The people of Detroit are no stranger to tough circumstances. People commute daily on I-75, I-94, and the Lodge; they walk downtown, attend games near Comerica Park and Ford Field, and work in hospitals, factories, construction sites, and small businesses across the metro area. With that level of activity, accidents are part of reality. Car crashes, falls on poorly maintained property, workplace injuries, and medical errors happen every day, often leaving people dealing with serious, life-changing injuries.
When someone else’s carelessness causes harm, the fallout can be immediate and long-lasting. Medical treatment, missed paychecks, and ongoing physical or mental limitations add up quickly. Michigan law allows injured people to pursue compensation in many of these situations. A personal injury lawyer can help evaluate what happened, identify who may be responsible, and guide you through the claims process. The attorneys at The Russo Firm have experience representing injury victims and can help you understand your options.
Key Takeaways
Local Knowledge & Practical Representation
- The Russo Firm represents injured clients throughout Detroit on a contingency-fee basis.
- Free consultations allow you to get answers without upfront cost or pressure.
Types of Cases Handled
- Motor vehicle accidents involving cars, trucks, motorcycles, pedestrians, and rideshare vehicles.
- Slip-and-fall injuries, unsafe property conditions, and negligent security claims.
- Medical malpractice, nursing home neglect, catastrophic injuries, and wrongful death cases.
Proven Results
- We have obtained significant outcomes, including a $6 million recovery for a bicycle trauma and over $1 million in other injury settlements and verdicts.
What Makes a Case Viable
- Most claims require proof of negligence: duty, breach, causation, and damages under Michigan law.
- Early evidence collection—photos, incident reports, medical records, and witness statements—is often critical.
Compensation That May Be Available
- Economic losses such as medical expenses, rehabilitation, lost wages, and property damage.
- Non-economic losses including pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of normal life.
- Wrongful death claims may allow recovery for funeral costs and loss of financial and personal support.
Why Work With The Russo Firm
- A straightforward, client-focused approach backed by litigation experience.
- Flexible communication options, including virtual meetings, to accommodate injured clients.
Why Choose The Russo Firm for Your Detroit Personal Injury Claim?
Accidents in Detroit happen all the time. A car crash on Gratiot Avenue, a fall on an icy sidewalk in Midtown, or an injury on a poorly maintained commercial property can quickly turn into a complicated legal and insurance problem. At the same time, you may be trying to manage medical appointments, time off work, and uncertainty about what comes next.
The Russo Firm’s personal injury attorneys focus on handling the legal side so clients can focus on recovery. We understand how insurers evaluate claims and where disputes tend to arise, especially in cases involving serious injuries or long-term care needs. Our approach is to consider how the injury may affect your future.
Contact us today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation
The Russo Firm Case Results
Insurance companies often push for early settlements that don’t fully account for future medical costs, emotional harm, or reduced earning ability. Our attorneys take the time to understand the full scope of an injury before recommending any resolution.
We are prepared to fight for fair compensation all the way to trial if necessary. Results vary by case, but our firm has recovered significant settlements and verdicts for clients injured in car accidents, medical malpractice cases, product liability claims, and wrongful death matters.
The following are some of the case results we have earned for our clients:
- $3.3 Million for Car Accident Caused by Drunk Driving
- $2.4 Million for Medical Malpractice Misdiagnosis
- $2 Million for Wrongful Death Trucking Accident
- $1.75 Million Product Liability Jury Award
- $650 Thousand for Car Accident Jury Award
Michigan Personal Injury Laws
Personal injury claims in Detroit are governed by Michigan law, which includes rules that affect liability, damages, and deadlines:
No-Fault State
In Michigan’s no-fault system, your own auto insurance pays for your medical bills and lost wages through Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits, regardless of who caused the accident. This ensures immediate care, but it also limits your right to sue; you can only pursue a claim against the at-fault driver for "pain and suffering" if your injuries meet a specific legal threshold, such as permanent disfigurement or serious impairment. While your own benefits are paid regardless of blame, any additional compensation from the other driver is subject to comparative fault rules, meaning your payout will be reduced by your percentage of responsibility, and if you are more than 50% at fault, you cannot collect for pain and suffering at all. Because there is a strict deadline to claim PIP benefits and a three-year limit to sue the other driver, early legal guidance is essential.
Michigan Statute of Limitation Laws
In Michigan, the statute of limitations for most personal injury and property damage lawsuits is one to three years from the date of the accident, though specific claims can follow much tighter schedules. While you have three years to sue an at-fault driver for pain and suffering, you generally have only one year from the date of the crash to file a claim for no-fault PIP benefits with your own insurer and one year from the date an expense was incurred to sue for unpaid medical bills under the "one-year-back" rule. Claims against government entities often require written notice within just 120 days, and medical malpractice suits are typically limited to two years. Certain exceptions may pause or "toll" these clocks, such as when the victim is a minor or mentally incapacitated, but because missing these deadlines permanently bars your right to compensation, seeking immediate legal advice is vital.
The Rules of Negligence in Michigan
Michigan operates under a modified comparative negligence system, meaning that to secure compensation from another driver, you must prove they breached their legal duty of reasonable care and directly caused your injuries. In Detroit, this duty of care requires all motorists to follow both state statutes and local traffic ordinances, such as adhering to posted speed limits on the Lodge Freeway or yielding to pedestrians in busy areas like Corktown. A breach of this duty, whether through distracted driving or running a red light, can form the basis for a personal injury claim if it leads to a "serious impairment of body function".
