Highway & Freeway Accidents
Highway and Freeway Accident Attorneys in Michigan
A crash on I-75 at 70 mph is a completely different animal than a fender-bender on a side street in Dearborn. The speeds are higher, the vehicles are bigger, the impact forces are exponentially greater, and the injuries tend to be life-altering. Michigan's freeway system — I-94, I-96, I-696, M-10 (Lodge Freeway), the Southfield Freeway, I-275 — sees thousands of serious crashes every year, and the cases that come out of them are some of the most complex in personal injury law.
Koussan Law handles highway and freeway accident cases across Metro Detroit and throughout Michigan. We've worked crashes on every major corridor in the region, and we know what it takes to prove these cases.
Why Highway Cases Are Different
Speed changes everything. A rear-end collision at 25 mph might give you whiplash. The same collision at 70 mph can cause spinal fractures, traumatic brain injuries, and internal organ damage. Michigan's no-fault system under MCL § 500.3135 requires that you prove a "serious impairment of body function" to bring a tort claim against the at-fault driver — and highway crash victims almost always clear that threshold because of the sheer force involved.
But the legal complexity goes beyond speed. Highway crashes often involve multiple vehicles, multiple insurance carriers, commercial trucks governed by federal regulations, and sometimes government liability for the road itself.
Claims Against MDOT and Government Entities
If your crash was caused or worsened by a highway design defect, missing signage, a dangerous construction zone, or an unrepaired road hazard, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) or a county road commission may share liability. But suing a government entity in Michigan isn't like suing another driver.
Under MCL § 691.1402 (the highway exception to governmental immunity), you must prove that MDOT knew or should have known about the defective condition and had a reasonable time to repair it. You also have to file a notice of intent within 120 days of the incident under MCL § 691.1404. Miss that deadline by a day, and your claim against MDOT is gone — even if the road was obviously dangerous.
We've handled cases where MDOT failed to repair guardrails after a prior crash, where construction zones lacked proper signage and lane markings, and where drainage issues created standing water across travel lanes on I-94 during rainstorms. These cases require traffic engineering experts and MDOT records requests, and we handle all of it.
Multi-Vehicle Pileups and Chain-Reaction Crashes
Michigan winters and highway speeds are a bad combination. Whiteout conditions on I-75 heading north, black ice on I-696, fog on I-94 near Metro Airport — these conditions produce multi-vehicle pileups where determining fault requires crash reconstruction experts and analysis of each vehicle's speed, braking, and position. Under Michigan's comparative fault rules (MCL § 600.2959), multiple drivers can share liability, and we pursue every one of them.
Evidence That Matters
Highway crashes generate more usable evidence than surface-street accidents: Michigan State Police handle most freeway crash investigations, MDOT traffic cameras may capture the crash or conditions leading to it, electronic data recorders in vehicles store speed and braking data, and nearby commercial vehicles may have dashcam footage. We send preservation letters to every potential evidence source within 48 hours.
The statute of limitations for highway accident claims is three years under MCL § 600.5805, but government claims have that 120-day notice requirement. Don't wait. Call (313) 800-0000 for a free consultation.
Use our free case calculator for a preliminary estimate of your claim value.
