Grand Rapids Motorcycle Accident Lawyers
Hurt in a Grand Rapids, MI motorcycle crash? The Lee Steinberg Law Firm fights for injured riders in Kent County. Free consultation, no fee unless we win. Call 1-800-LEE-FREE.
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Why Grand Rapids Motorcycle Accident Victims Choose Lee Steinberg Law Firm
Riders enjoy the freedom of the open road, but a single negligent driver can end that ride with devastating injuries. For more than 50 years, the Lee Steinberg Law Firm has fought for injured motorcyclists throughout Michigan.
Grand Rapids funnels traffic through the US-131 S-curve and along Division Avenue, Monroe Avenue, and the 28th Street retail corridor, with downtown filling further on event nights. Tight freeway geometry and crowded surface streets both create danger for riders in Kent County, and our Grand Rapids motorcycle accident lawyers know how to hold negligent drivers accountable.
Our attorneys have earned recognition from some of the most respected organizations in the profession. Members of our firm have repeatedly been named Super Lawyers, and Co-President Eric Steinberg is a former President of the Michigan Association for Justice. When you hire our Michigan motorcycle accident lawyers, you gain decades of experience and the resources to fight for the maximum compensation available under Michigan law.
Our Results
We are proud to have some of the best Michigan personal injury lawyers. Some of our recent results include:
- $5,750,000 for a man injured at a work site
- $3,250,000 for a woman injured at a major retailer
- $2,500,000 for a man injured by a semi-truck
- $2,000,000 for a woman killed in a car accident
- $1,300,000 for a man injured at a construction site
- $1,250,000 for a tenant injured at her rental complex
No Fee Guarantee
We believe every injured rider deserves strong legal representation, no matter their financial situation.
That is why our Grand Rapids motorcycle accident attorneys work strictly on a contingency fee basis. There are no upfront costs, no retainers, and no hourly bills. We advance the expenses needed to investigate and pursue your claim, and you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.
Our promise is simple: if we do not win your case, you owe us nothing.
Free Consultation With a Grand Rapids Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
After a motorcycle crash, you likely have urgent questions about medical bills, lost wages, and which insurance company is responsible for your benefits.
Our consultations are always free. During your case review, an experienced Grand Rapids motorcycle accident attorney will listen to what happened, explain your rights, answer your questions, and outline the best path forward. There is no obligation, and everything you share stays confidential.
What Compensation Can I Get From a Grand Rapids Motorcycle Accident?
There are two main ways to get compensation for injuries following a Grand Rapids motorcycle accident.
The first is pain and suffering, or non-economic compensation. This usually comes from the insurance carrier for the negligent driver or owner. The second means of compensation is through Michigan no-fault benefits.
Pain and Suffering for a Grand Rapids Motorcycle Accident
If another driver is negligent and causes a motorcycle crash, such as by running a red light or making an illegal turn, the injured person can seek compensation for pain and suffering. This is also known as a negligence case, or third-party claim. Both the driver and the owner of the at-fault vehicle are liable for the harms and losses caused by the collision. These "non-economic damages" can include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of society and loss of companionship
- Depression and anxiety
- Loss of quality of life
- Mental suffering
There is currently no cap on pain and suffering compensation, although the defendant's insurance policy provides a ceiling in most cases. That is why it is important to purchase uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist insurance coverage on your motorcycle policy.
Proof Needed to Get Pain and Suffering
To get pain and suffering compensation, the injured person needs to establish a few things: (1) the other person was at least 50% at fault for causing the crash, (2) the person was injured, (3) the injuries were caused by the crash or the crash aggravated a pre-existing condition, and (4) the injured person sustained a threshold injury.
Demonstrating a threshold injury requires medical documentation, proof of specific limitations or impairments, and an explanation of how the crash has impacted your life. An experienced Grand Rapids motorcycle accident lawyer can help you show the insurance company that you sustained a threshold injury.
How Much Is My Grand Rapids Motorcycle Case Worth?
The amount your motorcycle crash case is worth depends on several factors:
- The severity and type of injury — more serious and permanent injuries usually lead to higher case values.
- Medical bills and future care needs — ongoing future medical treatment increases the case value.
- Liability and fault — clear liability against the driver increases settlement value; disputed or shared fault can reduce it.
- Amount of insurance — the settlement amount can be limited by the available insurance policy. It is important to purchase uninsured motorist coverage, especially for your motorcycle.
- Skill of your attorneys — insurers pay more when they know your lawyers are skilled, detailed, and prepared to go to trial.
Take a look at our settlement calculator to gain some insight into the possible value of your case.
Michigan No-Fault Benefits and Motorcycle Accidents
Michigan's No-Fault system treats motorcycle crashes very differently from car accidents, and the rules catch many injured riders off guard.
