At Sommers Schwartz, P.C., a Michigan personal injury law firm, we help Michigan accident victims pursue claims for compensation from those responsible for their injuries. We are the law firm that people and businesses turn to in times of need.

Life-altering events can happen at any time. If you or someone you know has been in a serious accident, you may be caught in a whirlwind of emotional, financial, and physical difficulties. Although it may seem overwhelming, you have the right to pursue compensation for your injuries if they were caused by a person or corporation's negligence.

FACT

$1 billion

recovered in compensation for our clients

Personal Injury Lawyers - Serving Detroit, Southfield & all of Michigan

PERSONAL INJURY RESOURCES

At Sommers Schwartz, we represent individuals and families in all types of Michigan personal injury claims. Through our tried-and-true style of client-centered representation, we have recovered over $1 billion in compensation for our clients

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Unlike other law firms that handle only a handful of common types of cases, we believe we have a responsibility to help all accident victims, regardless of how they were injured.

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Auto Accidents

Michigan Auto Accidents

In 2018, more than 75,000 people were seriously injured in Michigan auto accidents, and another 974 were killed. The vast majority of these accidents were preventable.

Michigan car accidents take a tremendous toll on motorists and their families. While an accident victim recovers from their injuries, they are often unable to work. Adding to this financial strain are the medical bills and expenses. People think their insurance companies will help them cover these costs, the truth is that insurers are focused on settling a claim for the least amount possible.

At Sommers Schwartz, our dedicated attorneys work with accident victims and their families to help them recover maximum compensation for their injuries.

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Causes of Car Accidents

Michigan car accidents can take a tremendous toll on motorists and their families.

During recovery, people are often unable to work. Adding to this financial strain are medical bills. Those injured in a Michigan truck accident, motorcycle accident or other motor vehicle accident should not be forced to bear the financial burden of another's negligence. However, insurance companies may be of little assistance, as they are primarily concerned with settling a claim for as little compensation as possible.

According to statistics compiled by Michigan's Traffic Crash Reporting System, the most common causes of traffic accidents are:

  • Speeding
  • Disregarding a traffic signal
  • Careless driving
  • Failure to yield the right of way
  • Drunk driving
  • Drugged driving

At Sommers Schwartz, we work with accident victims and their families to help them recover maximum compensation for their injuries. Whether you have been injured in a Detroit motorcycle accident, pedestrian accident or bicycle accident, our dedicated attorneys are here to help. Our Michigan personal injury lawyers have over 45 years of experience advocating on behalf of the injured and know what it takes to bring a case on our clients' behalf successfully.

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Michigan Product Liability Cases

When a company manufactures a product and sells it, the public has a right to expect the product is safe. In a quest for profits, companies often overlook design or manufacturing defects that endanger the public. Manufacturers have a duty to warn users about the dangers of foreseeable uses.

The law in Michigan governing defective and dangerous products is complicated. A plaintiff must show there was a cost-effective alternative design the manufacturer could have used that would have prevented the risk of injury. Expert testimony from engineers, product designers, and others is necessary.

At Sommers Schwartz, we routinely handle complex product liability cases in Michigan and across the country. We have recovered compensation for clients who have suffered physical, emotional, and financial harm in cases involving defective medical devices and dangerous drugs, faulty vehicles, machinery, and consumer goods.

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Featured Result

$1.0 MILLION

Settlement in a defective equipment case

PREMISES LIABILITY

Michigan Premises Liability Cases and Slip-and-Fall Accidents

Michigan laws require homeowners, businesses, and government entities to maintain their property in a reasonably safe condition. When a landowner discovers a dangerous condition on their property, they must either fix the hazard or warn guests of the risk. When property owners fail to live up to those obligations, they can be held liable in a premises liability lawsuit.

Invitees are those who are present on the property for commercial purposes, such as customers at a business, and are owed the highest duty of care. Landowners must routinely inspect their property to ensure there are no hidden defects or hazards and warn invitees of any dangerous conditions.

Licensees are those who have the owner’s express permission to be on the property, and most often include social guests. While property owners are not required to warn licensees against undiscovered hazards, they must either fix or warn licensees of all known hazards.

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Michigan law categorizes guests as either "licensees" or "invitees," depending on the reason for their visit. A plaintiff must be legally present on the property to recover damages.

  • If an accident victim is less than 50 percent at fault:
    If an accident victim is less than 50 percent at fault, both their economic and non-economic damages will be reduced by their percentage of fault. For example, if a Michigan truck accident victim sustained $400,000 in damages but was 10 percent at fault, their total recovery would be $360,000.
  • If an accident victim is more than 50 percent at fault:
    In this case accident victims are not eligible to recover non-economic damages, including for their pain and suffering. However, even in this situation, a plaintiff can still pursue a claim for their economic damages, such as medical expenses, lost wages, and loss of earning capacity. These damages will be reduced by the plaintiff's percentage of fault.

