Case Management Services are benefits that are available to some injured motorcyclists in Michigan through their No Fault insurance policy. No Fault insurance benefits are available when a biker has been injured in an accident involving a car, truck, SUV, or other motor vehicle.

Case management services can be used to hire a professional case manager to handle parts of your accident claim. A case manager is typically a nurse or rehabilitative counselor who can help with a variety of aspects of your claim. Some of the services case managers can provide include:

• Coordinating medical care with multiple doctors and clinics
• Finding the best medical specialists
• Scheduling doctor’s appointments and other appointments for medical treatment
• Helping the patient with ordering home modifications, which are also paid for by the No Fault insurance company
• Helping the patient obtain necessary medical equipment such as a wheelchair, as part of a No Fault claim for medical expenses
• Communicating with the insurance company on behalf of the injured person

Case managers also often offer additional services for accident victims and their families. A case manager can be a major help in coordinating your No Fault benefits and is entirely free to the accident victim since the No Fault insurance company is required to pay for one. Despite being such a good benefit, there are many accidents in which the injured motorcyclist does not hire a case manager because he or she does not know the insurance company will pay for this service. I always encourage my clients to hire a case manager if they are seeing several doctors or have severe injuries.

If you would like more information about your rights after a Michigan motorcycle accident, you can order our FREE book, “The Ultimate Michigan Motorcycle Accident Handbook” by calling our office. We will send it along with other important information.

For more information about Michigan motorcycle accident cases, visit our law firm web site at www.BuckfireLaw.com. If you would like to speak with one of our Michigan Motorcycle accident attorneys about your case, feel free to call us anytime at (800) 606-1717 or simply submit this contact form and we will get back to you quickly.

Survivor Loss Benefits refer to the benefits that are available to family members of someone who is killed in an accident through their Michigan No Fault insurance policy. No Fault insurance benefits are available when a biker has been injured or killed in an accident involving a car, truck, SUV, or other motor vehicle.

Survivor loss benefits are paid to the spouse or a relative of the motorcyclist who dies in an accident. They typically include a portion of the funeral expenses as well as payments for loss of financial support and loss of household services. The payment for the funeral expenses is disbursed as a one-time payment while the other payments are paid out over a period of time for up to three years. The amount that is paid out changes from year to year due to inflation.

A survivor loss claim requires the family to submit a copy of the death certificate, funeral bill, and proof of loss of financial support and household services. These things should be submitted as quickly as possible after the accident since the No Fault Act and insurance companies have strict deadlines and use people’s failure to meet deadlines as an excuse to deny their claims and save money for their own shareholders. I strongly recommend you consult with an attorney immediately after a fatal accident or any accident to ensure you are submitting all the proper documents and making all the claims you should to get the full amount of benefits you are entitled to.

If you would like more information about your rights after a Michigan motorcycle accident, you can order our FREE book, “The Ultimate Michigan Motorcycle Accident Handbook” by calling our office. We will send it along with other important information.

For more information about Michigan motorcycle accident cases, visit our law firm web site at www.BuckfireLaw.com. If you would like to speak with one of our Michigan Motorcycle accident attorneys about your case, feel free to call us anytime at (800) 606-1717 or simply submit this contact form and we will get back to you quickly.

For Michigan motorcyclists, being involved in a motorcycle accident is a very serious challenge.  The number of motorcycle accidents in Michigan has been rising in recent years, and the laws governing motorcycles are complicated.  After being treated for any injuries and making a police report, the most important things an injured biker or family member can do is begin submitting claims to the insurance company and deciding whether to pursue a lawsuit.  It is important to do these things quickly since insurance companies have filing deadlines after which they can deny benefits and since lawsuits must be filed by the state’s statute of limitations. 

My law firms represents people who have been injured in motorcycle accidents, and I often meet people who are unsure of whether a lawyer can help them.  Here are answers to some common questions

• Can I file a lawsuit against an errant and negligent driver if I get involved in a motorcycle crash, and my vehicle is not insured, though I own it? – Michigan law permits you to file a lawsuit against this negligent driver.  Many people think they cannot because under the Michigan No Fault Act, the driver of an uninsured car cannot sue a negligent driver.  Michigan law treats motorcyclists differently from car drivers in this respect. So, even if your bike was not insured, you could still file a lawsuit.
• I have often heard about the term Uninsured Motorist Coverage. What does it mean? – When the accident is caused by a driver who does not have insurance or by a hit and run driver, whose identity is unknown and there is no information available regarding his insurance coverage, Michigan law allows you to recover cost of damages from your own insurance policy if you have uninsured motorist coverage. This means that it makes sense to carry uninsured coverage, to receive protection from your insurance policy, in case you get involved in situations like these.  Read more about Uninsured Motorist Coverage.
• What is the difference between uninsured motorist coverage and underinsured motorist coverage? – Both types of insurance are very important to add to your policy.  Uninsured motorist coverage covers you when the negligent driver has no insurance or when his or her identify is unknown.  Underinsured motorist coverage fills in the difference between the costs of your injuries and the maximum amount covered by the negligent driver’s insurance policy when he or she does in fact have insurance.  Read more about Underinsured Motorist Coverage.

