$1M+
Hit-and-run recovery with lifetime PIP benefits
The recovery includes entitlement to lifetime Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits for our client.
Southfield Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Lawyer
Southfield office · Serving Metro Detroit
Was the other driver uninsured or carrying too little coverage? Get help reviewing your policy and other possible sources of recovery. Start with a free review of what happened in Southfield.
- $300M+ Recovered for Michigan clients
- 400+ 5-star ratings across review platforms
- Free Case review with no obligation
Start here
What should I do next?
Start with what you know: when and where it happened, how you were affected, and any reports or messages you have. You do not need a complete file before contacting us. We can explain what else may matter, which records to look for, and whether we can help.
A closer lookHow we review your uninsured and underinsured motorist case
Call about a Southfield matter when an uninsured, unidentified, or underinsured driver may have caused injury and policy language, notice, limits, consent, exclusions, or proof requirements are uncertain or disputed. The first Southfield review identifies the complete policy and endorsements, every potentially applicable household, vehicle, employer or commercial policy, the other driver’s coverage and limits, liability, injury proof, PIP, notice, conditions, and dispute procedure. The Michigan uninsured and underinsured motorist guide explains the statewide law and how it may apply to your situation.
Policies, endorsements, amendments, claim letters, proof of other coverage or limits, vehicle evidence, video, witnesses, medical records, and insurer notice can become incomplete or disputed before a contract deadline is understood.
Read the legal detailsIt costs nothing to learn where you stand. Call (248) 886-8650 or start a free case review.
Michigan Legal Center
Our results
The cases. The work.
The difference it made.
$1.25M
Fatal rear-end crash
A speeding driver struck the vehicle from behind. The wrongful-death recovery included the available underinsured motorist policy limits.
$5.2M
Teacher rear-ended by a city work van
A teacher suffered brain and spinal injuries when a Detroit city van hit his stopped car. The City offered $25,000 before trial; a Wayne County jury awarded $5.2 million.
Evidence to preserve
What evidence should I keep?
Keep copies of what you already have. The local records map below explains who may hold additional evidence and what we still need to confirm.
The crash and injuries
Reports, photos, witnesses, and treatment records help document the crash and harm. A coverage question does not replace that evidence.
The complete policy
Keep declarations, endorsements, limits, and claim correspondence. The complete policy controls the coverage questions to review.
Vehicle and physical evidence
Video, vehicle data, damage, towing, and repair records may help explain the crash and identify other possible coverage.
Local evidence and records map
Who may hold the records?
Southfield Police, city engineering, MDOT, road agencies, office and parking operators, transit systems, vehicle owners, fleets, repair facilities, and insurers may maintain separate evidence. The complete policy, declarations, endorsements, household and vehicle facts, notice and claim letters, the other driver’s coverage and limits, tort proof, and any policy-specific conditions should be reviewed before UM or UIM is claimed.
Possible Southfield uninsured and underinsured motorist evidence holders
| Evidence | Possible holder | Why it may matter |
|---|---|---|
| Police, 911, dispatch, report, photographs, and witness information | Southfield Police, city engineering, MDOT, road agencies, office and parking operators, transit systems, vehicle owners, fleets, repair facilities, and insurers may maintain separate evidence. | These records can help reconstruct what happened in Southfield and identify witnesses. A police report is evidence, but it does not decide civil liability. |
| Policies, endorsements, declarations, limits, and claim correspondence | The claimant, household members, agents, personal and commercial insurers, vehicle owners, and the responsible driver or insurer | Declarations alone may not contain the Southfield claim’s definitions, conditions, exclusions, limits, offsets, or dispute procedure. |
| Vehicle, physical, digital, video, towing, and repair evidence | Video may come from office towers, hotels, medical campuses, garages, restaurants, storefronts, SMART or DDOT vehicles, dashcams, and managed security systems. Vehicle owners, tow yards, repair facilities, fleets, device or account providers, and insurers may hold other records. | We check whether records exist, who can preserve them, and how to obtain them lawfully. Their meaning must be assessed alongside the other crash evidence. |
| Medical, functional, employment, and household-loss proof | Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital, Henry Ford Providence Southfield Hospital, Henry Ford Hospital, and Detroit-area trauma providers, follow-up providers, rehabilitation, employers, tax or wage records, and people who observed day-to-day changes | The Southfield treatment and function sequence can support causation and damages, but one diagnosis, scan, symptom, or visit does not determine liability or value. |
Why location matters
What matters in Southfield?
The exact scene helps identify where to look for reports, video, witnesses, and other records.
Understanding the local recordLocal evidence and investigation details
Metro Detroit crashes may involve Oakland or Wayne County drivers, employer-owned vehicles, rideshare or delivery work, and several household or business policies whose terms should be collected before coverage is assumed. Southfield Police, city engineering, MDOT, road agencies, office and parking operators, transit systems, vehicle owners, fleets, repair facilities, and insurers may maintain separate evidence.
