Grand Rapids Auto Accident Attorney With Experience
Nothing can prepare you for being in a car accident. You can’t plan for navigating the resulting complicated claims process. But if this is where you find yourself, consulting with an experienced Grand Rapids car accident lawyer is the best way to get access to the resources you need on your journey toward healing and the compensation you deserve. Put the Sinas Dramis team of attorneys on your side. With compassion, dedication, and an extensive history of successful verdicts and settlements, we help West Michigan families, as well as injured people across the state, get back to the lives they were living before their accident.
Why Hire a Car Accident Lawyer in Grand Rapids?
Our Grand Rapids car accident attorneys understand West Michigan. We know the communities we serve and the resources you’ll need to effectively win your case. We continually build relationships with services and providers utilized most by our clients so we can best connect you to care and rehabilitation if needed. But more than that, we pride ourselves as leaders in Michigan’s auto no-fault system – a complex insurance program that governs nearly all motor vehicle accidents in the state of Michigan.
More than that, while many people are under the impression that since Michigan is an auto no-fault insurance, a no-fault claim is all they’re entitled to. This is often untrue. If you’ve been injured due to the negligence of an at-fault driver, you may actually be entitled to two types of claims – a claim for no-fault benefits against your own car insurance provider and a liability claim against the insurance provider of the driver who caused the accident.
Our Grand Rapids Auto Accident Attorneys:
- Tirelessly advocate and defend your rights.
- Provide unmatched client service.
- Get you results that matter and help you move forward in the best way possible.
- Are recognized by their peers and the industry across the state.
Grand Rapids Car Accident Attorney Specializing in Michigan No-Fault and At-Fault Driver Claims
If you were in a car accident in Michigan regardless of fault, you’re entitled to no-fault benefits if you are an auto insurance policyholder or covered under a resident relative’s policy.
No-fault benefits pay for:
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- Allowable expenses – whatever is reasonably necessary for the care, recovery, and rehabilitation of a person injured in an auto accident.
- Work loss damages – up to 3 years lost income at 85% of previous wages or a statutory maximum of $6,065 (October 1, 2021 – September 30, 2022) per 30-day period.
- Replacement services – $20/day for the care of the home and assistance with household-related tasks.
- Survivor’s loss benefits – subject to the same maximums as work loss benefits, survivor’s loss is designed to support the dependents of victims tragically killed in Michigan car accidents for up to 3 years.
In addition, in instances of collisions caused by a negligent or reckless driver other than yourself, you may be entitled to bring a negligence claim against that at-fault driver.
Liability claim (also called an at-fault driver claim) pays for:
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- Non-economic damages (also commonly called pain and suffering damages) – must meet a threshold injury, including death, permanent disfigurement, or serious impairment of body function.
- Excess economic loss – income replacement above and beyond what is payable through your no-fault benefits.
Not all Grand Rapids car accident lawyers understand how these two types of claims factor into one another. When deciding on an attorney to represent you, keep this in mind. You want someone on your side who can help obtain the best results possible for your journey forward. Our Grand Rapids car accident attorneys understand the complex nature and interplay between both claims. We’re are dedicated to fighting for everything our clients are entitled to under the law. You can rely on our years of experience and knowledge.
Contact Our Grand Rapids Auto Accident Attorneys
Helpful Resources from Grand Rapids Car Accident Lawyers
Injured in a Car Accident in Grand Rapids? What to Know:
The moments and days following a car crash can be confusing, and difficult, especially if you or a loved one are seriously injured. Some important information to know if you’re injured in a Grand Rapids car accident include:
- Be cautious about your insurance company, and attempts to void your policy.
- Reminders that you have to notify your auto no-fault insurance carrier within a year from the day of the crash.
- If you’re filing a lawsuit against a no-fault insurer for a denied benefit, you’ve only got a year to file the claim.
- If you’re seriously injured, you might have the right to sue the at-fault driver.