If you would like more information about your rights after a Michigan motorcycle accident, you can order our FREE book, “The Ultimate Michigan Motorcycle Accident Handbook” by calling our office.  We will send it along with other important information. 

For more information about Michigan motorcycle accident cases, visit our law firm web site at www.BuckfireLaw.com.  If you would like to speak with one of our Michigan Motorcycle accident attorneys about your case, feel free to call us anytime at (800) 606-1717 or simply submit this contact form and we will get back to you quickly.

On our blog site, we have several discussions about the different types of motorcycle insurance coverages that are available to bikers and that should be purchased. If your insurance company does not offer the recommended coverage, I suggest that you contact another company and switch to a company that does offer them. Below is a list of auto insurance companies in Michigan and most of them write coverage for motorcycles.

Allstate

Allstate Property & Casualty

American Insurance

American International Insurance (AIG)

American International South (AIG)

AMEX Assurance

Amica Mutual

Auto Club

Auto-Owners

Bristol West Preferred

Cincinnati Insurance

Citizens Insurance Company of America

Citizens Insurance Company of Midwest

Dairyland Insurance

Emcasco Insurance

Employers Mutual Casualty

Encompass Property & Casualty

Esurance Insurance

Farm Bureau General

Farm Bureau Mutual

Farmers Insurance Exchange

Federal Insurance

Frankenmuth Mutual

Fremont Insurance

GEICO Indemnity

Grange Insurance of Michigan

Great Lakes Casualty

Great Northern

Harleysville Lake States

Hartford Casualty

Hartford of the Midwest

Hastings Mutual

Home-Owners Insurance

Horace Mann

IDS Property & Casualty

Integon National Insurance

Liberty Mutual Fire

Merchants Mutual

Mercury National

Metropolitan Direct Property & Casualty

Metropolitan General

Metropolitan Property & Casualty

Michigan Insurance Company

Michigan Millers Mutual

Nationwide Mutual Fire

New Hampshire Ind. (AIG)

Pacific Indemnity (Chubb)

Pioneer State Mutual

Progressive Marathon

Progressive Michigan Insurance

Safeco Insurance Company of Illinois

Secura Insurance A Mutual Company

Standard Fire (Travelers)

State Auto Mutual

State Farm Mutual Auto

Titan

Tokio Marine

Unitrin Direct Property & Casualty

Vigilant Insurance (Chubb)

West American

Westfield

Most insurance companies will give you a quote over the phone or even online. For more information on these issues, call us at (800) 606-1717 and we’ll send you our Michigan Motorcycle Insurance Report for Free. We are also happy to review your current insurance policy declaration page at no charge to make sure that you have the proper coverage.

As a Michigan lawyer whose firm represents clients injured in motorcycle accidents, my clients and other individuals often ask me about types of insurance they should buy for their motorcycles.  I am always happy to review someone’s insurance policy and give them my recommendation.

Many people do not have uninsured motorist (UM) coverage because it is not required by law and is deemed “optional.”  This is very unfortunate because uninsured motorist insurance is extremely important and necessary to fill gaps left by the legally required insurance.  To see why, think about what happens when you are involved in an accident.

When a motorcyclist is involved in an accident with a car, the motorcyclist would submit a claim to his insurance company for medical expenses, lost wages, household replacement services, and other benefits.  In an accident in which the motorcyclist is severely injured, the biker would want to sue the negligent for additional damages.  These would include pain and suffering, disfigurement, disability, and loss of enjoyment of life.

For example, let’s say his insurance company will pay lost wages for the first three years after an accident, but that the accident was so bad that the biker is permanently disabled and cannot work.  He would want to sue the driver for his lost wages for the rest of his life after those three years.  Normally, the driver’s insurance company would defend this lawsuit and pay for the settlement or judgment, but what happens if the driver does not have insurance?

This is where UM insurance comes in.  If a motorcyclist is involved in an accident with an uninsured motorist, then the motorcyclist can file a UM claim with his or her own insurance company to collect the damages not covered under a regular policy and they may be able to collect an amount up to the limit of the UM policy they purchased.  This coverage is essential because many Michigan motorists have the minimum liability coverage of $20,000.00, but injuries to bikers almost always greatly exceed that amount.

Because of this, I always recommend bikers purchase the maximum UM coverage available.  UM coverage is some of the cheapest kind of insurance available, but it is one of the most important policies you can buy.  For more information about important motorcycle insurance issues, call our office and we will send you our Michigan Motorcycle Insurance Report for FREE.

For more information about Michigan motorycle accident cases, visit our law firm web site at www.BuckfireLaw.com.  If you would like to speak with one of our Michigan personal injury attorneys about your case, feel free to call us anytime at (800) 606-1717 or simply submit this contact form and we will get back to you quickly.