Why Choose Koussan Law in City Name?
Detroit Personal Injury Lawyer — Our Home City, Our Home Court
Detroit is our home. Koussan Law's main office sits at 821 W Milwaukee Avenue in the New Center area, minutes from Wayne County Circuit Court, the federal courthouse, and every Detroit neighborhood from Corktown to Jefferson Chalmers. We are not a downstate firm that handles the occasional Detroit case — we are a Detroit firm that knows this city's streets, courts, hospitals, and juries. Our trial record includes a $14.95 million jury verdict against Pontiac General Hospital, a $6 million premises liability settlement that stood as Michigan's largest known of its kind under the former open-and-obvious doctrine, and arguments before the Michigan Supreme Court.
When you hire Koussan Law after an injury in Detroit, you hire attorneys who can be on the ground the same day. We take every case on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.
How to Choose a Detroit Personal Injury Lawyer
The single biggest factor in the value of your case is the firm representing you. Insurance carriers settle the same case for very different amounts depending on the lawyer on the other side. When you are evaluating Detroit personal injury attorneys, check four things:
- Trial experience and verifiable verdicts. Most firms settle every case because they cannot try them. Carriers know this and discount their offers accordingly. Demand actual jury verdicts. Koussan Law's $14.95 million verdict against Pontiac General Hospital came after a one-week trial; Ali Koussan served as sole plaintiff attorney against four defense attorneys.
- Michigan no-fault and threshold expertise. Michigan's no-fault system (MCL § 500.3101 et seq.) and the serious-impairment-of-body-function threshold (MCL § 500.3135) drive every auto case. Out-of-state firms and generalists routinely lose value at the threshold stage.
- Genuine Detroit presence. Many firms advertise "Detroit lawyers" with offices in the suburbs. Ask where the firm actually litigates. Koussan Law's home office is in New Center; we are in Wayne County Circuit Court constantly.
- Honest fee structure on contingency. Standard Michigan contingency fees are 33⅓% pre-trial, sometimes 40% if the case goes to trial, with costs reimbursed from the recovery. No retainer, no hourly billing, no upfront cost.
Dangerous Roads and High-Risk Corridors Throughout Detroit
Detroit's road network was engineered for the automotive economy of the 1950s, and it still carries that scale of traffic — but with deteriorating pavement, outdated signal timing, and corridors that have become notorious crash zones:
- I-94 (Edsel Ford Freeway) through the east side — The stretch between Conner Avenue and I-75 is one of the most congested and accident-prone freeway segments in Michigan. Chain-reaction collisions during rush hour and late-night high-speed crashes are constant.
- I-75 and the Lodge Freeway (M-10) interchange — The junction near downtown funnels commuter and commercial traffic through short merges and tight curves. Semi-truck accidents here frequently involve multiple vehicles and serious injuries.
- Jeffries Freeway (I-96) between Livernois and the Lodge — Short merge distances, aggressive lane changes, and poor lighting in certain stretches produce a steady stream of rear-end and sideswipe crashes.
- Eight Mile Road — Detroit's northern boundary is a wide, high-speed artery lined with commercial driveways and pedestrian bus stops. T-bone collisions and pedestrian strikes occur throughout the corridor.
- Woodward Avenue (M-1) — From downtown through Midtown and the New Center to Palmer Park, Woodward's mix of QLINE streetcar traffic, pedestrians, and vehicle traffic creates conflict points at nearly every signalized intersection.
- Gratiot Avenue (M-3) — The east-side corridor to Macomb County sees heavy commercial traffic and frequent intersection collisions between Van Dyke and I-94.
- Michigan Avenue (US-12) through Corktown and Mexicantown — Growing pedestrian activity from stadium events, restaurants, and residential development has outpaced the road's mid-century design.
- I-375 and the Jefferson Avenue corridor — Accidents near the riverfront and the entertainment district spike on event nights when rideshare volume surges.
No matter which Detroit neighborhood or corridor your accident happened in, Koussan Law has the local knowledge to investigate it thoroughly.
Personal Injury Cases We Handle for Detroit Clients
- Motor vehicle accidents — From fender-benders on Mack Avenue to catastrophic freeway pileups on I-94 or I-75, our car accident attorneys pursue every available source of compensation under Michigan no-fault and third-party tort.
- Trucking and commercial vehicle crashes — Detroit sits at the center of the Great Lakes freight corridor. Trucks crossing the Ambassador Bridge, delivery vehicles along Grand River, and semi-trailers on I-75 produce some of the most severe injury cases in the region. Our trucking accident lawyers know federal hours-of-service regulations (49 CFR § 395) and how to depose corporate defendants.
- Pedestrian and bicycle injuries — Downtown Detroit, Midtown, and the riverfront have seen major increases in foot and bike traffic; infrastructure has not always kept pace. Pedestrian accidents on Woodward, Cass, and Jefferson Avenues are disturbingly common.
