Why Choose Koussan Law?
Lansing Personal Injury Lawyer: Trial-Ready Help in Mid-Michigan and the Capital
Koussan Law represents people seriously injured in Lansing and across Ingham County on a contingency fee, so you pay nothing unless we win. Our trial team has recovered tens of millions of dollars for Michigan injury victims, including a $14.95 million jury verdict, and we try cases at every level of state and federal court. Lansing is the seat of state government, which means claims here often involve government vehicles, state and municipal property, and public agencies, areas where short deadlines and special rules trip up the unrepresented. We know those rules cold.
Quick facts for Lansing injury victims:
- Filing deadline: generally 3 years for injury (MCL § 600.5805), 2 years for medical malpractice, and only 120 days to give written notice to a government defendant (MCL § 691.1404).
- Cost: no money upfront. Contingency representation, no fee unless we recover for you.
- Where your case is filed: the 30th Judicial Circuit Court in Ingham County, at the Veterans Memorial Courthouse downtown.
- Slip and fall: after Kandil-Elsayed (2023), Michigan's old "open and obvious" defense no longer automatically bars icy-sidewalk and hazard cases.
This page covers Lansing's most dangerous corridors, the case types we handle most often here, the government-claim rules that matter in the capital, Michigan no-fault and premises law, the court system, and the deadlines that control your case.
High-Risk Roads and Intersections in Lansing
Lansing is wrapped by freeways and crossed by heavy commuter and commercial corridors. A handful of routes produce a disproportionate share of serious crashes:
- I-496 (Olds Freeway) through the city core. The spur connecting I-96 to downtown carries dense rush-hour traffic with frequent rear-end and merging collisions.
- I-96 and I-69 interchange on the south and east edges. Two interstates meeting near high-speed ramps create chain-reaction and lane-change crashes.
- US-127 at Jolly Road and Trowbridge Road. High-speed north-south volume feeding the Michigan State University area in neighboring East Lansing.
- Saginaw Highway (M-43) and Waverly Road. A congested west-side retail corridor with constant turning conflicts.
- Cedar Street and Jolly Road. A busy south-side commercial intersection with a recurring crash pattern.
- Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Michigan Avenue. The downtown Capitol corridor mixes heavy pedestrian traffic, transit, and commuters.
Whatever corridor your crash happened on, our investigation pulls every available source of proof: event data recorder (EDR) downloads, commercial-vehicle ECM data, intersection and business camera footage, the UD-10 police crash report, and witness statements. See how we handle car accident cases.
Personal Injury Cases We Handle for Lansing Clients
- Slip, trip, and fall, especially winter ice. Mid-Michigan winters make icy sidewalks, parking lots, and entryways a leading cause of serious falls. After Kandil-Elsayed v. F&E Oil, Inc., 504 Mich. 132 (2023), the Michigan Supreme Court overruled the old "open and obvious" doctrine, so a hazard you could see no longer automatically defeats your claim. These cases are now analyzed under ordinary comparative-fault principles. See our slip and fall and snow and ice practices.
- Government-vehicle and transit crashes. As the capital, Lansing has heavy state-fleet, City of Lansing, and Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) bus traffic. Claims against a government agency fall under the motor-vehicle exception to governmental immunity but carry the strict 120-day written-notice rule. See our government vehicle accidents and bus accident pages.
- Auto and truck collisions. Freeway speeds on I-496, I-96, and I-69 produce severe injuries. Commercial-truck cases add Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation discovery on top of Michigan tort law; see our trucking practice.
- Pedestrian and bicycle injuries. Downtown Lansing, the Michigan Avenue corridor, and the MSU edge see significant foot and bike traffic. Pedestrians and cyclists keep full No-Fault PIP coverage under MCL § 500.3115.
- Premises liability at state and commercial property. Falls, negligent security, and dangerous conditions at offices, retail, and apartment complexes around the Capitol and Frandor areas.
- Wrongful death. When negligence is fatal, the personal-representative framework under MCL § 600.2922 controls. See our wrongful death practice.
Suing a Government Defendant in Lansing: The 120-Day Trap
Because Lansing is the center of state government, a large share of local cases involve a public defendant: the State of Michigan, the Michigan Department of Transportation, the City of Lansing, Ingham County, or CATA. Two rules decide these cases early. First, governmental agencies are generally immune from tort liability, with narrow statutory exceptions, the most common being the motor-vehicle exception (negligent operation of a government-owned vehicle) and the highway exception (a defective roadway the agency failed to maintain). Second, MCL § 691.1404 requires written notice within 120 days of the injury, specifying the time, place, defect, witnesses, and injuries, served on the correct agency. Missing that window bars an otherwise valid claim. If a government vehicle or a dangerous public road caused your injury, talk to a lawyer immediately, well before the 120 days runs.
Lansing Hospitals and Your Medical Record
Where you are treated matters to your case. University of Michigan Health-Sparrow Lansing (formerly Sparrow Hospital) operates the only Level I Trauma Center in mid-Michigan and is the region's verified Comprehensive Stroke Center. McLaren Greater Lansing provides additional acute and orthopedic care. Trauma records, imaging, and treating-physician opinions from these systems become central evidence of how serious and permanent an injury is, which is what drives full compensation. When negligent care itself causes harm, our medical malpractice team handles the notice and affidavit requirements.