Southfield sits at the center of Oakland and Wayne County travel, business, medical care, and litigation. A Southfield case may involve Metro Detroit freeway evidence, employer records, commercial policies, Detroit-area medical providers, or multiple county venues. The service area includes Southfield, Detroit, Birmingham, Troy, Bloomfield Hills, Royal Oak, Ferndale, Oak Park, and Lathrup Village. Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital, Henry Ford Providence Southfield Hospital, Henry Ford Hospital, and Detroit-area trauma providers may document the medical sequence.
Potential courts include Oakland County Circuit Court, Southfield's 46th District Court, and Wayne County's Third Judicial Circuit, but venue and forum depend on the actual parties and claim.
Build the Southfield event record
The complete policy, declarations, endorsements, household and vehicle facts, notice and claim letters, the other driver’s coverage and limits, tort proof, and any policy-specific conditions should be reviewed before UM or UIM is claimed. Freeway queues, service-drive signals, office entrances, interchanges, and multilane arterials can produce cut-in, multiple-impact, commercial-vehicle, and stopping-distance disputes. Local corridors include I-696, M-10, I-75, Telegraph Road, Lahser Road, Northwestern Highway, and Southfield Road.
Find who holds the Oakland County records
A Southfield mailing address does not establish whether the city, MDOT, a county actor, or a private property operator controlled the exact surface or traffic device. Potential private or transit video includes office towers, hotels, medical campuses, garages, restaurants, storefronts, SMART or DDOT vehicles, dashcams, and managed security systems, but a listed system is only an investigation lead and not a promise that footage exists.
Understand your claim and coverage options
Optional UM/UIM, No-Fault PIP, the at-fault driver’s liability coverage, collision coverage, and assigned claims each have their own requirements. We review which may apply to your situation.
Claims and benefits
Which claims or benefits may apply?
The policy, PIP, driver-liability, road, contractor, vehicle-owner, employer, UM/UIM, medical-causation, and damages paths use different proof. None is automatic from the crash label, road condition, policy listing, report, citation, or impact pattern.
Southfield tort and liability-limit track
Fault, injury causation, Michigan’s motor-vehicle threshold, comparative fault, damages, and the responsible driver’s available liability coverage must be established before the alleged UIM shortfall is assumed.
Optional UM/UIM policy track
The full policy—not a generic Michigan rule—controls definitions, insured status, covered vehicles, unidentified or underinsured vehicle terms, conditions, exclusions, limits, offsets, consent, cooperation, and dispute procedure.
PIP, property, and assigned-claims track
No-Fault PIP, collision or mini-tort property issues, and Michigan Assigned Claims Plan eligibility are separate from optional bodily-injury UM/UIM coverage.
30-second case check
Do I have a Southfield uninsured and underinsured motorist case?
Answer five short questions to organize the timing, harm, possible claims, evidence risk, and current status. There is no sign-up and no dollar estimate. Your answers are included only if you submit the free case review below. The result is general information, not legal advice.
Question 1 of 5
Michigan law
The law and deadlines
The rules below explain how a claim may work. The deadlines, available insurance and responsibility for an injury still depend on the facts of your case.
The full breakdownLegal rules that may apply
UM/UIM coverage is optional and contractual
Michigan does not require UM or UIM coverage. Whether a claim exists depends on the complete policy, endorsements, insured status, vehicle and household facts, trigger, limits, exclusions, conditions, notice, proof, offsets, consent, and dispute language.
The underlying motor-vehicle claim still needs proof
Coverage does not replace proof of the responsible driver, negligence, causation, Michigan’s motor-vehicle threshold where applicable, comparative fault, damages, and the other driver’s available insurance.
PIP and UM/UIM are separate paths
No-Fault PIP priority, notice, suit timing, benefit proof, assigned claims, collision coverage, and UM/UIM use different statutes, policies, and deadlines. A declarations page is not the complete contract.
Case work
How we help with your case
From the first conversation onwardHow we gather evidence and build your case
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Fix the Southfield policy, place, and sequence
Record the exact location, movements, impacts, road or project condition, involved vehicles and people, policy and claim contacts, responders, witnesses, cameras, tow destination, and treatment.
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Request only the records that fit
Target the actual insurers, agencies, road authorities, contractors, properties, vehicles, accounts, businesses, and medical providers using the correct policy, route, project, date, and time.
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Separate proof from assumptions
An uninsured, unidentified, or underinsured driver does not automatically trigger UM/UIM coverage. The policy must cover the person and incident involved. PIP, collision coverage, assigned claims, third-party liability, UM, and UIM are not treated as one benefit or one deadline.
-
Map coverage, liability, benefits, and timing
Coordinate the contractual, tort, PIP, property, public/private, medical, wage, and claim-specific timing issues that the verified Southfield facts actually support.
Client reviews
What our clients say
In their own words. Read what clients and families say about working with our team.
★★★★★
I had a rear end collision with a driver in a Ford F-150 pick up truck and I had multiple surgeries and quite a few medical bills that Ryan Ford worked with multiple providers to ensure the medical bills were paid for.
