Legally Reviewed and Edited by: Terry Cochran

Published on: April 21, 2025

Knowing when to hire a personal injury lawyer and choosing the right one can be confusing. You may wonder, “What kind of cases do personal injury lawyers handle, and which attorney do you need? Whether you are injured in a road accident or due to medical malpractice, a personal injury lawyer will guide you as you navigate the claims process. They know how to file a personal injury claim and negotiate with insurance companies for fair compensation.

Types of Personal Injury Cases a Personal Injury Lawyer Handles

Personal injury attorneys cover a wide range of cases, from minor accidents to catastrophic accidents that result in lifelong disabilities. Here are the common practice areas for personal injury attorneys in Michigan:

Slip and Fall Accidents

Slip and fall accidents occur when property owners fail to maintain safe premises, leading to hazardous conditions. These hazards include wet floors, uneven surfaces, or poor lighting, which create dangerous conditions that lead to preventable injuries.

Slip and fall accidents are common in grocery stores, restaurants, apartments, and public sidewalks.

Skilled Michigan slip and fall lawyers investigate these cases by gathering evidence such as security footage, maintenance records, and witness statements to establish negligence.

Dog Bite Injuries

Michigan law holds dog owners strictly liable for injuries their pets cause, regardless of the animal’s previous behavior or the owner’s knowledge of aggressive tendencies. Personal injury lawyers handling dog bite cases work to document the extent of injuries, which often include physical wounds, scarring, and psychological trauma.

Dog bite attorneys help identify proper insurance coverage and navigate local animal control ordinances. They gather medical documentation, photograph injuries, and collect witness statements to establish liability.

Burn Injuries

Burn injuries result from residential fires, workplace accidents, defective products, and chemical exposures. These catastrophic injuries often require extensive medical treatment, rehabilitation, and potentially multiple surgeries.

Burn injury attorneys in Michigan collaborate with medical experts to document the full extent of damages, including ongoing care needs and permanent disfigurement.

They also investigate the cause of the burn to determine all liable parties. They analyze whether injuries stem from negligent property maintenance, defective products, or workplace safety violations.

Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) represent some of the most complex and devastating personal injury cases. These injuries result from auto accidents, sports incidents, workplace accidents, and medical malpractice, often causing lifelong impairments.

Traumatic brain injury attorneys work with neurologists, neuropsychologists, and life care planners to document both immediate and long-term consequences of brain trauma.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries often result in partial or complete paralysis, altering victims’ lives and creating substantial financial burdens. Auto accidents, falls, sports injuries, or acts of violence are the common causes of spinal injuries.

Spinal cord injury lawyers focus on securing comprehensive compensation that addresses immediate and long-term medical needs.

These lawyers use medical animations, expert testimony, and day-in-the-life videos to illustrate the impact of spinal cord injuries and calculate the past, current, and future economic damages from these injuries.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is a condition that develops after an injury, causing disproportionate chronic pain. This condition often follows fractures, sprains, or surgical procedures.

Symptoms include intense burning pain, skin changes, and reduced mobility in affected limbs. CRPS injury lawyers face unique challenges in educating insurance adjusters and juries about this poorly understood condition.

These attorneys work with medical experts who can explain the neurological basis for CRPS symptoms. Pain management specialists often provide crucial testimony regarding long-term treatment needs.

Sexual Abuse Cases

You can file a civil liability suit against the perpetrator of sexual abuse or assault. In addition to the perpetrator, Michigan civil tort laws allow you to sue institutions whose negligent actions contributed to your sexual abuse.

Working with a sexual assault attorney in Michigan can make this process easier as you navigate seeking compensation for the emotional, psychological, and physical injuries resulting from the abuse.

Michigan Swimming Pool Accidents

Michigan swimming pool accidents fall under premises liability laws. Property owners owe a duty to prevent foreseeable injuries by taking measures such as erecting protective barriers around pools.

To establish negligence, personal injury lawyers investigate compliance with Michigan’s pool safety regulations. They also apply Michigan’s comparative negligence laws to determine the parties liable for swimming pool accidents.

Michigan Slip and Fall on Ice and Snow Lawsuits

The icy winters in Michigan increase the prevalence of slip and fall accidents. Victims of snow and ice slip and fall accidents can recover compensation for their injuries by identifying the party responsible for snow and ice removal.

Michigan slip and fall lawyers help you gather relevant evidence, including weather logs, photographs, weather reports, and maintenance records, to establish negligence. They will gather this evidence promptly before weather conditions change to help you obtain compensation for your injuries.

Michigan Stairway and Escalator Accidents

Stairway and escalator accidents may result in severe injuries due to falls from heights or entrapment in moving parts. Michigan personal injury attorneys investigate whether property owners violated building codes regarding handrail specifications, step dimensions, or maintenance requirements.

They also work with engineering experts to identify defects like loose carpeting, inadequate lighting, or mechanical failures that cause these accidents.

Michigan Broken Sidewalks Cases

You can file a claim against municipal governments for injuries sustained from broken sidewalks in Michigan. For these cases, you must prove that the municipality failed to maintain the sidewalks, resulting in your injuries.

Broken sidewalks injury lawyers navigate strict procedural requirements, including providing notice to governmental entities within 120 days of the incident. Since government immunity may apply to these cases, personal injury attorneys seek evidence to prove that the agency responsible for maintaining the sidewalks failed in its duty, thus causing you injuries.

Choosing the Right Personal Injury Lawyer in Michigan

If you or someone you love has been injured due to another party’s negligence, get the legal representation you need. Speak with our compassionate, knowledgeable Cochran, Kroll, & Associates, P.C. attorneys. We can review your case, guide you through the claims process, and draft an impactful victim impact statement for your personal injury case. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation.

Our contingency fee basis means we only get paid if we win your case, so there is no financial risk to you to get started. Call our law firm today at 1-866-MICH-LAW and schedule your no-obligation, free case evaluation.

Disclaimer : The information provided is general and not for legal advice. The blogs are not intended to provide legal counsel and no attorney-client relationship is created nor intended.