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

Broken and Cracked Sidewalk Injuries

Michigan trip and fall injuries are often the result of broken and cracked city sidewalks. An person injured from this type of sidewalk defect can make a claim due to the city's failure to maintain the sidewalk as required by Michigan Statute MCL 691.1401, et. seq. Defective sidewalk injuries from trip and falls can result in very serious injuries, including but not limited to, bone fractures, hip injuries , back injuries, as well as traumatic brain injuries a/k/a closed head injuries. Our firm has even handled a wrongful death case arising from a fall injury.

Traditionally under Michigan Law, a governmental entity was not liable for a sidewalk defect, if the defect was less than two inches. This was abolished in 1972, but reinstated by the legislature and codified in MCL 691.1402a. Currently, under Michigan law, a discontinuity defect of less than two inches in a sidewalk, trailway, crosswalk, or other installation outside of the improved portion of the highway designed for vehicular traffic raises a rebuttable inference that the municipal corporation maintained the area in reasonable repair for purposes of the highway exception to immunity. MCL 691.1402a. This means that the condition is presumed safe if the there is less than a two inch defect in the walkway, but a claim is not necessarily barred if the dropoff is less than two inches.

In order to prove a claim against a governmental entity, it must be shown that the governmental entity had notice of the defect and that it existed for at least 30 days. Once an injury occurs as a result of the sidewalk defect, written notice must be given to the governmental entity within 120 days. Failure to provide notice will preclude an injured victim’s claim for damages. The notice shall specify the exact location and nature of the defect, the injury sustained and the names of the witnesses known at the time by the claimant. MCL 691.1404.

Due to the complexities involved in defective sidewalk cases, including the notice provision, it is very important to discuss your case with an experienced lawyer who has won many of these complex cases. Feel free to contact our firm to discuss your case. It is important to hire your lawyer as soon as possible after your injury.

Do I have a sidewalk defect 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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