Why Choose Koussan Law?
Pontiac Personal Injury Lawyer: The Firm Behind a $14.95 Million Pontiac Verdict
Koussan Law represents people seriously injured in Pontiac and across Oakland County on a contingency fee — no fee unless we win. Pontiac is not an abstraction to this firm: Ali Koussan tried a sexual assault and institutional negligence case involving a Pontiac hospital to a $14.95 million jury verdict — as sole plaintiff's counsel against four defense firms — after the defense's early offer was $3,000. Oakland County's circuit court sits in Pontiac, its two Level II trauma centers sit in Pontiac, and when we take a Pontiac case, we are litigating on home ground.
Quick facts for Pontiac injury victims:
- Filing deadline: generally 3 years from the date of injury (MCL § 600.5805); only 2 years for medical malpractice; just 120 days to notify a government defendant (MCL § 691.1404).
- Cost: no upfront fees, ever. Contingency representation, so there is no fee unless we recover money for you.
- Where your case is filed: the 6th Judicial Circuit Court for Oakland County, right in Pontiac.
- No-fault basics: your own auto insurer pays medical bills and wage loss regardless of fault; a separate claim against the at-fault driver for pain and suffering requires a "serious impairment of body function."
This page covers Pontiac's highest-risk roads, the case types we handle most often here, how Michigan injury law applies to Oakland County cases, the local court system, and the deadlines that decide whether a case can be brought at all.
High-Risk Roads and Corridors in Pontiac
- The Woodward Loop (M-1 / Wide Track Drive) — the one-way ring around downtown. Multi-lane one-way speeds meet pedestrian crossings, producing severe knockdown crashes the corridor's redesign debates have long acknowledged.
- Telegraph Road (US-24) — the west-side arterial, one of Metro Detroit's perennial high-crash corridors, with dense commercial cuts and high-speed signal runs.
- M-59 (Huron Street / Highland Road) — the east-west connector between Pontiac and the lakes area, carrying commuter volume through signalized retail zones.
- I-75 and the Opdyke Road / Lapeer Road (M-24) interchange zone — freeway-speed merges feeding the Great Lakes Crossing traffic shed just north.
- Baldwin Avenue and Perry Street — neighborhood arterials where residential driveways, transit stops, and pedestrians share the road.
Personal Injury Cases We Handle for Pontiac Clients
- Car accidents — Telegraph and M-59 crashes, PIP disputes, uninsured and underinsured motorist claims.
- Uninsured / underinsured motorist claims — a recurring Pontiac reality; the Assigned Claims Plan under MCL § 500.3171 backstops PIP when no insurer is in the priority chain.
- Sexual assault and institutional negligence — the case type behind our $14.95 million Pontiac verdict; we hold institutions accountable for the predators they enable.
- Medical malpractice and hospital negligence (referral network) — with two hospital campuses in the city, these cases arise here and carry the 2-year / 182-day NOI framework. Koussan Law does not litigate medical malpractice claims in-house — we connect you with an experienced Michigan malpractice firm through our referral network and remain your point of contact.
- Premises liability and negligent security — apartment complexes, retail lots, and event venues around downtown.
- Truck crashes on I-75 and the M-24 corridor.
- Wrongful death and catastrophic injuries including TBI and spinal cord damage.
Pontiac Hospitals and Your Medical Record
Pontiac hosts two state-designated Level II trauma centers: McLaren Oakland and Trinity Health Oakland Hospital (the former St. Joseph Mercy Oakland). Corewell Health's William Beaumont University Hospital, the Level I center in Royal Oak, handles the region's most complex trauma minutes down Woodward.
Those trauma records — activation notes, imaging, operative reports, rehab documentation — are the objective backbone of both PIP claims and the McCormick serious-impairment showing. Consistent treatment builds the record; gaps hand the defense its favorite argument.
Oakland County Courts — in Pontiac Itself
The 6th Judicial Circuit Court for Oakland County sits at 1200 N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac, and the city's district-level matters are heard by the 50th District Court. Oakland County runs one of Michigan's busiest civil dockets, with active case evaluation and mediation practice under MCR 2.403. Trying a case here is not hypothetical for us — our largest verdict came out of this county.
Michigan No-Fault Insurance: Key Rules for Pontiac Drivers
Michigan's no-fault system controls almost every Pontiac crash case, and it runs on two separate tracks. The first-party (PIP) claim is against your own insurer for allowable medical expenses, wage loss, replacement services, and attendant care under MCL § 500.3107 — regardless of who caused the crash. Which insurer pays is set by the priority rules of MCL §§ 500.3114 and 500.3115, and pedestrians and cyclists struck by cars are covered too. Since the 2019 reform, your recovery is also shaped by the PIP medical coverage level chosen on the policy, and the Michigan Supreme Court's decision in Andary v. USAA (2023) preserved uncapped lifetime benefits for people injured before that reform.
