Motor accident insurance
Traverse City Personal Injury Lawyer
If you have been a victim of Auto Accident, Slip and Fall, Dog Bites, Motorcycle Accidents, or have Insurance Claims, please contact Traverse City Personal Injury Attorney, Tim Smith of Smith & Johnson, Attorneys, PC right away for a free consultation.
- Driving Safely in Winter
Winter has come early here in Northern Michigan, at least a little earlier than it did last year. Now that the roads are covered in snow and ice, we have to use a little extra caution as we race about town looking for that last Xmas gift. We all need to keep in mind the following safe driving tips as we head into the coldest months of the year here in Northern Michigan.
- Preventing and Treating Dogbites
Every year, almost 5 million Americans are bit by dogs. Over 800,000 of these individuals suffer injuries that require medical treatment and 44% of those that require treatment are younger than 14 years of age. Since more than half of the reported attacks are by dogs owned by the family or neighbor of the victim and the most common victims are children, it's important for parents to understand not only how to prevent attacks, but treat them should they occur.
- What Are My No-Fault Rights?
Michigan consumers are shocked when they learn that their auto insurer is not their advocate but instead is their primary adversary. Despite responsibly paying those costly premiums for mandatory auto no-fault insurance, injured accident victims are repeatedly dismayed when they learn that their very own no-fault insurer's/adjuster's strategic goal in handling their claim is to find (or many times, manufacture) an excuse to deny paying medical bills and lost wages. Michigan consumers need to know what their legal rights are and how to fight back to recover the benefits they paid for, for all those years without having to make a claim.
- Michigan Senators Shielding Drug Companies
In 1995, Michigan passed a law that granted immunity to drug manufacturors when their products injured or killed an individual. This was the year that Michigan became the only state in the entire nation to grant this protection. Did other companies whose products injure and kill Michigan Citizens get the same immunity? Remember the Ford Pinto - the car that blew up when it got rear-ended? Remember lead based paint? Remember asbestos based products? All those companies were held responsible for the individuals they blew up and poisoned from exposure to their products.
- Handicap Passenger Safety Issues Raised by Recent BATA Bus Accident
Are handicap passengers adequately informed about safety belt accesibility when riding public transportation? That question was brought to the forefront on November 13, 2007, when a handicapped woman from Traverse City, Michigan, was injured when she was projected out of her wheelchair when the public BATA bus she was riding slammed on its brakes to avoid a collision. The BATA bus driver acknowledged that although the bus was equipped with seatbelts for wheelchair restricted passengers, "she likely wouldn't have seen it". The big question is: Why not? Fortunately for the injured passenger, the Michigan No-Fault Automobile Insurance Act mandates that her medical bills be and other benefits be paid (depending on the facts, most likely by BATA).
- Justice for everyone except Michigan
A 1996 law here in Michigan gave the drug industry the immunity their lobbyists wanted - complete imunnity for prescription drugs here in Michigan. Since then, Michigan residents have had no ability to hold pharmaceutical manufacturors of drugs like Avandia, Celebrex, fen phen and others including Vioxx/Merck Co. who just agreed to pay $4.85 billion dollars to settle lawsuits over what some have called the most dangerous drug ever to have been released upon the American public.
- Fatal Car Accident in Elk Rapids
Authorities report that Nicole Ridgeway, 17, was driving north on Elk Lake Road at about 8:00 a.m. Saturday, October 27, when she lost control of her car on a curve and slid across the road into a power pole. The Elk Rapids High School senior was rushed to Munson Medical Center with passengers Jonathan Hosner, 20, of Elk Rapids and Andrew Bussa, 20, of Kewadin. Nicole Ridgeway died shortly after the crash while Andrew Bussa died at Munson Sunday and Hosner was found to be in fair condition at the hospital on Monday.
- Car Accident Insurance Coverage
When you ask your insured's agent to provide you with "full coverage", are you really getting what you think you're getting? Most people never really look at or understand what they've bought until it's too late...
- Gladwin Man Killed in Farm Tractor Accident
A 56 year old Gladwin County man was killed in a farm tractor accident on October 13th, 2007 in Buckeye Township. The man was working the tractor's post hole digger on his property when his clothing got caught in the rotating take-off shaft.
- Drunk kills Beulah Teacher in Auto Accident
A Thompsonville Michigan man was alledgedly drunk when he caused a crash that killed Benzie High School teacher Katherine Wolterink. John Lee Burchett's blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit when he crossed the centerline on Cinder Road and crashed into Wolterink's vehicle head on. Wolterink was trapped in her burning vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.
- Billion Dollar Lawsuit Rejected by Jury
A jury in Kentucky has ruled that in an insurance company's favor after a woman filed a lawsuit seeking more than $1 Billion in damages. The woman was suing Allsate because she believed they were taking too long to pay on a claim so she would accept a low amount. The insurance company maintained the woman's failure to provide documentation was the reason behind the slow moving insurance claim.
- Texas Grocery Store Sued for Slip and Fall
A man that fell at a Texas Grocery store has filed a slip and fall lawsuit. The man was shopping at a H.E.B. grocery store in September when he allegedly fell and hurt himself.
- Motorcycle Driver Hits Deer in Elmer Township
A motorcylist hit a deer in Elmer Township on Friday. Bow hunting season opened on October 1st and it also means an increase to motor vehicle accidents involving deer. The motorcycle accident happened on Marlette Road.
- No Charges Filed in York Dog Attack
A dog attacked and bit a politician going door to door in a neighborhood in York County. The District Attorney has decided that no charges will be filed against the
