IF YOU’VE BEEN involved in an accident you should absolutely consider hiring a personal injury attorney; naturally, many victims can feel intimidated or nervous about visiting a lawyer’s office for the first time.

However, there is no need to worry. Your attorney is your strongest advocate and best chance at recovering compensation due to your injuries.

Expect the Meeting to be Fairly Short

Your case is important and it’s important to your lawyer, too. Most initial consultations last about one hour. While that may not seem like enough time, an experienced lawyer knows what questions to ask to make that hour efficient and productive.

Expect Questions – Lots of Questions

In your consultation meeting, your attorney will ask you a number of questions; basic “who-, what-, when-type” questions. Specifically, in a personal injury case, a lawyer will also want to know the details of the accident. Other pertinent information needed includes some specifics about your insurance policy, injuries, and financial losses. Not to be forgotten is one of the biggest impacts of an accident: how the injury affected you emotionally. Takeaway: expect questions about your physical, mental, and financial health.

While it may seem unsettling giving personal information to a person you’ve just met, set aside any worry. First, Michigan ethic rules require all attorneys – even those you may not ultimately engage — to maintain the “attorney-client” privilege. The attorney-client privilege, with very specific exceptions, prevents members of the Michigan State Bar from discussing your case or its details with anybody. Takeaway: don’t hold back because the specifics matter; a licensed attorney will keep everything confidential.

Most importantly, your potential attorney will be unable to properly evaluate your case unless you provide a true and complete story. Holding back information, or changing a fact that seems minor, might cause your attorney to provide bad information. A good attorney will give you an honest evaluation, but no attorney can do this without all the facts.

Expect to Be Asked for Documents and Other Proof

Not only will you be asked many questions, but your attorney will likely request any proof you have or can get access to (see list of examples below). Before calling for an attorney consultation, or visiting the office, make sure you have these items at the ready.

Examples Some things that lawyers often ask for include:

• Communications from insurance companies
• A list of witnesses
• Messages from witnesses
• Pictures of the accident scene
• Pictures showing injuries to you or others
• Pictures showing property damage
• Medical records
• Medical bills
• Police reports
• Records of missed work
• Records of lost wages
• Records of normal wages (e.g. paystubs, W2, receipts)

While not a complete list, it gives you a rough idea of items you’ll need to gather in order to support your claim.

“Loose Lips Sink Ships” (Expect to Be Asked Who You’ve Spoken To)

While the statements you make to your attorney are confidential, things you may have said to others are not. You might have said something about the accident that might hurt your recovery without even knowing it. Your attorney may or may not be able to undo potential damage, but your attorney needs to know what was said and to whom in order to evaluate whether comments made could adversely affect your claim.

Expect an Evaluation and Explanation

Toward the end of your first meeting with a personal injury attorney, the lawyer should be able to tell you the pros and cons of your case. (Note: lawyers cannot, nor should, promise certain outcomes; they can only tell you what they expect, based on past experiences.) The lawyer may offer to take your case on the spot. However, you are under no obligation to agree; you have the right to both visit other attorneys. Takeaway: take time to evaluate the consultation before making a final decision.

Similarly, while some attorneys agree to take cases during a consultation, others may want to take a little time to decide. Note: If the lawyer chooses not to take your case, it is not your fault; there might be many reasons such as conflicts of interest or an inability to devote the time necessary to be the best advocate you deserve. Takeaway: Feel free to visit another office and get another opinion.

Expect to Talk About Money

You can expect the attorney to talk about money, including fees. The attorney should explain – in clear language – how the billing process works. The attorney should explain their hourly rate, charges for items such as investigations, ordering records, or even making copies. Note: Most personal injury attorneys work on a contingent fee basis, which means they receive a portion of any amount you recover after the lawsuit. (However, even in this arrangement, some attorneys still charge clients for certain costs.) Be prepared to ask the attorney specific questions about billing practices.

Be Prepared to Sign Documents

If you decide to engage your attorney after consultation, be prepared to sign documents. Signing a retainer or representation agreement will make the attorney your “official” legal representative in your case. Your lawyer may also ask you to sign releases allowing them to access insurance information, medical records, and other items.

Hopefully, this article has given you some insight answered about what to expect at your consultation visit to a personal injury attorney.

If you have more questions or need to speak to an experienced personal injury attorney, contact the Law Offices of Turner & Turner. Founding member Buzz Turner has more than 30 years of experience as an advocate for clients injured in vehicle-associated accidents, medical malpractice, and other personal injury claims.

Call Turner Law today for your free consultation at (248) 248-355-1727, email Turner Law or visit the Firm’s website.

Michigan’s auto no-fault reform bill went into effect last July and the consequences are quickly being felt among accident victims. After the latest statutory reforms from the revised law introduced a new medical fee schedule, the causal effect has been a reduction of how much insurance companies are required to reimburse medical providers for certain services.

Meanwhile, advocates for survivors of catastrophic auto crashes have been saying for months that the changes would cut off their access to medical services they need to survive.

Now, slightly more than two months after the updated medical fee schedules have gone into effect, many survivors have been speaking out about how they are, in many cases, struggling to access even minimal care.

“I was struck by a pickup truck backing out of a driveway… the hitch went through my right-lower extremity, and… severely broke the leg in multiple places,” Paul Becker told a Michigan Fox TV affiliate, who was seriously injured in a July 2018 crash. “I think I’ve had nine surgeries in total, and still trying to recover from the mobility aspect.”

Fox reported Becker hadn’t had any major issues getting insurance to cover the medical services he’s needed during his recovery, that is until this past July.

