Sterling Heights Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyer

When you suffer an injury, your first priority should be your health. However, it can be difficult to focus on healing if you are worried about medical bills and lost income.

While insurance companies may try to pressure you to accept a settlement, it is crucial to speak with a Sterling Heights personal injury lawyer before making any decisions.

If your injuries were the result of another person’s negligence, you should not have to cover your losses alone. By enlisting a skilled attorney at Buckfire & Buckfire, P.C., you can have an ally through each step of the legal process.

Seek Help from Buckfire Law

Since our founding in 1969, Buckfire Law has assisted thousands of personal injury victims in their pursuit of civil justice.

Our skill and integrity is unparalleled in our community, and as a result, our firm has been recognized for its accomplishments in the legal industry:

• S. News Best Law Firms
• National Top 100 Trial Lawyers
• The Best Lawyers in America
• Best Attorneys in America
• Multi-Million Dollars Advocates Forum
• Top Michigan Personal Injury Lawyer

Common Types of Sterling Heights Accidents

Our firm handles all types of personal injury cases, from medical neglect and nursing home abuse to car wrecks and recreational accidents. We also handle:

• Sexual abuse
• Wrongful death
• Defective products
• Premises liability and slip and falls
• Bicycle accidents
• Birth injuries
• Workers’ compensation
• Class action lawsuits

What Types of Compensation Can I Recover in Sterling Heights?

A local personal injury attorney in Sterling Heights may help an injured client recover compensation for many types of losses. These include economic and non-economic damages, such as

• Lost wages,
• Medical expenses,
• Pain and suffering,
• Anticipated future medical bills,
• Emotional anguish, and
• Reduced future income potential.

Do I Need a Personal Injury Lawyer in Sterling Heights?

Yes. If you were injured in any type of accident, it is important to seek counsel from a qualified lawyer before moving forward with your case.

While it is technically possible to settle a personal injury claim on your own, there are plenty of pitfalls that can cause you to lose or undervalue your claim.

Insurance adjusters are specifically trained to always take the side of the insurance company after an accident occurs. They also know how to trick claimants into saying things that could harm their case. If you are not careful, a single comment or social media post can be used against you in court.

Likewise, initial settlement offers are almost always insufficient to cover all your damages. Signing one without an attorney present can be disastrous for your long-term financial prospects. Instead, an attorney can help to request full and fair compensation on your behalf.

Filing Suit for Medical Malpractice

Sterling Heights is home to a number of high-quality medical facilities, including Henry Ford Medical Center – Sterling Heights and the Northpointe Heart Center.

Unfortunately, negligence by a doctor or nurse at these facilities or others around the area can cause significant harm to patients.

Medical malpractice comes in a variety of forms in Sterling Heights. Some of the most common ways in which doctors are negligent include failure to interpret CT or MRI scans correctly, misdiagnosis of a medical condition, and errors during surgical procedures.

Injuries that occur during childbirth can have particularly devastating consequences for both mother and child. Likewise, a patient receiving the wrong dosage or type of medication often results in significant harm.

Anyone in Sterling Heights harmed by the negligence of a physician or healthcare facility deserves to be compensated for their losses.

If you suspect your injuries were the result of a doctor’s errors in Sterling Heights, our experienced medical malpractice lawyers can help you pursue compensation.

What Should I Do If I Suspect Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect?

Residents of nursing homes have rights guaranteed to them under both state and federal law. All residents should be treated with dignity and respect.

Unfortunately, abusive and neglectful treatment is far too common in nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Michigan.

If you or your loved one suffered maltreatment in such a Sterling Heights facility, you should discuss your legal rights with a nursing home abuse lawyer in Sterling Heights. A claim may be filed against a staff member or the facility administration.

Get in touch with Buckfire Law today if you or a family member were neglected or abused at any of the following facilities in Sterling Heights:

• Heartland Health Care Center – Sterling Heights
• Medilodge of Sterling Heights
• Sterling Assisted Living
• Arden Courts Of Sterling Heights
• Town Village Sterling Heights
• American House Senior Living Communities
• HarborChase of Sterling Heights
• Pine Ridge of Hayes Senior Living
• Shorehaven
• Waltonwood Lakeside

 Sterling Heights Car Accidents

A Sterling Heights car accident lawyer from Buckfire Law could help you with any kind of civil case arising from a motor vehicle crash, including:

• Drunk driving crashes
• Bicycle accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Truck accidents

While accidents can happen anywhere in Sterling Heights, some roads are more prone to dangerous incidents than others. Some of the most highly-trafficked roads in Sterling Heights where accidents occur include:

• M-53
• M-59
• Mound Road
• 16 Mile Road
• Utica Road
• Dequindre Road
• Hayes Road

Statistics compiled by the Michigan State Police Traffic Crash Reporting Unit demonstrates that the most dangerous intersections in Sterling Heights are:

If you or a loved one suffered injuries from a motor vehicle crash, our attorneys can help you file a claim in Sterling Heights.

