Dearborn Bicycle Accident Lawyers

Why Injured Dearborn Cyclists Trust Lee Steinberg Law Firm

On a Dearborn street a cyclist has nothing around them but air. The same impact that leaves a scuff on a bumper can break a rider's pelvis, and a driver pulling out of a service drive at 15 miles an hour is more than fast enough to do it. For more than 50 years the Lee Steinberg Law Firm has represented injured riders across Michigan and recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients.

Dearborn’s busy streets, including Michigan Avenue and Ford Road, along with the Rouge River trail connections, bring bikes and vehicles into close contact every day. When a driver fails to look before turning in Wayne County, our Dearborn bicycle accident attorneys are ready to help.

The Lee Steinberg Law Firm has Dearborn bicycle accident lawyers with outstanding results and awards:

• Our trial lawyers are routinely awarded the Super Lawyers designation, a peer-reviewed honors list of the best personal injury lawyers in Michigan. 
• Founder, Lee Steinberg, is a nationally recognized trial lawyer, trying cases throughout the country, and has been a powerful voice in Michigan law since the 1970s. 
• Co-President, Eric Steinberg, is a former past president of the Michigan Association for Justice, the umbrella organization for Michigan personal injury lawyers.
• We have been recognized by the national Trial Lawyers Association, a prestigious invitation-only organization that recognizes the nation’s top civil plaintiff lawyers.

No Fee Guarantee

We believe every injured cyclist deserves strong legal representation, no matter their financial situation.

We know a bad bicycle accident can feel overwhelming. You have questions and you need answers quickly. Our Dearborn bicycle accident lawyers will help you understand your rights, the consultation is free and there are no upfront fees and costs. There is no obligation, and everything you share stays confidential. This is our promise. 

Our Results

Our firm is dedicated to achieving results for our clients. We’re proud to share some recent results that show our commitment to securing large settlements for injured people. These settlements and results include:

• $5,750,000 Settlement where a hi-lo operator denied fault and attempted to blame our client, even though the collision occurred from the driver’s negligence. Our firm retained multiple experts to prove liability and used treating physicians to show future medical needs and long-term financial damages.
• $3,250,000 Settlement for our client following a slip-and-fall at a large big box store when the store failed to fix a leaking roof. 
• $2,250,000 Settlement for our client who suffered permanent spinal cord injuries and a traumatic brain injury. They were struck by a turning vehicle while lawfully crossing an intersection on a bicycle. Although the driver first denied fault, our Michigan personal injury lawyers ran an independent investigation. They gathered witness statements and worked with medical and liability experts to prove negligence.
• $1,855,000 Settlement following a fatal crash on I-75 when a wheel detached from a pickup truck and trailer, striking our client’s vehicle. The defendant claimed the incident was unavoidable. But our firm hired accident reconstruction and metallurgy experts. They proved negligent inspection and maintenance. 

Michigan No-Fault Benefits for Injured Cyclists

Most riders have no idea that Michigan's No-Fault system can pay them benefits even though they were on a bicycle rather than behind a wheel.

Being struck by a motor vehicle while riding can entitle you to No-Fault (PIP) benefits, and that remains true even if you do not own a car or carry auto insurance. Those benefits include:

• Medical expenses reimbursement, such as hospital bills and doctors’ bills 
• Lost wages for up to 3 years
• Replacement services or payment for household chores
• Attendant care or nursing care provided by friends, family, or nursing professionals
• Out-of pocket expenses - payment for prescriptions, co-pays, medical mileage, and other medical expenses.

Which Auto Insurance Company Pays No-Fault Benefits?

Which insurer pays is not something you get to choose. Michigan law sets an order of priority that determines which auto insurance company is responsible for paying no-fault benefits.

1. If you have your own auto insurance, your own policy generally pays first, even though you were on a bike. 
2. If you do not have auto insurance, benefits come from a resident relative's auto insurance policy. Resident relatives include spouses, siblings, children, parents and other blood related relatives. 
3. If there is no insurance in the household, the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan (“MACP”) is responsible for paying up to $250,000 in no-fault benefits. 

The MACP pays nothing until an application is filed, which means completing an application properly and within time. Contact the Dearborn bicycle accident lawyers at the Lee Steinberg Law Firm and we will take you through each step of it.

What is the Deadline to Make a No-Fault Claim? 

These claims carry a strict one-year deadline, and the rules can be confusing, so it helps to have an attorney identify the right insurer quickly. To recover pain and suffering, you generally have three (3) years to file a lawsuit against the proper defendants. However, there are special rules for government vehicles, minors and other special situations. 

There is more detail available on Michigan No-Fault benefits, or you can simply let our Dearborn bicycle accident attorneys manage the claims process from start to finish.

Dearborn Bike Accident Lawyers - Pain and Suffering Compensation

Pain and suffering means the physical or mental distress an injured cyclist is put through by another driver's or company's negligence. These are the “non-economic” damages in a claim, and they sit apart from economic losses such as lost earnings and unpaid medical bills. Examples include:

• Physical pain from the body, such as low back pain, neck pain, or a broken bone
• Headaches
• Emotional distress
• Anxiety and depression
• Grief as a result of the death of a loved one
• Limitations on activities and hobbies

There are two sides to pain and suffering, the physical and the mental. The physical side is not confined to how the injury felt at the roadside. It takes in whatever pain the injured rider is likely to carry for years afterwards. In a lesser case that means compensation for discomfort. In a serious one it means compensation for sustained, genuine suffering.

