Michigan Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers

Michigan TBI Attorneys Who Build Cases Insurance Companies Cannot Dismiss

A client was beaten by law enforcement. The injuries left him with permanent cognitive impairment and personality changes. We took that case to trial and recovered $5.8 million.

Another client suffered a TBI in a motorcycle accident, along with lumbar fractures requiring spinal fusion. We recovered $1.435 million. A third client who suffered brain damage in a corporate negligence case — chronic seizures, memory loss, inability to return to work — received $957,000.

What these cases have in common is not the cause of injury. It is what the injury took. Brain injuries do not just damage physical function. They change who a person is. They destroy careers, end marriages, and leave families managing a loved one they no longer fully recognize. The financial toll is equally severe — lifetime care costs for a serious TBI routinely exceed $1 million.

Christopher Trainor & Associates has spent more than 35 years representing TBI victims and their families across Michigan. We invest in the neurological, neuropsychological, and economic expertise that these cases require, and we prepare every case for trial — because the only way to get full value from an insurance carrier is to make them believe you will.

Every case is on contingency. Nothing upfront and no fee unless we win.

Types of Traumatic Brain Injuries We Handle

Our Michigan TBI attorneys represent victims across the full spectrum of brain injury classifications.

• Concussions
• Contusions
• Diffuse axonal injury (DAI)
• Penetrating brain injuries
• Coup-contrecoup injuries
• Second impact syndrome
• Anoxic brain injuries
• Post-concussion syndrome

Each type carries its own medical profile, treatment protocol, and long-term prognosis. A "mild" concussion that produces months of debilitating headaches and cognitive disruption is not minor. A diffuse axonal injury may leave a person unable to live independently. We treat every TBI case with the seriousness the injury deserves, regardless of how the insurance company wants to categorize it.

Michigan Law and Traumatic Brain Injury Claims

Michigan's legal framework for TBI cases involves both the state's no-fault auto insurance system and traditional negligence law. Understanding how they interact is essential to maximizing recovery.

No-Fault PIP Benefits for Auto-Related TBI
If your brain injury resulted from a motor vehicle accident, Michigan's No-Fault Act (MCL 500.3101 et seq.) entitles you to Personal Injury Protection benefits from your own auto insurer covering reasonably necessary medical expenses — including emergency care, surgery, cognitive rehabilitation, therapy, and attendant care — plus up to 85% of lost wages and household replacement services.

The PIP Coverage Change You Need to Know
For policies issued before June 11, 2019, PIP provides unlimited lifetime medical benefits — a critical distinction for TBI victims who may require decades of ongoing care. Policies issued after that date may have coverage limits of $50,000, $250,000, $500,000, or unlimited, depending on what the policyholder selected. Identifying which policy applies to your situation determines how much PIP coverage is available and how aggressively we need to pursue the third-party claim for the difference.

Third-Party Claims for Full Damages
If your TBI was caused by another party's negligence — a driver, a property owner, an employer — you have three years from the date of injury to file a third-party lawsuit under MCL 600.5805. Through that claim, you can pursue damages that PIP does not cover: pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and future care costs beyond PIP limits. These non-economic damages are often the largest component of a TBI verdict.

Why Insurance Companies Fight TBI Claims So Hard
Brain injury symptoms are frequently invisible on standard imaging. Memory loss, cognitive fog, mood instability, and chronic fatigue are real, disabling, and documented — but they do not show on an X-ray. Insurance adjusters routinely dismiss these symptoms as subjective, pre-existing, or caused by depression rather than by the traumatic event. We counter those tactics with objective medical evidence: neurological imaging including diffuse tensor imaging and PET scans, neuropsychological testing, and testimony from treating physicians and family members about observable changes in behavior and function.

How We Build a TBI Case

A TBI case is only as strong as the medical record that supports it. We start building that record from day one.

We work with neurologists, neuropsychologists, and neuroradiologists who use advanced imaging — MRI, CT scans, diffuse tensor imaging, and PET scans — to document structural and functional brain damage. Neuropsychological testing establishes cognitive deficits in memory, concentration, executive function, and emotional regulation. We also gather testimony from family members, co-workers, and treating physicians about changes in behavior and ability that those close to the victim have observed directly.

Lifetime damages must be calculated with precision. A serious TBI generates costs for the rest of the victim's life. Medical treatment, personal care attendants, assistive technology, wheelchair-accessible housing and vehicles if motor function is affected, and lost income across an entire career must all be quantified by qualified experts. We retain life-care planners certified in TBI cases and vocational economists who calculate future earning capacity loss based on documented cognitive deficits. Without that expert foundation, a TBI case is worth a fraction of what it should be.

We do not settle TBI cases early. The full extent of a brain injury often does not become apparent for months or even years. Accepting a settlement before that picture is complete means leaving money behind for care you will need later. We wait until your medical condition has stabilized and the full scope of your damages is clear before entering serious negotiations.

Serving TBI Victims Across Michigan

Michigan Legal Center — the Law Offices of Christopher Trainor & Associates — represents traumatic brain injury victims throughout Michigan from our offices in White Lake Township and Ann Arbor. We serve clients in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Flint, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Southfield, Sterling Heights, Warren, and communities across Oakland County, Wayne County, Macomb County, and beyond.

Call (248) 886-8650 any time for a free consultation. You pay nothing unless we win.