Premises liability cases vary in type

Slip-and-fall accidents often occur in retail shops, grocery stores, or government buildings. Frequently, these accidents result from spilled liquids, damaged stairs, poor construction, missing handrails, uneven pavement, or other unmarked hazards. A plaintiff must prove that the landowner knew or should have known about the dangerous condition and failed to take the necessary steps to fix it. Michigan law does not allow a recovery if a hazard is deemed “open and obvious.”

Property owners can also be liable for injuries on their property because of a third party’s actions, such as an assault. For example, if someone is accosted at a bar, the bar may be liable for failing to prevent a violent or criminal act.

At Sommers Schwartz, we hold property owners accountable when their negligence injures others. Over the past 40 years, we have proudly represented those who have been injured in Michigan slip-and-fall accidents, and we know what it takes to succeed in even the most complex premises liability cases.

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Featured Result

$4.5 MILLION

Settlement in fallen line electrocution case

Medical Malpractice

Michigan Medical Malpractice & Birth Injury Claims

Medical malpractice is a type of professional negligence that is the result of a medical professional failing to provide care that is up to the accepted standard of care. A medical mistake may occur in a doctor's office, operating room, dentist's office or emergency room.

Medical Malpractice

By some estimates, up to 90 percent of medical errors are not reported.

Each year, there are thousands of Michigan medical mistakes, medication mix-ups, and surgical errors. The exact number of medical malpractice incidents can be hard to determine, because the medical community tends to cover for their own, and incidents of medical malpractice are widely understood to be vastly under reported.

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90

percent

According to a recent study, there are as many as 251,000 deaths each year that are the result of preventable medical errors. Of course, when considering errors that result in a patient suffering severe injury, these numbers dramatically increase.

6

per 1000

The initial moments following birth are critical time periods when medical decisions may determine whether a newborn will be healthy or suffer long-term consequences. Six to eight out of every 1,000 of babies are victims some form of trauma during the labor and delivery process.

Birth Injury

Birth injury claims are a type of medical malpractice case.

A birth injury claim is a type of medical malpractice case that occurs when a fetus or infant is injured before, during, or shortly after delivery. Birth trauma can cause irreversible damage to a baby, including the development of lifelong conditions affecting the muscles, nerves, and brain. The initial period following birth is critical, a time when medical decisions may determine whether a newborn will be healthy or suffer long-term consequences.

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Expert witnesses in medical malpractice and birth injury cases

Medical malpractice happens when a healthcare professional violates the accepted standard of care. A medical mistake can occur in many settings, such as a doctor’s office, operating room, dentist’s office, or emergency room. Professional negligence cases are complex due to volumes of medical records, multiple defendants, and intricate medical issues. Many of the issues are beyond the common understanding of most jurors, so the law requires the parties to have expert witnesses explain the medical procedures, treatment, and drugs that were used. Many times, the selection of an expert is the most critical decisions an attorney can make.

Sommers Schwartz represents clients in all kinds of medical malpractice cases. Our legal team has earned a reputation for being thoughtful, aggressive, and skilled litigators, earning the respect of both our colleagues and adversaries.

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Featured Result

$1.9 MILLION

Compensatory damages for brain injury & cerebral palsy

Sommer Schwartz lawyers have authored textbooks on how to effectively handle birth injury cases.

We are routinely invited to speak at important birth trauma conferences including the Boston University Medical School Annual Perinatal Conference and the American Conference Institute's Annual Advanced Forum on Obstetric Malpractice Claims.

Our winning track record is impressive.

Our attorneys have been trailblazers in the arena of birth injury lawsuits.

Wrongful Death

Michigan Wrongful Death Cases

Losing a loved one is always a tragic event. But losing a loved one due to a preventable accident adds another layer of tragedy. When a family experiences an untimely death, the consequences run deep. Children grow up without a parent or role model, spouses without a partner, and families without a source of support and guidance. While nothing can bring back a relative killed in a senseless accident, surviving loved ones can pursue a wrongful death claim against the responsible party.

A wrongful death claim is a type of personal injury action brought by the personal representative of the deceased person’s estate. It is the personal representative’s responsibility to act in the best interests of surviving family members, including a spouse, children, parents, and siblings.

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Personal representatives

A wrongful death claim is a type of personal injury claim that is brought by the personal representative of the estate of the deceased accident victim. While Michigan wrongful death cases must be brought by a personal representative, they are for the benefit of surviving family members, including a spouse, children, other descendants, parents, grandparents and siblings.