The third-party claim is the lawsuit against the at-fault driver for pain and suffering and excess economic loss. It requires proof of a "serious impairment of body function" under MCL § 500.3135, judged by the three-part test of McCormick v. Carrier (2010): an objectively manifested impairment, of an important body function, that affects your general ability to lead your normal life. Insurers in Oakland County fight this threshold in nearly every case, which is why treatment records and honest documentation of how the injury changed your daily routine matter from day one.
Vehicle damage is handled separately: Michigan's mini-tort provision, MCL § 500.3135(3)(e), lets you recover up to $3,000 in vehicle damage from an at-fault driver.
Deadlines for Pontiac Personal Injury Cases
Miss the deadline and the case is gone, no matter how strong it is. The clocks that matter most in Oakland County:
- Most injury lawsuits: 3 years from the date of injury. MCL § 600.5805(2).
- Medical malpractice: generally 2 years, plus a mandatory 182-day Notice of Intent before filing. MCL §§ 600.5838a, 600.2912b.
- No-fault PIP benefits: the one-year-back rule of MCL § 500.3145 limits recovery to expenses incurred within one year before suit, so PIP disputes cannot wait.
- Government defendants: written notice within 120 days for highway-defect and most claims against public agencies. MCL § 691.1404.
- Wrongful death: the underlying statute of limitations still controls, and the personal representative must be appointed before suit. MCL § 600.2922.
Modified Comparative Negligence in Michigan
Michigan follows a modified comparative negligence rule, MCL § 600.2959. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault, and non-economic damages (pain and suffering) are barred only if you are found more than 50% at fault. Economic damages survive even above that line. Insurers use this rule aggressively — blaming the injured person is the cheapest defense there is — so do not accept an adjuster's fault assessment as final.
For premises cases, the Michigan Supreme Court's decision in Kandil-Elsayed v. F&E Oil, Inc. (2023) folded the old "open and obvious" doctrine into comparative fault. A visible hazard no longer automatically kills a Pontiac slip-and-fall case; it is one factor a jury weighs.
Why Pontiac Injury Victims Choose Koussan Law
Koussan Law is a Michigan trial firm, not a settlement mill. Our results include a $14.95 million jury verdict in a sexual assault and institutional negligence case — tried by Ali Koussan as sole plaintiff's counsel against four defense firms — a $6 million premises liability settlement, and a $1 million wrongful death settlement for the family of a disabled adult. Insurance carriers know which firms actually try cases, and that reputation changes settlement math long before an Oakland County jury is ever seated.
Pontiac deserves counsel who treat it as a first-class venue, not a discount market. We know the Oakland County bench, its case-evaluation culture, and the defense firms that appear here — and they know our verdict history in this courthouse.
Every case is handled on contingency: no consultation fee, no hourly billing, no fee at all unless we recover for you. You get direct attorney contact, not a case-number-and-call-center experience.
Frequently Asked Questions: Pontiac Personal Injury Lawyer
How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Pontiac?
Generally three years from the injury under MCL 600.5805(2); two years for medical malpractice plus the 182-day Notice of Intent; one-year-back for PIP benefits under MCL 500.3145; and just 120 days to give written notice on claims against government defendants under MCL 691.1404.
What does it cost to hire a Pontiac injury lawyer?
Nothing upfront. We work on contingency — the fee is a percentage of the recovery, case costs are advanced by the firm, and you owe no attorney fee if there is no recovery.
What if the driver who hit me in Pontiac had no insurance?
You still have paths to recovery: your own uninsured motorist coverage if you carry it, PIP benefits through the statutory priority chain, and the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan under MCL 500.3171 as the backstop. Deadlines under the ACP are short, so move quickly.
Where will my Pontiac injury case be filed?
In the 6th Judicial Circuit Court for Oakland County, located in Pontiac at 1200 N. Telegraph Road. District-level matters go to the 50th District Court downtown.
Was the $14.95 million verdict really a Pontiac case?
Yes. Ali Koussan tried a sexual assault and institutional negligence case involving a Pontiac hospital to a $14.95 million jury verdict as sole plaintiff's counsel against four defense firms. Every case is different and past results never guarantee an outcome, but that verdict reflects how this firm prepares cases in Oakland County.
Can I recover if I was partly at fault for my crash?
Yes. Michigan's modified comparative negligence statute, MCL 600.2959, reduces your award by your fault percentage; only a finding above 50% bars pain-and-suffering damages, and economic damages survive regardless.
I was assaulted at an apartment complex with broken locks and no security. Do I have a case?
Possibly. Michigan negligent-security law holds landlords and businesses accountable when foreseeable criminal acts are enabled by inadequate security. Institutional accountability cases are a core focus of this firm, including our largest verdict.
Schedule Your Free Pontiac Case Review
Evidence disappears fast — camera footage is overwritten, vehicles are repaired, and witnesses move. If you or a family member was seriously injured in Pontiac or anywhere in Oakland County, call (313) 800-0000 or send us a message for a free, no-obligation consultation. You can also get an instant estimate range with our free case value calculator. There is no fee unless we win.
