Westland Personal Injury Attorneys

If You’re Injured, Don’t Wait: Talk to a Westland Injury Lawyer Now

As its name indicates, Westland is west of downtown Detroit. With a population of approximately 100,000, Westland ranks as the tenth-largest city in Michigan.

Westland is known for its abundance of parks and its proximity to Detroit. Sitting just 16 miles from downtown Detroit, Westland offers easy access to the city’s amenities while preserving much of the natural beauty for which Michigan is famous.

As in other US cities, Westland’s residents must exercise reasonable care when working, traveling, and interacting with one another. When one person or company fails to meet this duty, serious injuries can result.

If another’s negligence has caused you harm, it is in your best interest to speak with an experienced Westland personal injury lawyer immediately. The Sommers Schwartz, P.C. team is here to help you understand your options and fight to protect your legal rights.

Southeast Michigan Injury Statistics

As a heavily populated region that relies primarily on car travel, many car crashes and injuries occur annually in Wayne County and Westland. In 2021, the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) calculated 50,490 car crashes in Wayne County alone. A total of 16,662 people suffered injuries in these crashes.

The city of Detroit accounted for slightly less than half of the total crashes in Wayne County. Yet Westland posted one of the higher rates for a Metro Detroit city. In 2021, there were 1,526 car crashes in Westland, with 341 crashes producing at least one injury.

Westland also ranks poorly in terms of pedestrian and bicycle safety. The city saw 14 pedestrian accidents in 2021, the fourth-highest rate of pedestrian crashes in the metro Detroit area. With ten bicycle crashes, Westland had the third-highest rate of bicycle accidents in metro Detroit in 2021.

Traffic crashes aren’t the only source of injury in Westland, either. On-the-job injuries, medical negligence, slip and fall incidents, dog bites, and defective products pose serious risks. In many instances, these situations form the basis of a personal injury case.

Personal Injury Claims in Westland

In 2019, Wayne County had the second-highest rate of fatal injury deaths in southeastern Michigan, with approximately 100 deaths. Many of these deaths, which include poisoning, suffocation, falls, and transportation, occurred in Detroit.

As part of Wayne County, Westland contributes to the county’s numbers for accidental deaths and injuries; every Westland resident and visitor must exercise due care to reduce the risk of harm. When someone doesn’t exercise due care and damage occurs, the party that failed to meet their responsibilities may be liable.

Roadway Crashes

A 2020 study of Detroit residents found that 84 percent were worried that speeding and dangerous driving raised the chance of severe injuries on the city’s streets. When asked what they wanted to change, 79 percent of residents said they wanted lower street speeds and enhanced safety measures. Respondents recommended better bus stops and lighting to improve safety.

Westland residents share many of these concerns about roadway safety. Whether driving, bicycling, or walking, those who use Westland’s streets deserve to travel without fear that another person’s negligence will cause them harm.

Slips, Trips, and Falls

Any slip, trip, or fall injury can cause harm. The CDC estimates that 20 percent of fall injuries cause severe damage, such as broken bones or head injuries. Over 800,000 US residents are hospitalized each year due to a fall injury.

Michigan’s premises liability law requires property owners to take reasonable steps to reduce the risk of a slip, trip, or fall. Determining how these laws apply in your situation can be complicated. An experienced Michigan slip-and-fall lawyer can help you decide what to do next.

Dog Bites and Dog Attacks

Nearly 4.5 million dog bites occur in the United States each year. Twenty percent of these, or about one in five, become infected and require additional medical care. Almost 1,000 people in the US go to hospital emergency rooms each day for dog bite injuries, and about 27,000 need reconstructive surgery annually.

Dog bite injuries can be expensive. The average cost of a hospital stay for a dog bite is about 50 percent higher than for other injury types. Furthermore, the price of a dog bite claim has risen 134 percent in the last twenty years, partly driven by increasing healthcare costs.

Michigan’s dog bite law does not cover all dog bite situations. To hold a dog’s owner liable for the harm, an injured person must show:

• The dog bite caused their injuries.
• They did not provoke the dog into attacking or biting.
• They were in a place they had a legal right to be when the dog attacked.

For many dog bite victims, all three statements are factual. In these cases, the injured person can seek compensation from the dog’s owner.

Medical Malpractice Claims

Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider’s care for a patient falls below the “standard of care.” The standard of care is the care an ordinary, trained provider would have given in a similar situation.

Medical malpractice claims are among the most complex personal injury claims. Proving the claim may require the help of physicians, scientists, or other expert witnesses. Explaining complex medical topics to a judge or jury can be difficult.

In addition, Michigan has several legal requirements for medical malpractice claims. For example, Michigan requires an injured person to provide notice before filing a claim. Working with an experienced malpractice lawyer ensures you meet the notice requirements and other rules.

Dangerous Products

Manufacturers and distributors of consumer products must provide items that don’t risk serious injury to buyers. When a defective product poses an injury risk, an injured person may be able to seek compensation.

Michigan’s product liability laws give injured persons three years to file a claim after an injury occurs. The law also limits the amount of non-economic damages an injured person can receive. However, these limits may not apply if the wounded person demonstrates that the product’s manufacturer or distributor knew about the defect and the risk it posed.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) tracks product defects and injury reports. Their manufacturer may recall these products to fix problems and reduce the risk of further harm.

A recall may be evidence of a known product defect. However, an injured person may still be able to file a claim, even without a product recall.

On-the-Job Injuries

On-the-job injuries cause hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries nationwide each year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), common causes of severe and fatal workplace injuries in Michigan include:

• Transportation incidents.
• Contact with objects and equipment.
• Trips, slips, and falls.
• Assaults and other forms of violence.

Michigan’s workers’ compensation system has covered medical bills and other losses for injured employees since 1912. Fighting for workers’ compensation benefits can be difficult when you struggle to recover from a severe injury.

If you suffer a workplace injury, you may also have a claim against a third party involved in your injury. For instance, if defective work equipment caused you harm, you may be able to seek compensation from the equipment manufacturer. Talk to an experienced on-the-job injury lawyer to learn more.

Limits for Westland Personal Injury Claims

Michigan limits personal injury claims in various ways. One of the most common is the “statute of limitations,” or time limit on filing a claim.

In Michigan, you usually have three years from the date of your injury to file a lawsuit. Medical malpractice claims typically need to be filed within two years. However, additional time to file a medical malpractice case is allowed in cases of death or when the existence of a claim was not discovered until less than six months before the two-year anniversary of the date of the malpractice.

If you’ve missed your deadline, speaking with a lawyer is still a good idea. These time limits often have exceptions, and one of them might be relevant to your case. A knowledgeable attorney can assist you in considering all possible options for seeking compensation.”

Time limits aren’t the only limits placed on some personal injury claims. In some instances, like medical malpractice, Michigan law limits or “caps” non-economic damages. Your attorney can help you understand how these may apply to your case and will position you for the best possible outcome.

What To Do if You’ve Been Injured

If you’ve been injured, there’s no time to waste. Talk to an experienced Michigan personal injury lawyer at Sommers Schwartz, P.C., today. Our legal team brings years of experience living and working in Westland and neighboring communities. We’ll help you understand your legal rights, identify your options, and take the next step to seek compensation. Contact us today for a free and confidential consultation about your case.