Practice Areas

Michigan Car Accidents
Slip and Fall Cases
Dog Bites and Attacks
Child Lead Poisoning
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Food Poisoning
Michigan Wrongful Death Cases
Michigan No-Fault Insurance
Motorcycle Accidents
Michigan Truck Accident Lawyer
Bus Accidents
Brain Injuries
Spinal Cord Injuries
Defective Roadways
Medical Malpractice
Nursing Home Neglect
Birth Injury / Defect
Types of Injury Cases
Drunk Drivers and Bars
Pedestrian Accidents & Bicycle Accidents
Recreational Accidents
Airplane and Airport Injuries
Cruise Ship Injuries
Vacation Resort Injuries

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Testimonials

Hiring Buckfire & Buckfire P.C. was the best decision I could have made for my Michigan motorcycle accident case.
Michael Smith
Waterford, MI

I have had several brain injury patients represented by attorney Daniel Buckfire and have had the occasion to meet with him... Daniel is the attorney that brain injured patients should turn to for the best possible legal representation.

D.O., Psychiatrist
Farmington Hills, M

When I call their office, I speak to the personal injury lawyer handling the case, not a paralegal or law clerk. This alone clearly separates them from 90% of other law firms handling injury cases.

Nurse Case Manager
Livonia, MI

Michigan Car Accidents

Slip and Fall Cases

I slipped and fell due to a slippery aisle in grocery store and was hurt. Can I sue the store?

Dog Bites and Attacks

My daughter was attacked by a neighbor's dog and was bitten in the face. I have heard about dog bite cases and want to know if the owner of the dog responsible?

Child Lead Poisoning

My child was lead poisoned in an old rental home due peeling paint inside and outside the house. Does he have case?

Michigan Wrongful Death Cases

Who is allowed to file a Michigan wrongful death lawsuit if a relative dies due to someone else’s negligence?

Michigan No-Fault Insurance

Motorcycle Accidents

I was in a Michigan motorcycle accident while riding my bike when I was struck by a car. My hospital bills were over $30,000.00. Do I have to pay that out of my own pocket?

Nursing Home Neglect

My mother was neglected in a Michigan nursing home and got very bad bed sore. What can I do?

Drunk Drivers and Bars

I was injured by a drunk driver in a Detroit car accident. Can I sue the bar that served him the alcohol?

Tort Reform

Attendant Care Services

Michigan car accident lawyers must be familiar with all no-fault insurance benefits available to car accident injury victims. This includes wage loss claims and payment of medical expenses. Oftentimes, a person sustains serious injuries as a result of a Michigan car accident, which renders him or her unable to do things that he or she was able to do prior to being injured. Sometimes, the injured person requires professional agencies to care for him or her at home. More often, the injured person is cared for by family and friends. This type of care is commonly referred to as "attendant care" and is a benefit under the Michigan No-Fault laws.

Attendant Care services commonly include, but are not limited to: preparing meals and feeding; assistance with personal hygiene, such as dressing and bathing; attending to wounds; assistance with medication; providing transportation to and from medical appointments; and supervision and monitoring, etc.

Section 3107(1)(a) of the Michigan No-Fault Act is the specific statutory section that entitles auto accident victims to be compensated for "attendant care" rendered by family members. Courts in Michigan have held that the word “services” in this section of the No-Fault statute includes both skilled and unskilled attendant care as well as supervision. The courts have also held that attendant care can be provided by family members as long a physician deems the services are reasonable and necessary. Once it is established that a person requires and is provided attendant care, the insurer is obligated to pay for the attendant care regardless of whether it is being provided by family or friends. The moral obligations of family members to care for one another are completely irrelevant to an insurer's liability for payment of attendant care provided by family and friends.

In order to submit a claim for attendant care you must provide the insurer with "reasonable proof of the fact and of the amount of loss sustained." This is usually done by submitting a claim, in the form of written documentation, to the insurer with: (1) the name of the injured claimant; (2) the name and address of the care provider; (3) the days and number of hours the care was provided; (4) the specific types of care provided; and (5) a note from a physician stating that the care is necessary, including the number of days/hours needed (See e.g. Attending Physicians Report).

Once the claim is documented, the claimant must then demand an amount to be reimbursed by the insurer, by establishing an hourly rate and then multiplying that rate by the number of hours provided. There is no "rate schedule" of how much an insurer must pay for in-home attendant care. However, sometimes No-Fault insurers improperly advise claimants that attendant care is limited to $20.00 per day. This is wrong and is an attempt by the insurer to limit attendant care to the rate at which Replacement Service Expenses are compensable. The only legal criteria is that the hourly rate must be "reasonable." The hourly rate that the law deems reasonable, can vary greatly depending on the type of care being provided. As a general rule, family provided attendant care is commonly paid at a rate of anywhere between $10.00 - $30.00 per hour, depending on the nature and extent of the person's injuries, the level of care be provided, the skill and expertise of the care provider, geographic location etc.

Do I have a Michigan No-Fault Insurance benefits case?

1-800-606-1717

We represent Michigan personal injury clients in Detroit, Southfield, Pontiac, Troy, Warren, Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Lansing, East Lansing, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Farmington Hills, Rochester, Auburn Hills, Clarkston, Birmingham, Ferndale, Flint, Novi, Pontiac, Troy, Saginaw, Sterling Heights, Waterford, Wayne, Dearborn, Westland, Canton, Monroe, Ann Arbor, Mount Clemens, Livonia, Grayling, Grosse Pointe, St. Clair Shores, Brighton, Adrian, Allen Park, Clinton, Hamtramck, Northville, Garden City, Southgate, Harrison, Holland, Inkster, Allen Park, Belleville, Jackson, Madison Heights, Mount Pleasant, Oak Park, Okemos, Plymouth, Redford, Roseville, Romulus, Taylor, Wyandotte, Wyoming, Traverse City, Ypsilanti, Bad Axe, Northern Michigan, as well as residents of Wayne County, Kent County, Oakland County, Macomb County, Washtenaw County, Genesee County, Huron County, St. Clair County, Monroe County, Ingham County, Saginaw County, Livingston County, Lenawee County and all other Michigan counties.

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Buckfire & Buckfire
17117 W. Nine Mile Road
Suite 1135
Southfield, MI 48075

Toll Free: (800) 606-1717
Phone: (248) 569-4646
Fax: (248) 569-6737

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