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Personal Injury | Metro Detroit | LSM Lawyers
Motor Vehicle AccidentsNo-Fault Benefits Common Car Accident Injuries
There is a version of summer in Metro Detroit that most people know well. Woodward fills up with classic cars and foot traffic. I-696 turns into a crawl the moment school gets out and construction season kicks in. People are out later, driving farther, and sharing the road with more vehicles than any other time of year. For most drivers, it is just the price of a Michigan summer.
For our team at LSM, it is also the season when the phone rings more. Not because we advertise harder in the summer, but because serious crashes on these roads go up, and people who get hurt on Woodward or I-696 start looking for answers. After representing injured Metro Detroiters for over 50 years, we have seen the patterns repeat themselves. The same types of collisions. The same insurance confusion. The same delayed injuries that people dismiss at the scene and regret later.
The Crashes We See Most Often
Rear-End Collisions
Stop-and-go traffic is the setting for the most common crash type we handle. On I-696 during peak hours and on Woodward through the construction and event corridors, rear-end collisions happen at low to moderate speeds. People often walk away thinking they are fine, only to wake up the next morning with neck stiffness, radiating pain, or headaches that do not go away.
The injuries we see most frequently in these cases include:
- Whiplash and soft tissue injuries to the neck and upper back
- Herniated discs, often at the cervical or lumbar level
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI), even from relatively low-speed impacts
- Shoulder injuries from bracing at the steering wheel
Insurance companies regularly try to minimize these claims, particularly when the property damage looks minor. We have seen adjusters argue that a small dent means a small injury. That is not how the human body works, and it is not something a client should accept without getting proper legal guidance first. See our Common Car Accident Injuries page for more on why impact severity and injury severity do not always match.
Unsafe Lane Changes
I-696 runs five to six lanes wide in several stretches. The Woodward corridor narrows and widens depending on where you are. Both roads see a lot of merging, weaving, and last-minute lane changes, especially near exit ramps and construction taper zones.
Side-impact crashes from unsafe lane changes tend to produce more serious injuries than rear-end collisions at similar speeds. The door panels and side structure of most vehicles offer less protection than the front and rear. Common results include:
- Rib fractures and chest injuries
- Shoulder and rotator cuff damage from door contact
- Hip and pelvic injuries, particularly in lower-profile vehicles
- TBI from lateral head movement
Proving fault in a lane-change crash often depends on physical evidence, witness statements, and, increasingly, dashcam footage. If you have a dashcam, preserve that video immediately. If the other vehicle was a commercial truck or fleet vehicle, that driver's employer may also bear liability. Our Motor Vehicle Accidents page covers how fault is established in these cases.
Distracted Driving
Michigan law prohibits handheld phone use while driving, but enforcement on a six-lane expressway is difficult. We see distracted driving as a contributing factor in a significant portion of the cases we handle on I-696 and Woodward, whether it is a rear-ender caused by someone looking at their phone, a failure to yield from a driver following GPS directions, or a crash caused by a driver whose attention drifted to a car show display.
Documenting distraction after a crash matters. This can include:
- Cell phone records subpoenaed during litigation
- Eyewitness accounts from other drivers or bystanders
- Traffic camera or dashcam footage
- The at-fault driver's own statements at the scene or on social media
Intersection and Left-Turn Accidents
Woodward passes through some of the busiest cross streets in Oakland County. Nine Mile. Eleven Mile. Twelve Mile. Big Beaver. These intersections carry heavy cross traffic and see a lot of left-turn conflicts, where a driver misjudges the speed or distance of oncoming traffic and turns directly into it.
Left-turn crashes frequently result in T-bone impacts, which are among the most dangerous collision types. Injuries can include:
- Serious head and neck trauma
- Broken bones in the arms, legs, and ribs
- Internal injuries
- Fatalities, particularly at higher speeds
What Happens to Your Body After a Metro Detroit Crash
One of the things we tell almost every new client is this: the adrenaline from a crash masks a lot. People stand on the side of Woodward after a collision, check their car, exchange insurance information, and genuinely believe they are okay. By the next morning, or sometimes two or three days later, the picture looks very different.
Delayed onset is not unusual. It is actually quite common with the injuries we see most often, including whiplash, herniated discs, concussions, and anxiety reactions. Some people feel stiff and sore within hours. Others do not notice significant symptoms for several days, by which point the insurance company may already be arguing that the crash could not have caused those injuries.
That is why documentation matters from the moment the crash happens, even before you feel hurt. If emergency responders are called to the scene, let them evaluate you. Go to urgent care or an emergency room if there is any chance you were injured. Follow up with your primary care physician. Keep records of every appointment, every prescription, and every day you missed work or had to modify your normal activities.
The injuries we most commonly see after crashes on Woodward and I-696 include back and neck injuries, herniated discs, traumatic brain injury, broken bones, ligament tears, and in some cases, lasting anxiety, depression, or PTSD from the trauma of the crash itself. For a full breakdown, visit our Common Car Accident Injuries page.
The Insurance Confusion That Follows
Michigan runs on a no-fault insurance system, which means that after most crashes, your own auto insurance is the first place you turn for certain benefits, regardless of who caused the accident. Those benefits can cover medical expenses, a portion of lost wages, and services like in-home care if you cannot manage your daily activities. But the details of what you are entitled to depend on the type of policy you carry, and many people do not fully understand what they purchased until they need it.
Here is where things get complicated for a lot of our clients:
- Michigan's 2019 no-fault reform created multiple coverage tiers, and your benefits may be capped depending on the level of coverage you selected
- No-fault benefits cover certain things; a third-party liability claim against the at-fault driver covers others, and these are separate processes that often run at the same time
- Insurance companies routinely delay approval of medical treatment, dispute whether injuries are related to the crash, or send their own doctors to evaluate you as a way to limit benefits
- Recorded statements to the other driver's insurance company can be used against you, and you are generally not required to give them one
Navigating no-fault benefits and a liability claim simultaneously, while you are also recovering from an injury, is genuinely difficult. Our No-Fault Benefits page explains the basics of the system in plain language and is a good starting point for understanding your options.
These Roads Are Part of Our Community Too
Woodward and I-696 are not just corridors on a map. They run through the neighborhoods where our clients live, the towns where our kids go to school, and the routes that people in this community have driven for decades. When we say we are a Metro Detroit law firm, we mean it in a way that goes beyond the address on Coolidge Highway.
Crashes on these roads are not abstract events to us. They represent real disruption to real people's lives. A missed week of work. A family trying to figure out how to get the kids to school with one working car. A person dealing with back pain who was told by an adjuster that the damage does not look serious enough. Those are the situations we handle every day.
Talk to Someone at LSM. No Pressure.
LSM Lawyers has been fighting for injured Metro Detroiters for over 50 years, recovering more than $100 million for clients across Oakland, Wayne, Macomb, and Washtenaw counties. If you have been hurt in a crash, a free consultation costs you nothing and gives you a clear picture of your options.
Call us, email us, or stop by. We are in Berkley, and we answer.
📞Toll-free:1-855-LISS-LAW (1-855-547-7529)
📍2695 Coolidge Highway, Berkley, MI 48072