Under Michigan law, a motorcycle is not considered a "motor vehicle." Therefore, a motor vehicle must be involved in the accident for the injured motorcyclist to be eligible for no-fault benefits (MCL 500.3114). In addition, a motorcycle owner operating their own motorcycle must carry liability insurance at the time of the crash to make a claim for first-party no-fault benefits (MCL 500.3113).
What No-Fault Benefits Are Available to Motorcycle Accident Victims?
Just like drivers or passengers inside a car or truck, a motorcycle operator and their passengers are entitled to no-fault benefits. These 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 you can no longer perform
- 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 costs
Which Auto Insurance Company Pays No-Fault Benefits?
The order of priority for a motorcycle accident is different than for a standard car accident. If you are injured while on a motorcycle, the following rules determine who pays no-fault benefits:
- The owner of the motor vehicle involved in the crash; if none, go to #2.
- The driver of the motor vehicle involved in the crash; if none, go to #3.
- The auto insurance carrier for the motorcyclist; if none, go to #4.
- The Michigan Assigned Claims Plan (MACP).
Examples:
- A motorcyclist insured with Progressive is hit by a motor vehicle insured by State Farm. State Farm pays no-fault benefits.
- An uninsured driver hits a motorcyclist insured with Progressive, but the motor vehicle's owner has State Farm. State Farm pays no-fault benefits.
- A motor vehicle insured by Allstate hits an uninsured motorcyclist operating his own bike. The uninsured motorcyclist cannot claim no-fault benefits.
- An uninsured driver and uninsured owner hit a motorcyclist insured with Progressive, who also has Citizens for his own car insurance. Citizens must pay no-fault benefits.
- An uninsured driver hits a motorcyclist insured with Progressive who has no auto insurance of their own. The motorcyclist applies for benefits through the MACP and can receive up to $250,000.
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 must also bring a separate claim against the at-fault driver and show a serious impairment of body function. Learn more about Michigan No-Fault benefits, and let our Grand Rapids motorcycle accident attorneys handle the claims process for you.
Common Causes of Grand Rapids Motorcycle Accidents
Most motorcycle crashes are caused by the negligence of other drivers. The common causes we see in and around Grand Rapids include:
- Drivers turning left across a rider’s path
- Unsafe lane changes and blind-spot crashes
- Distracted or texting drivers
- Speeding and following too closely
- Drivers failing to yield at intersections
- Hazardous road conditions, gravel, and debris
Deep Resources and Aggressive Investigation
Winning a serious motorcycle accident claim takes far more than filing paperwork. Insurance companies often blame the rider, and beating that bias requires attorneys with real resources and determination.
The Grand Rapids motorcycle accident lawyers at Lee Steinberg Law Firm work with nationally recognized experts to build strong cases. Depending on the circumstances, we may retain accident reconstruction specialists, medical experts, economists, and life-care planners to establish how the crash happened and document the full extent of your injuries.
Our team begins preserving evidence immediately, including witness statements, vehicle and roadway data, photographs, and documentation demonstrating how the driver's negligence caused the collision.
Trial-Ready Grand Rapids Motorcycle Accident Attorneys
Many firms focus on quick settlements. At Lee Steinberg Law Firm, we prepare every Grand Rapids motorcycle accident case as though a jury will decide it.
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.
Proven Results for Injured Michigan Riders
Our firm has recovered substantial settlements and verdicts for injured riders and other accident victims throughout Michigan, including cases involving traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, broken bones, road rash, 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 motorcyclists.
You can review our recent results to see examples of what our firm has recovered for injured Michiganders.
If you were injured in a motorcycle crash in Grand Rapids or anywhere in Kent County, our legal team is ready to put its experience to work for you.
What Sets Us Apart
Our firm understands that no amount of money can replace a loved one. What we can do is pursue full justice on your family's behalf — with the experience, resources, and dedication that Michigan families have relied on for more than 50 years:
No Fee Until We Win
Your family pays nothing unless we win. We advance all litigation costs and fight without financial pressure on you.
Dedicated Legal Teams — Not Shared Staff
Your case receives a dedicated attorney and support team. We do not share staff — because wrongful death families deserve undivided attention.
Deep Resources to Fight the Defense
We retain accident reconstruction experts, medical causation specialists, and economic loss analysts to build the strongest possible case in Grand Traverse County courts.
Trial-Ready Lawyers Who Go the Distance
We prepare every wrongful death case as if it will go before a jury. Our trial reputation gives families leverage that settlement-only firms simply cannot provide.
Award-Winning Recognition
Super Lawyers. National Trial Lawyers Association. Michigan Association for Justice leadership. Our firm has the credentials — and the results — to back it up.