★★★★★
I loved everything about my experience!!! From start to finish I was always in communication with staff & any concerns or questions I had were handled adequately! Thank you so much for everything. Car accidents are scary but you all made this process so easy & fought hard for me to get paid
★★★★★
Christopher Trainor & Associates represented my mother in an extremely tragic car accident. The insurance company was resistant on paying out her law suit, and the team won our case! Thank you so much for your representation!!
Free case review
Tell us what happened.
Send the basics. We will check the facts, coverage, deadlines, evidence, and whether hiring us makes sense. No obligation.
- Contingency-fee cases. No attorney fee unless there is a recovery; the written agreement controls fees and case expenses.
- 400+ 5-star ratings. Across Google and leading review platforms.
- Meet how you want. Phone or video, with in-person meetings arranged when appropriate. Call before visiting the Southfield office.
We couldn’t send your request. You can also call (248) 886-8650.
Response within 24 hours
Local office
The Southfield office
Serving Southfield, Detroit, Birmingham, Troy, Bloomfield Hills, Royal Oak, Ferndale, Oak Park, and Lathrup Village.
- Address
- 2000 Town Center #1900, Southfield, MI 48075
- Hours
- 24/7 phone intake · Call before visiting
- Phone
- (248) 886-8650
Call before visiting so the team can confirm the right meeting location and time.
Common Questions
Southfield Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Lawyer FAQs
What policy documents matter for a Southfield UM/UIM claim?
Collect the full policy, declarations, endorsements, amendments, claim letters, and proof of the other driver’s coverage and limits. The Southfield crash location does not replace the contract analysis.
What local evidence should be preserved after a Southfield uninsured and underinsured motorist matter?
Southfield Police, city engineering, MDOT, road agencies, office and parking operators, transit systems, vehicle owners, fleets, repair facilities, and insurers may maintain separate evidence. Identify a narrow time and place for office towers, hotels, medical campuses, garages, restaurants, storefronts, SMART or DDOT vehicles, dashcams, and managed security systems; also preserve vehicle, policy, repair, medical, work, and witness material that fits the actual claim.
Is UM/UIM the same as Michigan No-Fault PIP in Southfield?
No. PIP is a separate statutory first-party benefit path. UM/UIM is optional contractual coverage, and collision/property coverage and the at-fault driver’s liability policy are different again.
Which court handles a Southfield uninsured and underinsured motorist case?
Oakland County Circuit Court, Southfield's 46th District Court, and Wayne County's Third Judicial Circuit may be involved depending on venue and the amount or type of claim. The correct forum depends on the crash location, parties, damages, public defendants, policy language, and governing law—not the office address or this list.
Do I need a Southfield uninsured and underinsured motorist lawyer?
A Southfield legal review is worthwhile when an uninsured, unidentified, or underinsured driver may have caused injury and policy language, notice, limits, consent, exclusions, or proof requirements are uncertain or disputed. If the Southfield matter is minor, undisputed, and fully resolved, a lawyer may not change the outcome. The consultation with the Southfield office is free, so the useful question is whether legal help protects evidence, coverage, rights, or recovery in your facts.
What local evidence matters in a Southfield uninsured and underinsured motorist case?
Policies, endorsements, amendments, claim letters, proof of other coverage or limits, vehicle evidence, video, witnesses, medical records, and insurer notice can become incomplete or disputed before a contract deadline is understood. The evidence list for this Southfield claim depends on the facts; no camera, report, database, or expert is automatically available or decisive.
How long do I have to bring a Southfield uninsured and underinsured motorist claim?
Do not use one generic deadline. UM/UIM is optional contract coverage, so the full policy may contain notice, proof, consent, arbitration, or suit conditions. The underlying injury claim and the responsible driver's limits matter, while PIP notice, suit timing, tolling, and the one-year-back rule are addressed separately in MCL 500.3145.
Do medical records from local hospitals matter?
Yes. Records from Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital, Henry Ford Providence Southfield Hospital, Henry Ford Hospital, and Detroit-area trauma providers and follow-up providers can document diagnosis, causation, treatment, function, prognosis, and damages in a Southfield claim. The Southfield legal team should obtain the complete relevant chain and not rely only on an insurer’s summary.
Do I have to visit the Southfield office?
No. The Southfield office offers phone and video consultations, and in-person meetings can be arranged when appropriate. Call (248) 886-8650 before visiting 2000 Town Center #1900, Southfield, MI 48075. Meeting arrangements for Metro Detroit can be adapted when injury, disability, distance, weather, or custody makes travel difficult.
How are fees handled for a Southfield uninsured and underinsured motorist case?
The Southfield consultation is free. If the firm accepts the matter on a contingency fee, the attorney fee and responsibility for case expenses are governed by the written engagement agreement. Past results in another Michigan matter do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Our Team Approach
Every case at Christopher Trainor & Associates is a team effort. Our attorneys collaborate on strategy, discovery, and litigation so you get the full strength of the firm behind you—not just a single lawyer. We have built our practice on this collaborative model since 1989.
Meet Our AttorneysRelated resources
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