Why Choose Koussan Law?
Saginaw Personal Injury Lawyer: Trial Counsel for the Great Lakes Bay Region
Koussan Law represents people seriously injured in Saginaw and throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region on a contingency fee — no fee unless we win. Our team has recovered tens of millions of dollars for Michigan injury victims, including a $14.95 million jury verdict. Saginaw's I-75 freight spine, the Zilwaukee Bridge, an aging arterial grid, and two regional trauma centers give this market a specific injury-case profile — and insurers here count on claimants accepting first offers. We don't.
Quick facts for Saginaw 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 10th Judicial Circuit Court for Saginaw County.
- 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 Saginaw's highest-risk roads, the case types we handle most often here, how Michigan injury law applies to Saginaw 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 Saginaw
- I-75 and the Zilwaukee Bridge — the north-south artery for the entire state. High-speed traffic, seasonal fog and ice off the river, and heavy truck volume produce severe crashes; bridge grade changes multiply winter spinouts.
- I-675 — the downtown loop, where short ramps and river crossings compress merging traffic.
- M-46 (Holland Avenue / Gratiot Road) — the east-west arterial with dense commercial cuts and signalized intersections.
- M-84 (Bay Road) — the retail corridor toward Saginaw Township, a classic driveway-and-signal crash zone.
- M-58 (State Street) and M-13 (Washington Avenue) — urban arterials mixing commuter, transit, and pedestrian traffic.
Personal Injury Cases We Handle for Saginaw Clients
- Car accidents — I-75 and Bay Road crashes, PIP disputes, and third-party threshold litigation.
- Semi-truck crashes — the I-75 corridor is one of Michigan's heaviest freight routes; evidence preservation is a same-week task, not a someday task.
- Uninsured / underinsured motorist claims — Saginaw's uninsured-driver rate makes UM/UIM coverage and the Assigned Claims Plan under MCL § 500.3171 recurring lifelines.
- Premises liability — winter ice and commercial-property hazards under the post-Kandil-Elsayed framework.
- Medical malpractice (referral network) — with two regional hospitals, Saginaw generates malpractice questions governed by the 2-year clock and 182-day NOI. 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.
- Nursing home neglect, wrongful death, and catastrophic injury cases.
Saginaw Hospitals and Your Medical Record
Saginaw is the trauma hub for the Great Lakes Bay Region with two state-designated Level II trauma centers: Covenant HealthCare (adult and pediatric Level II) and MyMichigan Medical Center Saginaw (the former Ascension St. Mary's, renamed after MyMichigan Health's 2024 acquisition). Severe regional trauma from a wide arc of mid-Michigan is transported here.
Your treatment record at these facilities is the objective core of any claim — it proves PIP-allowable expenses and supplies the objectively manifested impairment that McCormick v. Carrier requires for pain-and-suffering claims. Keep every appointment; gaps become defense exhibits.
Saginaw County Courts
Saginaw injury lawsuits are filed in the 10th Judicial Circuit Court for Saginaw County, with district-level matters in the 70th District Court. Federal-question and diverse-party cases proceed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan's Bay City courthouse. Saginaw juries are working-community juries: they punish exaggeration and reward straight, documented presentation — the way we build every case.
Michigan No-Fault Insurance: Key Rules for Saginaw Drivers
Michigan's no-fault system controls almost every Saginaw 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 Saginaw 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 Saginaw Personal Injury Cases
Miss the deadline and the case is gone, no matter how strong it is. The clocks that matter most in Saginaw 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 Saginaw slip-and-fall case; it is one factor a jury weighs.
Why Saginaw 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 a Saginaw County jury is ever seated.
Saginaw sits squarely inside our statewide practice: we handle Great Lakes Bay Region cases from intake through trial, and our no-fault litigation depth — including a dedicated medical-provider docket — means we know how carriers process PIP files from the inside.
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: Saginaw Personal Injury Lawyer
How long do I have to file an injury lawsuit in Saginaw?
Generally three years under MCL 600.5805(2); two years for medical malpractice with a 182-day Notice of Intent; one-year-back for PIP benefits under MCL 500.3145; and 120-day written notice for claims against government defendants under MCL 691.1404.
What does a Saginaw personal injury lawyer cost?
Nothing upfront and nothing unless we win. Contingency representation means the fee is a percentage of the recovery, and consultations are free.
I was hit by an uninsured driver in Saginaw. Do I have any recovery?
Usually yes. PIP benefits flow through the priority rules of MCL 500.3114, the Assigned Claims Plan under MCL 500.3171 is the backstop, and your own uninsured motorist coverage — if you carry it — funds the pain-and-suffering claim the at-fault driver can't pay.
Where will my Saginaw case be filed?
In the 10th Judicial Circuit Court for Saginaw County. District matters go to the 70th District Court; some cases against out-of-state defendants are removed to the federal court sitting in Bay City.
A semi crashed into me on I-75 near the Zilwaukee Bridge. What makes truck cases different?
Federal motor-carrier regulations, layered insurance, and perishable evidence. Hours-of-service logs, ECM data, and dashcam footage can be overwritten within weeks, so a spoliation letter needs to go out immediately — and commercial policies justify full litigation rather than quick settlement.
Can I recover if the adjuster says the crash was partly my fault?
Yes. Michigan's modified comparative negligence rule, MCL 600.2959, reduces recovery by your fault percentage; only above 50% do you lose pain-and-suffering damages. Fault allocation is a jury question, not an adjuster's decree.
Was the hospital I went to renamed? My records say Ascension St. Mary's.
Yes — Ascension St. Mary's became MyMichigan Medical Center Saginaw in 2024 when MyMichigan Health acquired the hospital. Your records are continuous across the renaming, and we routinely collect them across system transitions.
Schedule Your Free Saginaw 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 Saginaw or anywhere in Saginaw 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.