- Slip and fall and premises liability — Detroit winters produce ice and snow hazards on every commercial sidewalk, parking lot, and entryway. Post-Kandil-Elsayed (Mich. Sup. Ct. 2023), the "open and obvious" doctrine no longer bars these cases at summary judgment. See our premises liability practice.
- Rideshare and delivery driver accidents — The density of Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, and Amazon Flex drivers in Detroit creates layered insurance coverage questions. The applicable policy depends on which phase of the trip the driver was in.
- Wrongful death — When a Detroit family loses a loved one to negligence, our wrongful death attorneys pursue justice and financial security under MCL § 600.2922.
- Medical malpractice at Detroit hospitals — Henry Ford, DMC Detroit Receiving, Sinai-Grace, Henry Ford St. John, and Detroit-area outpatient providers. Subject to Michigan's two-year statute under MCL § 600.5838a, Notice of Intent + Affidavit of Merit requirements, and damages caps under MCL § 600.1483.
- Nursing home neglect — Wayne County long-term care facilities. Pressure ulcers, falls, medication errors, abuse. Federal Nursing Home Reform Act (42 CFR § 483) plus Michigan Public Health Code (MCL § 333.21711).
- Catastrophic injury — Traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, severe burns, paralysis. The cases that demand life-care planners, vocational economists, and trial-readiness from the carrier's first offer.
- Sexual assault and institutional negligence — Our $14.95 million jury verdict against Pontiac General Hospital sits in this category. Uncapped non-economic damages, eight-figure verdicts possible.
Recent Detroit-Area Case Results
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case turns on its specific facts. These examples illustrate the range of cases Koussan Law handles for Detroit and Southeast Michigan clients:
- $14,950,000 Jury Verdict — Sexual assault and institutional negligence against Pontiac General Hospital (February 2026). Ali Koussan served as sole plaintiff attorney against four defense attorneys.
- $6,000,000 Settlement — Premises liability / slip and fall. One of the largest recorded slip-and-fall settlements in Michigan history under the former open-and-obvious doctrine.
- $1,000,000 Settlement — Wrongful death (choking incident in a care facility).
- $850,000 Settlement — Auto accident.
- $800,000 Settlement — Rideshare accident.
- $750,000 Settlement — Auto accident.
- $650,000 Settlement — Slip and fall.
- $600,000 Settlement — Recent auto accident.
See our complete case results for additional context.
Wayne County Circuit Court — Our Home Court
Personal injury lawsuits arising from Detroit accidents are filed in the Third Judicial Circuit Court (Wayne County Circuit Court) at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center downtown. Wayne County is one of the busiest trial courts in Michigan. Koussan Law litigates in Wayne County constantly — we know the judges, the clerks, the mediation rosters, and the Wayne County jury pools. That familiarity translates directly into case strategy and client outcomes. Federal-court matters arising in the Eastern District of Michigan are filed at the Theodore Levin U.S. Courthouse a few blocks away.
Detroit Hospitals — Where Our Clients Are Treated
Most serious Detroit injury cases involve treatment at one of the following hospital systems. We coordinate care, records retrieval, and lien negotiation with each:
- Detroit Receiving Hospital (DMC) — Detroit's Level I trauma center. Most catastrophic injury arrivals from auto, pedestrian, and gunshot trauma.
- Henry Ford Hospital — Main Campus (West Grand Blvd) — Tertiary care and trauma, particularly for cardiac and stroke.
- Sinai-Grace Hospital (Outer Drive West) — Northwest Detroit's primary acute-care facility.
- Henry Ford St. John Hospital (Moross Road) — East-side trauma and orthopedic care.
- Children's Hospital of Michigan (DMC) — Pediatric trauma, including birth injury cases.
- Karmanos Cancer Institute and Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan — Long-term rehabilitation following catastrophic injury.
Michigan Personal Injury Law — What Detroit Residents Need to Know
Three-year statute of limitations: Michigan law gives you three years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit under MCL § 600.5805. Claims against the City of Detroit, Wayne County, or any government entity require a separate 120-day written notice under MCL § 691.1404. Medical malpractice claims have a shorter two-year deadline under MCL § 600.5838a, plus mandatory Notice of Intent and Affidavit of Merit requirements.
Michigan no-fault auto insurance: Your own auto insurer pays Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits — medical, wage loss, replacement services — regardless of fault under MCL § 500.3107. Since the 2019 reform, PIP coverage is tiered at unlimited, $500K, $250K, $50K (Medicaid-only), or opt-out (qualifying Medicare). Your tier election controls your medical coverage ceiling. To sue the at-fault driver for pain and suffering, your injury must meet the serious-impairment-of-body-function threshold under MCL § 500.3135. Detroit residents are frequently targeted by insurance adjusters who assume they cannot afford to fight — we fight back.
Modified comparative negligence: Your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault under MCL § 600.2959. If you are more than 50% at fault, you lose non-economic damages entirely. Insurance carriers exploit this rule aggressively.