What Documentation Do I Need to Prove Pain and Suffering?

An insurance company will not take your word for any of it. A personal injury claim is substantiated with documents, and these are the ones worth collecting:

• Photos of the accident and your subsequent injuries
• Medical reports and medical records
• Any medical bills and receipts
• Lists and receipts for prescriptions/medications
• Proof of lost wages
• Log of treatment undergone, both physical and psychological
• Journal or a pain log
• List of missed activities, hobbies, and important life events.
• Written evaluations from your therapist or mental health professional

At a minimum, a competent Dearborn bicycle accident lawyer will secure their client's medical records and medical bills, photographs of the injuries, before and after photographs, prescription records, over-the-counter drug receipts and wage loss information. How thoroughly a pain and suffering claim is documented is very often the difference between a full award and a disappointing one.

Statements from the people around you carry enormous weight too. Friends, family and colleagues knew you before the crash and can describe precisely how it changed your life. That testimony is frequently the strongest evidence in a pain and suffering case.

Common Causes of Dearborn Bicycle Accidents

Bicycle crashes are rarely accidents in any meaningful sense; driver negligence causes almost all of them. In and around Dearborn, where commercial frontage puts a driveway every few yards along the main roads, the recurring causes are:

• Motorists turning across a bike lane or straight through a rider's line of travel
• Doors opened into the path of a passing cyclist
• Drivers distracted by a phone, a screen or a text message
• Motorists entering an intersection against a red light
• Passing too close and leaving a rider no usable space
• Failure to yield where driveways and service drives meet the road
• Potholes, loose debris and poorly maintained pavement

A driver's duty to look does not pause. It covers the roadway, the bike lanes, the intersections, the shoulders, the crosswalks, the driveways and everywhere else a cyclist might be. Distraction, phone use above all, is the principal reason riders go unseen, and on a road with an entrance every few yards a single second of it is long enough to miss someone entirely.

Deep Resources and Aggressive Investigation

Winning a serious bicycle accident claim takes far more than filing paperwork. Insurance companies often try to blame the cyclist, and overcoming that requires attorneys with real resources and determination.

The Dearborn bicycle accident lawyers at Lee Steinberg Law Firm have the resources and resolve to fight and win your case. We bring in top experts from around the country to prove liability, connect injuries to the crash, and show the true impact the collision had on our client’s life. Insurance companies know we prepare every case aggressively and leave no stone unturned.

Our team begins preserving evidence right away, including witness statements, traffic-camera and surveillance footage, vehicle data, and documentation showing how the driver's negligence caused the collision. We then take this evidence and develop it into a story that demonstrates to the insurance company and the negligent individuals why our client is entitled to a large settlement. 

Trial-Ready Dearborn Bicycle Accident Attorneys

Many firms focus on quick settlements. At Lee Steinberg Law Firm, we prepare every Dearborn bicycle accident case as though it will be decided by a jury.

Our attorneys bring decades of courtroom experience and are ready to litigate aggressively when an insurance company refuses to offer fair compensation. We conduct thorough discovery, take depositions, retain credible experts, and build persuasive cases that prove the driver's fault and demonstrate the real impact of our clients' injuries.

Insurance companies know which firms are willing to go to trial. Our reputation for preparation and courtroom advocacy often creates valuable leverage during settlement negotiations.

Client-Centered Representation

At our firm, clients are treated with the care and respect they deserve. Our Dearborn bicycle accident lawyers are supported by a dedicated team that maintains regular contact and keeps clients informed at every stage of the case. This approach allows us to respond quickly to client needs while staying focused on achieving the strongest possible result.

Proven Results for Injured Michigan Cyclists

Our firm has recovered substantial settlements and verdicts for injured cyclists and other accident victims throughout Michigan, including cases involving traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, broken bones, permanent disabilities, and wrongful death.

While every case is different and past results do not guarantee future outcomes, our track record reflects our commitment to holding negligent drivers accountable and pursuing maximum compensation for injured cyclists.

You can review our recent results to see examples of what our firm has recovered for injured Michiganders.

If you or a loved one was hit while cycling in Dearborn or anywhere in Wayne County, our legal team is ready to help.

Experienced Trial Representation for Bicycle Accident Victims

The Lee Steinberg Law Firm brings decades of real courtroom experience to every auto accident case we handle. Unlike firms that focus solely on quick settlements, our attorneys are seasoned trial lawyers who prepare every car accident claim as if it will be presented to a jury. That preparation includes aggressive discovery, motion practice, expert retention, and trial strategy designed to clearly demonstrate fault, prove the full extent of our client’s injuries, and expose insurance company tactics. 

Insurance carriers know which firms are willing and able to take cases to verdict—and they know the Lee Steinberg Law Firm has a long history of doing exactly that when fair compensation is refused.