Surviving family members include:

  • SPOUSE
  • CHILDREN
  • PARENTS
  • GRANDPARENTS
  • SIBLINGS

Compensation in wrongful death cases

Aggrieved family members who successfully pursue a wrongful death claim may obtain compensation for medical, hospital, funeral, and burial expenses as well as damages for their loved one’s lost wages, and pain and suffering. Family members can recover for the loss of financial support and companionship that their loved one provided.

For those who have lost a loved one in a preventable accident, the Michigan law firm of Sommers Schwartz is here to help. Our team of skilled injury lawyers are well respected throughout Michigan and across the country and are known for helping clients get the compensation they – and their deceased love ones – deserve.

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Personal Injury Lawyers Skillfully Navigate Clients Through Michigan’s Modified Comparative Negligence Laws

Michigan law allows an accident victim to obtain compensation for their injuries from all responsible parties. However, if an injured person is partially at fault for causing the accident, Michigan’s comparative negligence rules apply. A plaintiff is not precluded from pursuing a claim against an at-fault party, even when they share responsibility, but a party’s non-economic damages may be reduced or barred altogether if the percentage of fault exceeds 50 percent.

Featured Result

MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR

Settlement in the wrongful death of a 33-year-old man

Comparative negligence

If an injured person is partially at fault for causing the accident, Michigan's comparative negligence rules apply.

If an accident victim is less than 50 percent at fault, both their economic and non-economic damages will be reduced by their percentage of fault. For example, if a Michigan truck accident victim sustained $400,000 in damages but was 10 percent at fault, their total recovery would be $360,000.

Where an accident victim is more than 50 percent at fault, they are not eligible to recover non-economic damages, including damages for pain and suffering. But even in this situation, a plaintiff can still pursue a claim for economic damages such as medical expenses, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, and other out-of-pocket costs.

If sharing fault, a party's non-economic damages may be reduced or entirely prohibited.
  • If an accident victim is less than 50 percent at fault:
    If an accident victim is less than 50 percent at fault, both their economic and non-economic damages will be reduced by their percentage of fault. For example, if a Michigan truck accident victim sustained $400,000 in damages but was 10 percent at fault, their total recovery would be $360,000.
  • If an accident victim is more than 50 percent at fault:
    In this case accident victims are not eligible to recover non-economic damages, including for their pain and suffering. However, even in this situation, a plaintiff can still pursue a claim for their economic damages, such as medical expenses, lost wages, and loss of earning capacity. These damages will be reduced by the plaintiff's percentage of fault.

What to Expect When Working With Our Dedicated Team of Michigan Personal Injury Lawyers

After an accident or injury, you will likely have questions. The cause may not be straightforward, and you may be unsure about who was legally at fault. You may have questions about where to obtain the best medical care, how to pursue an insurance claim against a defendant, or whether you need to file a lawsuit. Call us – we will listen and answer all your questions.

And remember: There is no fee unless you win.

We are here to help you.

well-respected

Our well-respected attorneys are known as authorities in Michigan personal injury and medical malpractice law.

Respect: Throughout the country, our well-respected attorneys are known as authorities in Michigan personal injury and medical malpractice law. Of course, our results speak for themselves, but clients also appreciate our professionalism, enthusiasm and diligence. We understand how important the recovery process is to you and your family, and we will always make ourselves available to discuss your case and answer any questions.

transparenT

As part of our promise to you, we offer a free consultation in which you will meet with an attorney.

Transparency: We believe in transparency. As part of our promise to you, we offer a free consultation in which you will meet with an attorney to discuss your case. Our attorney will listen to what is important to you and explain if we can help and, if so, how. We will answer any questions you have regarding the recovery process. And because we work on a contingency basis, we never receive any compensation for the work we put into your case unless we are successful in helping you recover for your injuries.

Attorney Referrals

Sommers Schwartz welcomes referrals from attorneys throughout the United States.

When you need to refer a matter to experienced lawyers with proven results, your search begins and ends here.

100% referral fee payment record

Over $60 million in referral fees paid in the last decade alone

Contact an Experienced Michigan Personal Injury Law Firm for Immediate Assistance

If you or a loved one suffered a serious injury, contact the attorneys at Sommer Schwartz. For more than four decades, we have fought for the rights of injured individuals and their families. Our team of dedicated and experienced attorneys handles all types of personal injury cases in Detroit, across Michigan and many other states securing the compensation our clients obtain to move on with their lives. To learn more about how we can help you, call us today at 800-783-0989 to schedule a free consultation.

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