The most important warning, however, is to contact an attorney who has experience handling Michigan auto no-fault cases and don’t go it alone. The system is more confusing than ever, and without the right representation, you could miss out on the benefits and compensation you deserve following a car crash. Sinas Dramis Law Firm offers free consultation, we’ll take a look at your case, and help you figure out the next steps. Under our contingency fee agreement, our clients don’t pay us an attorney fee unless we win or settle their case.
Grand Rapids Car Accident Lawyer Results and Settlement Finacial Planning
The process of a Grand Rapids car accident lawyer handling a case for an injured client can be time-consuming. Whether the case goes before a judge or jury, or there is a settlement reached between both parties, it can take some time before a check is put in the hands of an injured person. Unfortunately, when that check does come, the process is not over, and the person receiving that check needs to consider personal injury settlement financial planning.
The first thing that might come to mind when receiving a financial settlement after a car accident in Grand Rapids, do I have to pay taxes? Generally, the answer to the question is no. Personal injury settlements are not taxable under either the Federal Rules of Taxation or the State Rules of Taxation. These rules have been clear for a long time. So, if you are receiving a lump sum settlement from a personal injury claim, say a car crash case or something along those lines, the settlement proceeds can be claimed, and you will not have to pay taxes on them.
There are some limited exceptions, those include:
- Punitive damages – These typically do not happen in Grand Rapids auto accident cases.
- Emotional distress damages that have nothing to do with personal injury.
There are some other instances, but they are not common, and the general good news is that income from a personal injury case is not taxable. This also means that a large settlement will not put you in a higher tax bracket.
After My Grand Rapids Auto Accident Case Is Resolved, Am I Required to Take Payment as One Sum or Multiple?
While most people do take a Grand Rapids car crash settlement as one payment, it is not the only option. You can look at other ways to receive the funds over time.
- Structured Settlement: Typically, someone will go with a structured settlement when they are receiving a large settlement and are worried about their ability to control their finances or want a structured budgeting process for the money they receive. A structured settlement is an annuity funded by the settlement proceeds. The person who receives the money can choose to buy one of these annuities, and the annuities can pay out in all sorts of different combinations. They can pay out yearly, multiple times a year, every other year, or every five years. The structure of the distribution of funds is up to the owner.
Another important piece of information here, structured settlement annuities pay a rate of return. Like the lump sum option, the interest payment on the structured settlement is not taxable. Now that is different than if you take a lump sum settlement and then you purchase government bonds or invest the money in the stock market. The returns that you make on those types of investments are taxable.
Grand Rapids Auto Accident Attorneys Serving West Michigan and Beyond
Proudly serving all of Michigan and beyond, Sinas Dramis’s attorneys handle cases across the state, regardless of their office location. The firm’s Grand Rapids office is managed by firm partner Tom Sinas, where attorney Brian Lawson also primarily resides.
Learn more about our Grand Rapids car accident lawyers below.
Thomas Sinas
When a need was identified for Sinas Dramis Law Firm to establish a presence in West Michigan to best serve the community, Tom immediately stepped forward. He has skillfully managed the downtown Grand Rapids location since 2013.
Tom is an accomplished attorney who has tried both civil and criminal cases. He has dedicated himself to serving the public and representing those injured in auto accidents, semi-truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, and many other personal injury cases. Tom is President of the Board of Directors at the Brain Injury Association of Michigan. From 2015 – 2018, he also served in various leadership roles at Grand Rapids Legal Assistance Center and Grand Rapids Bar Association. You also might know him from his educational legal segment Know the Law on Fox 17 News.
Brian Lawson
Brian Lawson has practiced law in West Michigan for 30 years, including extended stints with the respected boutique litigation firm Drew, Cooper, and Anding, where he was a partner, and Rhoades McKee, where he was an equity partner and where he served as Litigation Group Chair. Brian graduated from Franklin College (summa cum laude) with a degree in English in 1989, and from Indiana University School of Law (cum laude) in 1992. His practice has, from the beginning, revolved around all areas of personal injury law, including product liability, trucking accidents, gas fires and explosions, construction site injuries, nursing home abuse and neglect, and auto/no-fault law. Brian has secured significant resolutions for his clients through trials, arbitrations, mediations, and settlements.