Ingham County Circuit Court
Personal injury lawsuits arising in Lansing are filed in the 30th Judicial Circuit Court for Ingham County, at the Veterans Memorial Courthouse, 313 West Kalamazoo Street in downtown Lansing. We prepare every case as if it will be tried, which is what produces full-value settlements and verdicts. Cases against federal defendants or out-of-state parties may instead proceed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan.
Michigan No-Fault Insurance: Key Rules for Lansing Drivers
Since the 2019 reforms, every Michigan driver selects a Personal Injury Protection (PIP) tier, from unlimited lifetime medical coverage down to a $50,000 cap for Medicaid-enrolled drivers. PIP pays medical bills, 85% of lost wages for up to three years, replacement services, and attendant care under MCL § 500.3107, regardless of fault. Pain-and-suffering damages require a separate third-party claim against the at-fault driver under MCL § 500.3135, which requires meeting the "serious impairment of body function" threshold from McCormick v. Carrier, 487 Mich. 180 (2010). The Michigan Supreme Court's Andary v. USAA (2023) decision held the 2019 reforms do not apply retroactively to pre-reform claims. See our Michigan No-Fault Attorney page.
Deadlines for Lansing Personal Injury Cases
- 3 years for most personal injury under MCL § 600.5805.
- 2 years for medical malpractice under MCL § 600.5838a, plus a 182-day Notice of Intent under MCL § 600.2912b.
- 120 days for written notice to a government entity under MCL § 691.1404.
- 3 years for wrongful death (2 years for medical-malpractice wrongful death).
- 1 year to claim No-Fault PIP benefits after an expense is incurred under MCL § 500.3145.
Modified Comparative Negligence in Michigan
Michigan applies modified comparative negligence under MCL § 600.2959. Your recovery is reduced by your share of fault, and if you are found more than 50% at fault you cannot recover pain-and-suffering damages. Insurers exploit this in slip-and-fall cases by arguing you should have avoided an obvious hazard, which is exactly why post-Kandil-Elsayed investigation and preparation matter.
Why Lansing Injury Victims Choose Koussan Law
Michigan injury law is full of traps: the PIP coverage tiers, the post-Andary reform landscape, the post-Kandil-Elsayed premises framework, the 120-day government-notice rule that hits so many Lansing cases, and the medical-malpractice Notice of Intent and Affidavit of Merit requirements. We handle these every day. Selected results:
- $14.95 million jury verdict (sexual assault and institutional negligence).
- $6 million settlement in a premises liability case.
- $1 million wrongful death settlement from a choking incident in a care facility.
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes; every case is judged on its own facts. We travel throughout mid-Michigan for court and client meetings, including hospital and home visits. Spanish and Arabic language services are available.
Frequently Asked Questions: Lansing Personal Injury Lawyer
Q: How long do I have to file a personal injury claim after a Lansing accident?
Generally three years from the date of injury under MCL § 600.5805, and two years for medical malpractice. If a government agency is involved, you must serve written notice within 120 days under MCL § 691.1404. These deadlines are strict, so act early.
Q: I slipped on ice at a Lansing business. Do I have a case?
Possibly, and your odds are far better than they used to be. After Kandil-Elsayed v. F&E Oil, Inc. (2023), the "open and obvious" defense no longer automatically defeats an icy-sidewalk claim. The case turns on whether the property owner reasonably maintained the area and on your comparative fault.
Q: A CATA bus or a state vehicle hit me. Can I sue the government?
Often yes, under the motor-vehicle exception to governmental immunity, but you must serve proper written notice within 120 days under MCL § 691.1404. Because that deadline is so short and the notice content is technical, contact a lawyer right away.
Q: What does a Lansing personal injury lawyer cost?
Nothing upfront. We work on contingency, typically 33⅓% of the recovery before trial, with case costs reimbursed from the recovery. No fee if there is no recovery.
Q: Where will my Lansing case be filed?
In the 30th Judicial Circuit Court for Ingham County at the Veterans Memorial Courthouse in downtown Lansing. Some cases involving federal or out-of-state parties may be filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan.
Q: Can I recover if I was partly to blame?
Yes. Under MCL § 600.2959 your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault, and you are only barred from pain-and-suffering damages if you are more than 50% at fault. You can still recover economic damages.
Q: I was hurt as a pedestrian downtown. Does no-fault still cover me?
Yes. A pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle is covered by Michigan No-Fault PIP under MCL § 500.3115, and a third-party claim against the at-fault driver is available if the serious-impairment threshold is met.
Schedule Your Free Lansing Case Review
If you have been injured in Lansing, on I-496, on an icy property, or by a government vehicle, do not wait, especially if a public agency is involved and the 120-day clock is running. Call (313) 800-0000, contact us online, or use our free case calculator. Free consultation, no fee unless we win.
