uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage lets you claim against your own insurance company instead of depending on a negligent driver who has no policy, or not enough of one to cover your damages.

If you were in an accident and had no insurance of your own, you may still have a claim through the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan and the Michigan Automobile Insurance Placement Facility.

Because they start from the assumption that the rider was at fault, and they know most riders do not push back. Insurers are notoriously biased against motorcyclists, and a rider who gives a recorded statement early often hands them the story they wanted.

Talk to your own No-Fault provider about the objective facts. Do not give a statement to the at-fault driver's adjuster before you have spoken to a lawyer.

Talk to a lawyer first. An early offer often arrives before anyone knows whether your injury is permanent, and accepting it typically requires signing a release that ends your claim for good, including for treatment you have not had yet. There is no cost to having us look at the offer before you sign anything.

Yes. Riders look for a motorcycle crash lawyer, a bike wreck attorney and a motorcycle accident lawyer, and they all mean the same thing. Whatever you call it, if a driver hurt you while you were riding in Michigan the claim works the same way and we handle it.

The firm has thirteen offices across Michigan: Southfield, two in Detroit, Sterling Heights, Flint, Ypsilanti, Wayne, Lake Orion, Waterford, Monroe, Grand Rapids, Marquette and Mount Clemens. Every address is listed on this page. You do not have to come to an office to start, because the first conversation is free and happens by phone, but there is almost certainly one within reach when you want to sit down with someone.