Contact Michigan’s Most Respected Personal Injury Law Firm
Protect your legal rights and contact Lee Free today at 1-800-LEE-FREE (1-866-503-3043) for a free consultation. The insurance companies have people working hard on their side, and so should you. We look forward to answering your questions and working for hard to get a large settlement or verdict.
50+
Years of Experience
+$100M
Recovered for Clients
1000s
of Michigan Families Helped
Frequently Asked Questions
It does not, but it does change the rules. Because a motorcycle is not a motor vehicle under the No-Fault Act, a car, truck, or other motor vehicle must have been involved in the crash for an injured rider to claim first-party no-fault benefits (MCL 500.3114). If a vehicle hit you, those benefits are generally available. Separately, if you owned the motorcycle you were riding, it had to carry liability insurance at the time of the crash for you to claim first-party benefits (MCL 500.3113). These two rules catch more riders off guard than any other part of Michigan law.
For a motorcycle crash the order of priority is different from a car crash. It runs to the insurer of the owner of the motor vehicle involved, then the driver of that vehicle, then your own auto insurance carrier, and finally the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan, which can provide up to $250,000 in benefits. The company that ends up responsible is frequently one you have never dealt with and did not buy a policy from. Identifying the correct insurer early is one of the first things we do on a new case.
Not on its own. Michigan does not require a helmet for every rider: a rider may go without one if they are at least 21 years old, carry at least $20,000 in first-party medical benefits, and have either held a motorcycle endorsement for two years or completed an approved safety course (MCL 257.658(5)). Insurance adjusters raise the helmet question routinely, including in cases where it has no bearing on the injuries at issue. Whether it affects your claim at all depends on your injuries and the facts of the crash — it is not a reason to assume you have no case.
Two clocks run at the same time, and they are not the same length. A claim for no-fault benefits carries a strict one-year deadline from the date of the crash. A claim against the at-fault driver for pain and suffering generally carries a three-year statute of limitations (MCL 600.5805). The one-year no-fault deadline is the one injured riders miss most often, usually because they were focused on treatment and assumed the insurance would sort itself out.
Usually yes, and often more than one route. No-fault benefits still follow the priority order above, so they may come from the vehicle owner's policy, your own auto policy, or the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan. For pain and suffering, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on your own motorcycle or auto policy may respond. This is exactly why we tell riders to carry UM and UIM coverage — it is the coverage that matters most when the at-fault driver has nothing.
Insurers blame riders as a matter of habit, and an adjuster assigning fault is not a finding of fault. Under Michigan law you can still recover pain and suffering as long as you were not more than 50% at fault — a rider who is more than 50% responsible is barred from non-economic damages under MCL 500.3135(2)(b), and below that threshold the award is reduced by your share. Scene evidence, and vehicle damage patterns frequently move that number substantially. Do not accept an adjuster's version of the crash as settled.
It turns on the severity and permanence of your injuries, your medical bills and future care needs, how clearly liability falls on the other driver, how much insurance is actually available, and how prepared your attorneys are to take the case to trial. Anyone who quotes you a figure before reviewing your medical records is guessing. Our settlement calculator can give you a general sense of range, and a free case review will give you a realistic one.
Nothing upfront. We work strictly on a contingency fee basis — no retainer, no hourly bills, and we advance the expenses needed to investigate and pursue the claim. We are paid only out of a recovery. If we do not win your case, you owe us nothing.
A wrongful death claim is brought by the personal representative of the deceased rider's estate under MCL 600.2922, which means an estate has to be opened in probate court first. The family can nominate the personal representative, or the court will appoint one, and our office handles that process for you. Recoverable damages can include the loss of companionship and society suffered by close family members, along with medical and funeral expenses.
Then there may be more than one responsible party. Beyond any negligent driver, a contractor responsible for lane markings, barriers, or surface transitions may be liable. If the claim involves injuries caused by a defective highway condition for which a governmental agency may be responsible, MCL 691.1404 generally requires notice to that agency within 120 days of the injury, subject to the statute's exceptions. Work-zone layouts change week to week, so photographs of the configuration on the day of your crash are often the evidence that matters most.
It does not excuse a driver. Events at Van Andel Arena and DeVos Place bring documented closures, detours, and predictable congestion on Ionia and Monroe. A driver who turns across a rider's path or fails to yield in that traffic is still negligent, and the closure record often helps establish exactly where a driver should have been.
Talk to a
Grand Rapids Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Today
After a motorcycle crash, evidence can disappear quickly, and the no-fault clock starts right away. The sooner you call, the sooner we can protect your rights. Reach out anytime to contact our team for a free, no-obligation consultation. There are no fees unless we win your case.
Need Help?
Get started with your free case evaluation
By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy Disclaimer and Terms.