If you are dealing with mounting medical bills and missed paychecks after a semi truck accident in Lansing MI or anywhere in Michigan, one of the first questions on your mind is probably what you can actually recover. Michigan law provides for several meaningful categories of compensation and understanding each one helps you make informed decisions about your case. Here is what our truck accident attorneys in Lansing want you to know.
Medical expenses are typically the largest and most immediate component of a truck accident claim in Michigan. This category covers far more than just your emergency room visit. According to Michigan Legislature MCL 500.3107, allowable expenses under Michigan’s no fault system include all reasonable and necessary medical costs related to your injuries including hospitalization, surgery, prescription medications, physical therapy, occupational therapy, medical equipment, and home health care.
Here is where it gets important. Many serious injuries require ongoing treatment for years or even the rest of your life. Future medical costs are just as recoverable as the bills you have already received. Our personal injury attorneys in Lansing Michigan work with medical experts to document not just your current treatment needs but the full picture of what your care will cost going forward, so that a settlement reflects your real lifetime needs and not just what has happened so far.
Michigan’s no fault system through PIP benefits Michigan truck accident claimants receive covers initial medical expenses regardless of fault. But if your injuries meet Michigan’s serious injury threshold under Michigan Legislature MCL 500.3135, you can also pursue additional compensation for medical expenses beyond what PIP covers directly from the at-fault trucking company.
The second major category is lost wages, and this goes beyond the paychecks you have already missed. According to Michigan Legislature MCL 500.3145, PIP benefits cover up to 85 percent of your lost wages for up to three years. But for serious truck accident injuries that leave you unable to return to your previous job or work the same hours, the losses extend far beyond three years.
That is where a claim against the at-fault trucking company becomes critical. You are entitled to recover not just what you have lost but what you will lose in the future. If a spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, or other serious harm has permanently reduced your ability to earn income, that lost earning capacity has real and significant value under Michigan law.
Here is why that matters in truck accident cases specifically. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, commercial trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. The force involved in those collisions routinely produces the kind of catastrophic injuries that end careers or require permanent changes to how someone works. Our East Lansing truck accident attorneys account for every dollar of lost earning capacity when building your case.
Pain and suffering is one of the most important and often misunderstood categories of compensation in a truck accident claim in Michigan. It does not have a fixed dollar amount. It reflects the physical pain you are living with every day, the emotional trauma of the accident and its aftermath, and how your life has fundamentally changed.
Maybe you cannot play with your children the way you used to. Maybe you have given up hobbies and activities. Maybe you are dealing with anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress. All of that has real value under Michigan law.
According to Michigan Legislature MCL 500.3135, pain and suffering damages are available to truck accident claimants in Michigan who meet the serious injury threshold, meaning their injuries resulted in death, permanent serious disfigurement, or serious impairment of body function.
Unlike medical expenses and lost wages which can be calculated with relative precision, pain and suffering requires building a compelling picture of your lived experience. That means medical records, expert testimony, personal journals, and testimony from the people in your life who have witnessed how your injuries have changed you.
Property damage covers your vehicle and any personal belongings damaged or destroyed in the crash. While this is often the smallest category of damages in a serious truck accident case, it is fully recoverable and should not be overlooked. If your vehicle was totaled, you are entitled to its fair market value. If personal items were damaged or destroyed, those losses are compensable as well.
Trucking companies are required by federal law to carry significantly higher insurance coverage than regular drivers. According to 49 CFR 387.9, commercial motor carriers transporting general freight in interstate commerce must carry a minimum of $750,000 in public liability coverage, with higher minimums for hazardous materials. Many carriers carry policies well above those minimums.
That means there is substantially more insurance available to compensate you than in a typical car accident. According to Michigan Legislature MCL 600.2959, Michigan follows a modified comparative negligence rule, meaning you can still recover compensation even if you share some fault for the accident as long as you are not more than 50 percent responsible. Your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault but you are not automatically barred from recovery.
At Monument Legal, our truck accident attorneys in Lansing handle every aspect of your compensation claim. We document every category of damages, work with medical experts to build the strongest possible case, and fight to make sure you recover every dollar you are owed.
You can recover all reasonable and necessary medical expenses related to your injuries including emergency care, surgery, hospitalization, physical therapy, medications, medical equipment, and future medical costs. According to Michigan Legislature MCL 500.3107, allowable expenses under Michigan’s no fault system cover all care reasonably necessary for your recovery, rehabilitation, and ongoing treatment. Future medical costs require expert documentation but are fully recoverable in a serious truck accident claim.
Yes, you can recover both past lost wages and future lost earning capacity. According to Michigan Legislature MCL 500.3145, PIP benefits cover up to 85 percent of your lost wages for up to three years. If your injuries permanently reduce your ability to work, you can pursue additional compensation for future lost earning capacity directly from the at-fault trucking company beyond what PIP provides.
You can still recover compensation in Michigan even if you share some fault for the accident. According to Michigan Legislature MCL 600.2959, Michigan follows a modified comparative negligence rule which means your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault as long as you are not more than 50 percent responsible. Insurance companies routinely argue that injured people share fault to reduce payouts which is exactly why having experienced truck accident attorneys in Lansing on your side is so important.
According to Michigan Legislature MCL 600.5805, you have three years from the date of your accident to file a personal injury lawsuit in Michigan. There is also a separate one year deadline to notify your insurer about medical treatment under Michigan Legislature MCL 500.3145. Acting early protects your rights and preserves critical evidence.