Detroit General Negligence Lawyer

We see and hear the term negligence in law-related news items, but what exactly is it?

Negligence is defined as the failure to do something that an ordinarily prudent person would do under similar circumstances, or the commission of an act that a reasonable person would not do. In civil law, if there is enough evidence to prove that an individual was guilty of negligence towards another, and this negligence resulted in injury, the injured party is entitled to recover compensation for the harm done to him or her.

Everyone has a duty imposed by law to use reasonable care in conducting activities that have the potential to harm another. Negligent actions ignore this duty and instead put others at risk.

Proving a Negligence Case

To prevail in a negligence lawsuit, there are several different issues that need to be established in court.

  • Duty of Care – The legal obligation to act reasonably with care, and negligence can only be proven if the injured party can demonstrate that the defendant somehow failed to uphold this duty of care. In Michigan, there is a multi-factored test that addresses whether or not the injury was foreseeable, the magnitude of the injury, and the potential ability for the defendant to have acted in another way.
  • Standard of Care – The level of caution that was required of the defendant. This is generally a professional term and is most often attributed to doctors who are held to a high standard of care for all patients, but it can also be used in other types of negligence cases as a yardstick to gauge what a “reasonable person” would have done.
  • Proximate Cause – The determining cause of the injury. To establish proximate cause, the first step is known as cause-in-fact, which is evaluated using the “but for” test – i.e., “but for the other driver driving drunk, I would not have suffered an injury.” Various factors also contribute to this determination, including foreseeability, direct causation, risk enhancement, and others.

In many lawsuits, proving these elements can be difficult, and defendants – often insurance companies and corporations – aggressively defend these cases and do their utmost to prevent or dramatically limit the recovery that an injured plaintiff deserves.

Experience in Obtaining Results

No matter whether you have been the victim of negligent infliction of emotional distress (NIED), employment-related negligence or even medical malpractice, you can trust that our firm will go above and beyond in our efforts to protect your best interests.

Sommers Schwartz is one of the largest law firms in Michigan devoted to handling personal injury and negligence cases. Our general negligence lawyers are battle-proven trial attorneys backed by skilled investigators, technical experts, paralegals, medical professionals, and others. With more than 45 years of experience in recovering damages for victims of negligence, our firm has handled more cases with consistently superior results over a longer period of time than any other.

Please contact us today to discuss your case and learn how we can help.

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Praise for Wage & Overtime Pay Attorney Jesse Young

Jesse Young worked an employment case for me that ended with almost 700 people getting their unpaid wages back. He and his team are incredible. From the first communication to the last, they never missed a single beat – consistent and clear communication, quickly replying to my communication, and always making…

A Client Talks about Andy Dragovic

My wife had an accident, tripping over a cable line that wasn’t buried. Andy represented us and were very pleased with the outcome. Andy was very professional, personable, and quick to respond to us, answering any of our questions or concerns. The whole firm was responsive to our concerns, and…

Praise for Dina Zalewski

The lawyers at Sommers Schwartz, P.C. were nothing short of amazing when I came to them with my medical malpractice case! Dina truly helped to put my mind at ease and because of her and her firm, I finally have closure and can begin my healing process! I just want…

Gratitude for Rob Sickels

When our world was shattered by an unexpected medical diagnosis, we were referred to Rob Sickels of Sommers Schwartz. What a blessing to get this referral as Rob listened to us with caring and compassion, spent all the time necessary to help us, was always honest with us about our…

A Grateful Client Talks About Dina Zalewski

Dina never lied to us and was very straightforward. I feel like she took me under her wing. She got me through something that I thought was going to be incredibly difficult for me to relive. Dina felt like a friend, somebody I could trust and look to for guidance….

About Dina Zaleski, Rick Groffsky, and Andy Dragovic

Dina, Rick, and Andy were amazing lawyers. They helped me through an incredibly difficult time in my life after losing my son. I wanted answers on why, and they helped me through the whole process and they got me answers. After I lost my son, I was severely depressed. Every…

A Medical Malpractice Client Recommends Matt Turner

Matt Turner and his whole staff have acted very professionally, respectfully, and responsively to my every need. I highly recommend him to represent you in any legal matter you may have. Thank you again for all your help and guidance.

We are so thankful this firm was recommended to us!

Robert Sickels and his whole team went above and beyond while caring for us, They truly go the extra mile.

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