Why Detroit Residents Choose Koussan Law
Our Detroit office at 821 W Milwaukee Avenue places us minutes from Henry Ford Hospital, DMC Detroit Receiving, and most of the neighborhoods where our clients live and work. When a Detroit jury sees our attorneys in court, they see lawyers who are part of this community — not out-of-town firms who advertise heavily but know little about the city.
Our team includes founding attorney Ali H. Koussan (a trial attorney admitted in Michigan and Nevada, with arguments before the Michigan Supreme Court), Andrew Johnston (former insurance-defense attorney now representing plaintiffs in Michigan PIP and third-party auto matters), and a full support staff of paralegals and investigators dedicated exclusively to personal injury cases. We do not handle anything else; we represent injured Michiganders, full stop.
Every case is on a contingency fee basis — no retainer, no hourly fees, no cost at all unless we recover money for you.
Frequently Asked Questions — Detroit Personal Injury Lawyer
Q: Who is the best personal injury lawyer in Detroit? The right Detroit personal injury attorney for you is one who has tried cases (not just settled them), understands Michigan's no-fault and threshold framework deeply, has a real Detroit office, and works on contingency so you pay nothing unless they win. Koussan Law meets all four criteria. Our $14.95 million jury verdict, $6 million premises settlement, and Michigan Supreme Court appellate experience are part of why we are evaluated as a top Detroit firm.
Q: How much does a personal injury lawyer cost in Detroit? Standard Michigan contingency fee is 33⅓% of the recovery for cases settled before trial, sometimes 40% if the case goes to trial. Costs (filing fees, expert witnesses, deposition transcripts, medical records) are reimbursed from the recovery. There is no upfront cost. No fee if no recovery. Always confirm the fee structure in writing before signing a retainer.
Q: How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Detroit? Three years from the date of injury under MCL § 600.5805 for most personal injury claims. Two years for medical malpractice under MCL § 600.5838a. Claims against the City of Detroit, Wayne County, or any government entity require a separate 120-day written notice under MCL § 691.1404 — much shorter than the broader statute. Missing any of these deadlines bars the claim entirely.
Q: What is the average personal injury settlement in Detroit? There is no meaningful average — the range from a soft-tissue auto case to a catastrophic spinal cord injury is five orders of magnitude. Most Michigan auto claims settle in the $10,000-$75,000 range; serious or permanent injury cases routinely settle in six figures; catastrophic cases (TBI, spinal cord, wrongful death) routinely produce seven figures. See our complete case-value guide.
Q: Should I take the first insurance settlement offer? Almost never. First offers are calculated on the assumption that you do not have counsel and will not pursue the case. Once an attorney enters the file, the insurance reserve and the offer both move upward — often dramatically. Insurance adjusters are trained to settle cases at the lowest defensible number; a Detroit personal injury lawyer's job is to ensure that number reflects what the case is actually worth.
Q: What if I cannot afford a lawyer? Every Michigan personal injury attorney, including Koussan Law, works on contingency. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation. The fee is a percentage of what we recover; if we recover nothing, you owe nothing. There is no upfront cost or hourly billing. Financial hardship is never a barrier to representation.
Q: Do I need to go to court for my Detroit personal injury case? Most cases settle before trial. The cases that settle at the top of the range do so because the carrier believes the case will go to trial if the offer is inadequate. Trial-readiness is the leverage. Firms that try cases get higher settlements; firms that do not, do not.
Q: How long does a Detroit personal injury case take to resolve? Most cases resolve 12 to 36 months after filing. Simpler PIP-only matters can resolve in months. Catastrophic cases involving disputed liability or expert-heavy damages typically take longer. Settling too quickly — before reaching Maximum Medical Improvement — almost always undervalues the case.
Q: Can I sue if the accident was partly my fault? Yes, in most cases. Michigan applies modified comparative negligence: your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but you can still recover if you are 50% or less at fault for non-economic damages. See our partial-fault explainer.
Q: What if the at-fault driver had no insurance? Your own PIP benefits still pay regardless of fault. For pain and suffering, you fall back on uninsured motorist (UM) coverage if you carry it (most Michigan policies do). The threshold still has to be met. We litigate UM claims against the policyholder's own carrier under the same framework.
Q: Where is your Detroit office? 821 W Milwaukee Avenue, Detroit, MI. New Center neighborhood, minutes from Wayne County Circuit Court. We also serve clients from our Dearborn Heights office (25052 Ford Road) and our Marquette office (425 S 3rd Street). We accept Detroit and Southeast Michigan cases statewide.
Contact Koussan Law — Free Detroit Case Evaluation
If you have been injured anywhere in Detroit, Wayne County, or Southeast Michigan, call us at (313) 800-0000 or contact us online for a free, no-obligation consultation. Whether your case involves a car accident, a truck crash, a slip and fall, medical malpractice, a wrongful death claim, or any other personal injury matter, Koussan Law is ready to fight for you — from the home court advantage right here in Detroit.