Can I File a Claim After a Bus Crash in Sterling Heights?

RideSMART provides service to the Sterling Heights area through six fixed routes: 494, 510/515, 530, 550, 760, and 780. The RideSMART Community Partnership Program also provides transportation services upon reservation for residents over 55 and those with physical and/or intellectual disabilities.

Unfortunately, with these services comes the risk of traffic accidents involving commuter buses. It can be tricky to hold a municipal entity liable for a personal injury.

However, traffic incidents are one of the few exceptions Michigan state law provides for municipal immunity to civil litigation. If you were hurt by a negligent bus driver, a Sterling Heights attorney can help you take legal action.

Sterling Heights Dog Bite Cases

Under Michigan Code of Laws §287.351, dog owners may be held strictly liable for any injury their dog causes someone else by biting them.

This means that instead dog bite victims do not have to prove that a defendant was negligent.

However, if a dog bite victim provoked a dog into attacking them or was trespassing on the property of the dog’s owner when they were bitten, they cannot file suit over their injuries.

A dog bite lawyer in Sterling Heights can work with you to assess your rights against any negligent dog owner who allowed their dog to cause you harm.

Dog Bite Ordinances in Sterling Heights

Under Sterling Heights Code of Ordinances §8-28, a dog may be considered “potentially dangerous” if it does any of the following:

• Menaces, chases, or otherwise threatens the safety of another domestic animal or person
• Causes non-severe injury to a person
• Aggressively bites another animal or person

In order to legally keep a dog that has been declared potentially dangerous, a Sterling Heights resident must have the dog chipped, take out a public liability insurance policy on then, always keep the pet restrained and securely fenced into their property, ensure they EW spayed or neutered, and provide up-to-date color photos of them to animal control.

Failing to meet these requirements is a civil infraction punishable by a $500 fine for a first offense.

Any dog declared “dangerous” in accordance with Sterling Heights Code of Ordinances §8-28A must be impounded and destroyed no more than ten days after an animal control officer determines it to be dangerous.

Dogs can be deemed dangerous if they repeatedly engage in aggressive behaviors, severely injure or kill another domestic animal or person, or are used in the commission of a crime.

How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Sterling Heights?

Personal injury victims in Michigan have a limited amount of time to file a civil claim, so it is important to reach out to a lawyer quickly.

Under MCL §600.5805, most personal injury cases have a deadline of three years after an injury occurred. Failing to meet this deadline can be detrimental to a claim.

However, certain cases have different deadlines. Medical malpractice and nursing home abuse cases must be filed within two years, while claims based on sexual assaults can have much longer deadlines. This is especially true if an assault occurred while the plaintiff was under the age of 18.

Consult a Dedicated Sterling Heights Personal Injury Attorney

If you or a loved one suffered injuries due to the careless, reckless, or malicious actions of someone else, call a Sterling Heights personal injury lawyer for help.

Our attorneys can gather evidence, answer your questions, and work to get justice on your behalf.

To learn more about what Buckfire Law can for you, contact us today to schedule a free consultation.

Information About Sterling Heights

Sterling Heights is located in Macomb County and is one of Detroit’s core suburbs. Currently, it is the 4th largest city in Michigan with a population of 129,699. Utica Community Schools and Warren Consolidated Schools serve the area. Many people visit Sterling Heights for the annual Memorial Day parade, and the American-Polish Festival.

Major employers in the Sterling Heights area include:

• Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles
• Ford Motor Company
• Mayco Plastics
• General Dynamics Land Systems
• Key Safety Systems
• KUKA Systems Corporation
• US Farathane Corporation
• Milliken Millwork, Inc.
• BAE Systems

Sterling Heights Legal Resources

• Sterling Heights Police Department
  • View Accident Reports
• Sterling Heights Fire Department
  • View Fire Reports
• Henry Ford Medical Center
  • Request Medical Records
• Macomb County Animal Control
  • View Dog Bite Reports