Were you hit by a drunk or drugged driver in Grand Rapids? When someone else chooses to drive while impaired, the consequences can change your life in seconds. You might be dealing with painful injuries, unexpected medical bills, time away from work, and insurers that don’t prioritize your recovery. In situations like these, you need and deserve legal guidance to protect your rights and pursue fair compensation for your losses.
The Grand Rapids drunk/drugged driving accident attorneys at Gruel Mills can evaluate your case, explain your options, and fight to hold the at-fault driver and any other liable parties accountable. Contact our law firm today for a free consultation, and let us help you take the first steps toward compensation and closure.
Michigan has a no-fault insurance system that limits who you can sue for injuries sustained in a motor vehicle collision. Michigan also recently passed a number of new laws that complicate claims against your own insurance company for things like medical care and lost wages.
We can help untangle which insurance companies should pay for what in cases like these…
Michigan law prohibits operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI). A driver is considered legally intoxicated if their blood alcohol content (BAC) is 0.08 or higher. Commercial drivers are subject to an even lower BAC threshold of 0.04. For drivers under 21, the threshold is just 0.02.
Michigan also recognizes a lesser offense called operating while visibly impaired (OWVI), which can apply even if a driver’s BAC is below 0.08. A driver can be charged with OVWI if their ability to drive is noticeably affected by alcohol, a controlled or intoxicating substance, or any combination of substances.
The law also covers drugged driving. Under Michigan’s zero-tolerance drugged driving laws, a driver can be charged with OWI if any amount of a Schedule 1 controlled substance (marijuana, heroin, cocaine, etc.) is detected in their system. This is true regardless of whether their driving was actually impaired.
Many accident victims don’t realize that, after an OWI crash, their right to seek financial compensation through a civil lawsuit is entirely separate from whatever happens in criminal court. Even if the drunk or drugged driver is never charged with a crime—or if they are charged but not convicted—you can still file a civil personal injury claim against them.
This is because the civil and criminal justice systems operate under different standards of proof. In a criminal case, prosecutors must prove guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt,” which is an exceptionally high bar. In a civil case, your attorney only needs to demonstrate that it is “more likely than not” that the impaired driver caused your injuries and related losses. That lower standard means that outcomes in civil court can differ significantly from criminal proceedings.
The purpose of a civil case is also different. Criminal cases focus on punishment for wrongdoing. Civil cases focus on seeking compensation for your medical bills, lost income, and other crash-related losses.
You must prove fault to recover compensation in an injury claim against another party. Evidence that the other driver was OWI or OWVI can strongly support your claim, but you’ll still need to show that the impairment actually caused or contributed to the crash.
In OWI/OWVI driving cases, fault often centers on speeding, failure to yield, lane departures, or other reckless behavior tied to impairment. Chemical test results, officer observations, and crash reconstruction can all play a role in showing how the impaired driver’s actions contributed to the wreck.
Michigan follows a modified comparative fault rule, which says that the amount of compensation you can get from another party decreases if you were partially at fault for the incident. So, if the other side successfully argues that you were partly responsible, the court will assign a percentage of fault to you, and your compensation will be decreased based on that percentage.
So, for example, if you were deemed 20 percent at fault, your total available compensation would decrease by 20 percent. If you’re assigned more than 50 percent of the fault for the crash, you can’t recover any compensation from the other party at all. This is why it’s so important to work with an experienced lawyer who can push back against unfair accusations and protect your claim.
In some impaired driving cases, liability doesn’t stop with the driver. Depending on the circumstances, you could also have claims against others whose actions contributed to the crash, such as:
A lawyer can help you identify all potentially responsible parties, so you have more opportunities to seek compensation for your losses.
Michigan is one of a handful of states with a no-fault auto insurance system. Under this type of system, your own auto insurance policy is typically your first source of compensation after a crash, regardless of who was at fault. Your no-fault personal injury protection (PIP) benefits can cover your medical costs and replace a portion of your lost income without you having to wait for a fault determination.
However, Michigan law allows accident victims to “step outside” of the no-fault system and pursue claims directly against at-fault drivers in certain circumstances. Specifically, you may be entitled to sue for pain and suffering and other non-economic losses if you meet the “serious injury” threshold. In this context, a serious injury is one that results in a serious impairment of body function, permanent serious disfigurement, or death.
Given that drunk and drugged driving crashes frequently produce catastrophic, life-altering injuries, many people meet this threshold in such cases. This can open the door to compensation that goes far beyond what no-fault benefits alone can provide. You can work with a personal injury law firm to determine whether you have grounds to pursue this type of claim after a Grand Rapids OWI crash.
If you’ve been seriously injured by a drunk or drugged driver, having the right legal team in your corner can make all the difference. The personal injury attorneys at Gruel Mills have more than 40 years of experience representing people throughout Grand Rapids in serious and complex injury cases, including those involving impaired driving accidents.
Over the decades, our team has recovered millions of dollars in fair compensation for injured clients and their families. That means we know what it takes to build a powerful case against negligent drivers and other parties who share responsibility for causing preventable harm.
When you come to our lawyer for help after a crash, we can conduct a thorough investigation, secure key evidence before it deteriorates, and document how your injuries affect your daily life. We can also identify all available sources of insurance coverage and calculate the full value of your losses, so you don’t leave any money on the table. And if your case goes to trial, our seasoned litigation attorneys can advocate fiercely on your behalf. Our lawyers are committed to handling every aspect of your case and pursuing the full compensation you deserve while you focus on healing.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a drunk or drugged driving accident in Grand Rapids, you’ve already been through enough. Let the attorneys at Gruel Mills handle the legal fight while you focus on moving forward. Contact our Grand Rapids drunk/drugged driving accident law firm now to get started with your free consultation session.