“Eight o’clock in the evening, they left a message stating that, at that time, anything … from now on will no longer be covered, and it was just out of the blue, boom, you’re no longer covered for anything,” Becker explained.

“I feel like with this last six weeks without any physical therapy, I’ve literally gone backwards.”

Under the new law, any medical service not already covered under federal Medicare law, which includes in-home caregivers and transportation to medical services, will now only be reimbursed by insurance companies at 55 percent of what they were back in 2019. The law also caps the number of hours family members can provide care to just 56 hours a week, according to legal analysis.

Tom Judd, president of the Michigan Brain Injury Providers Council, said in a statement about the legal revisions, “There’s been a lot of delays, and denials, and payments on a whole, and not just the providers that we’ve been talking about for the past few months, in terms of residential and attendant care providers, but outpatient therapists are getting denied or slashed in reimbursement.”

Judd added the changes have thrown Michigan’s post-acute medical care industry into turmoil.

“Hurdles that they did not have to jump through before July 1, they’re having to jump through now, and they’re not getting any payment…. and so, the crisis is kind of expanding to places that we didn’t really think that they would be going.”

According to the Michigan Brain Injury Provider Council, more than 700 patients have already lost access to medical care, since the changes took effect in July.

At least 41 Michigan-based care companies have had to either close their doors completely or discharge patients receiving benefits via no-fault auto insurance. The MBIPC says this has already put at least 1,500 healthcare workers out of a job.

Under the new law, insurance companies still have to provide lifetime medical coverage for those who had or have unlimited personal injury protection (PIP) policies. But advocates say the changes are squeezing qualified medical professionals out of Michigan’s post-acute care industry, making quality providers scarce.

If you have been hurt in an auto accident and are concerned your coverage will not provide adequate protection for your medical needs, contact the law office of Turner and Turner for a free consultation to ensure your rights are adequately protected.

So, the trucks are here to stay.

The problem is this: When a car collides with a semi-trailer, 78% of the injuries are in the car, particularly the driver. So, to protect you, your car and your passengers, we urge you to revisit these rules of the road as you encounter the numerous truck drivers who are driving alongside you:

1. Make sure everything you control in your car is as safe as possible. Are you completely sober? Are you and all of your passengers belted in? All children must be belted, but please also encourage all adults in your back seat to buckle up, even though they are not required to do so, by law. Is your car in good working order with excellent windshield wipers, and properly working defrosters?
2. Pass on the left, never on the right. Trucks are expecting to be passed, as they often have a lower posted speed limit. But they are expecting to be passed on the left. Trucks have limited ability to see and a larger blind spot than cars, so place your left turn indicator on when you are getting ready to pass. Pull two truck lengths in front of the truck, place your right signal on and then move in front of the truck.
3. Do not pull in front of a truck if you think you might have to brake quickly. Trucks (and other large vehicles like buses) take muck longer to brake and come to a complete stop than smaller vehicles. If you do not leave sufficient room between you and the truck behind you and the truck driver cannot brake in time to avoid a collision, he will either have to swerve or hit you. Don’t take a chance.
4. Be aware of a truck’s blind spots. The general rule is if you can’t see the truck driver in the truck’s side mirror, the driver can’t see you. So when you find yourself in a blind spot, get moving, either slowing down or speeding up to get out of the blind spot. Don’t hang out to the side of the truck; just pass on the left side quickly and safely.
5. Allow for wide right turns. Trucks can’t take tight right turns. So if a truck is to the left of you or to the front of you and they have on their right turn indicator, stay back, allowing them to move to the left in order to make the full right turn. Again, avoid hanging on the right side of trucks as they prepare to make a right turn.
6. Keep your full attention on driving. This rule applies all the time, but can be life-threatening on highway conditions with trucks. Don’t text, don’t fiddle with the music (radio or Iphone), don’t eat or apply make-up. Driving takes all of our attention and more. Even complicated discussions with passengers can be distracting.

Trucks and their drivers are an important part of our economy. We have to be aware of the hazards that trucks bring to the roads in order to stay safe.

This nation’s roads are shared by cars, trucks and motorcycles. The trucks that we encounter contribute to the economy, through their shipping of valuable goods from coast to coast. Yet, we must remember that most trucks weigh more than 30 times the weight of a typical passenger automobile. This means that any collisions among cars and trucks are likely to do more damage to the car and create more serious injuries for the automobile occupants.

Many elements contribute to truck accidents. One particularly technical aspect of truck transportation is ensuring that all cargo is loaded correctly and secured appropriately. When cargo is not appropriately secured, the cargo can tip or shift horizontally and change the center of balance of the vehicle, contributing to steering problems and difficulty braking. In worst case scenarios, the cargo can fall out of the truck, creating havoc on the roadways.

It is the responsibility of the driver, the owner of the truck and the owner of the transportation company to ensure that all cargo is stowed in a manner that follows highway regulations and ensures safe transport.

There are certain items that have specific loading specifications. These include logs and lumber, building products, pipe, automobiles, light trucks and vans, heavy vehicles, equipment and machinery, flattened or crushed vehicles, and heavy rock or masonry.

Before a truck departs with its load, the responsible parties must be sure that the following safety precautions have been taken:

• Cargo has been loaded and secured and does not exceed the Working Load Limit.
• Cargo has been tied down with appropriate material and at the appropriate angle.
• The tiedown tension must be adequate.
• Corrective measures must be taken if the deck of the truck is wet or icy.
• The vehicle must be in good working order.
• The sites of tiedowns must be undamaged and in good working order.

If you have been injured due to a collision with a large truck, please contact us at Turner and Turner. We are knowledgeable experts in truck accident law.