With the help of an attorney, you can establish liability by collecting critical evidence, such as Detroit Police Department reports, dashcam footage, and medical records. However, because Michigan follows the 51% rule, your total compensation will be reduced by your own percentage of fault, and you will be barred from recovering any pain and suffering damages if you are found more than 50% responsible for the incident.
Types of Detroit Personal Injury Accidents
There are a vast number of personal injury accidents that you can suffer that can result in severe damages. Any accident that leaves you with a severe injury is a personal injury accident. You can file a personal injury claim with the at-fault party to pursue compensation for damages.
The following are some of the types of Detroit personal injury incidents:
- Car accidents
- Trucking accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bus accidents
- Boating accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Product liability
- Lyft accidents
- Defective drugs
- Defective medical devices
- Social media harm
- Nursing home abuse
- Premise liability
If you were involved in a personal injury incident, contacting a personal injury lawyer can help to determine what your options are. You most likely do not have the money available to pay for possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars of damages, and a personal injury lawyer can help you with the personal injury claims process to pursue compensation.
What Personal Injuries Can You Pursue Compensation For?
A personal injury incident can result in a severe injury that can negatively affect your standard of living. Although you may assume only physical injuries constitute severe personal injury, there are also emotional and mental injuries caused by personal injury incidents.
A personal injury incident like social media harm or nursing home abuse can have negative effects on your mental health and self-esteem. You can pursue compensation for mental disorders like depression, anxiety, and eating disorders that result from personal injury incidents just the same as you can for physical injuries like broken bones, knee injuries, and shoulder injuries.
The following are some of the severe injuries that you may be able to pursue compensation for:
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Broken bones
- Internal injuries
- Knee injuries
- Soft tissue injuries
- Shoulder injuries
- Back and neck injuries
- Facial injuries
- Infections
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Mental disorders
What Should You Do After a Personal Injury Incident?
After a personal injury incident, there are certain steps you should take to address your health and report the incident. This can help to establish a paper trail for the personal injury incident and prove the severity of the damages you suffered. These steps can prove valuable in putting you in the best position to recover compensation for damages caused by the at-fault party’s negligence.
The following are some of the steps you should take after a personal injury incident:
- See a doctor if you are severely injured
- Contact the police
- File a report with human resources if the incident happened at work
- Collect evidence to prove liability
- Keep track of important records
- Contact your insurance provider
- Write detailed notes about how the personal incident happened occurred
- Contact a Detroit personal injury lawyer
- File a Detroit personal injury claim
Liability in a Detroit Personal Injury Accident
The liable party in a Detroit personal injury accident is the party whose negligence led to the accident. Any mistake or intentionally harmful behavior that led to a personal injury accident can leave that party liable for damages in a personal injury claim.
The following are some of the possible liable parties in a Detroit personal injury claim:
- Negligent driver
- Healthcare professional
- Property owner
- Employer
- Government entity
- Defective product manufacturer
- Defective product designer
- Defective product seller
- Defective product distributor
Some of these parties can be harder to pursue compensation from than others, either because they have the resources to combat a claim or it’s challenging to prove their liability. Make sure to contact a personal injury lawyer that can sort through liability and determine the liable party who you can pursue compensation from.
Filing a Personal Injury Claim in Detroit
Pursuing a personal injury claim in Detroit begins with navigating Michigan’s dual-track system: first, you must file a claim for no-fault PIP benefits with your own insurer to cover medical bills, then pursue a negligence lawsuit against the at-fault driver for pain and suffering. The process typically involves an intensive discovery phase, where your attorney gathers Detroit Police Department reports, medical records from local providers like Henry Ford Health, and a host of other supporting documentation to prove the other party breached their duty of care.
Your michigan attorneys will push for a fair settlement once evidence is procured, but often depositions and a variety of post-litigation discovery steps must also be pursued for a strong case. If insurance negotiations stall, the case moves to the 3rd Circuit Court in Wayne County, often passing through mandatory mediation or facilitation to reach a settlement. If no agreement is reached, the case proceeds to a jury trial where your compensation may be adjusted based on comparative fault rules.
How Can a Detroit Personal Injury Lawyer Help With Your Claim?
Handling a personal injury claim without legal experience can be difficult, especially when insurers dispute liability or downplay injuries.
A personal injury lawyer can help by:
- Evaluating damages
- Identifying responsible parties
- Collecting and preserving evidence
- Handling insurance negotiations
- Preparing a case for settlement or trial
- Representing you in court if needed
Legal representation helps level the playing field and improves the chances of recovering fair compensation. Handling these processes effectively is vital to the success of your claim so you can receive fair compensation that pays for the full cost of your damages.
What Damages Can You Pursue in a Detroit Personal Injury Claim?
A personal injury lawyer can help you pursue compensation for damages, which are losses caused by the negligence of the at-fault party. These losses can be those that have already happened and those that can happen later in life.
The two most common types of personal injury damages are economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are those caused through negligence that has an economic value attached to them. Non-economic damages are intangible losses that reflect how the personal injury incident negatively affected your life.
The following are the damages you can pursue in a Detroit personal injury claim:
- Medical bills
- Property damage
- Disability costs
- Lost wages
- Lost earning potential
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium
Contact The Russo Firm for Help With Your Detroit Personal Injury Claim
Dealing with an injury is hard enough without also managing insurance disputes and legal deadlines. A personal injury lawyer can take on that responsibility while you focus on your recovery.
The Russo Firm represents injured clients with a practical, client-centered approach. We understand how insurers operate and work to protect our clients’ interests at every stage of the process. If you were injured in a Detroit accident, we offer free consultations to discuss your situation and explain your options.
Contact The Russo Firm today to speak with a personal injury attorney and learn how we may be able to help.
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