Michigan Gas Station Injury Lawyer

A Michigan gas station injury lawyer can help if you or someone you care about was hurt at a service station or convenience store. Personal injuries often occur at gas stations due to the tremendous amount of traffic at them every day and night. If you slipped and fell at a gas station, call The Buckfire Law Firm to start your case.

• What are the Causes of Gas Station Injuries?
• Michigan Slip and Falls at Gas Stations
• How to Prove a Gas Station Injury Claim?
• Surveillance Video as Evidence in Gas Station Cases
• Can I get No-Fault Insurance Benefits for a Gas Station Injury?

Can I Sue a Gas Station in Michigan for an Injury?

You can sue a Michigan gas station owner if you were injured due to negligence or a defect on the property. The owner has a legal duty to make the property safe for customers both in the gas filling area and inside the store. The failure to maintain the gas station and convenience store in good condition to make it safe for customers provides a legal basis for suing in a personal injury lawsuit.

What are the Causes of Gas Station Injuries?

The most common causes of Michigan gas station injuries include:

• Slip and falls on ice and snow near gas pumps or in the parking lot
• Water or liquid spills in the convenience store area
• Falls due to oil and gas spills that create slick surfaces
• Broken steps
• Potholes and uneven walkways
• Poorly designed parking lots
• Injuries from food purchased at the convenience store

Most injuries could have been prevented if the gas station owner had properly maintained the premises and kept it free and clear of hazardous conditions.

Michigan Slip and Falls at Gas Stations

Our slip and fall lawyers have successfully won settlements for slip and fall cases that occur at gas stations. The most common types of cases involve falls on icy conditions near the gas pumps or in the parking lot near the building. Quite often, the business fails to timely plow snow or even put down salt to melt and eliminate ice.

Due to the constant pedestrian traffic, it is imperative that the area be frequently salted to eliminate icy conditions. The accumulation of ice is also often the result of both natural precipitations freezing on the ground or water dripping down from the overhead canopies and forming into ice near the pumps.

The gas station employees have an affirmative duty to frequently check the areas and inspect for hazardous conditions, including snow and ice. Because it takes time for freezing to occur, the failure to timely put down ice is evidence that the employees were not frequently monitoring the area for snow and ice.

Common Injuries Suffered at Gas Stations

A wide range of injuries occur at gas stations and convenience stores, including:

• Burn injuries
• Concussions and other traumatic brain injuries from falls
• Soft-tissue sprains, strains, bruises, and scrapes
• Knee, ankle and leg fractures and injuries
• Back and neck injuries
• Broken bones and fractures
• Lacerations
• Head wounds
• Disfigurements and scars

Our gas station negligence attorneys will get your medical records to support the serious injuries you suffered on the premises. We use these to prove to the liability insurance company adjuster the nature of your injuries and to support a settlement demand. These records help us negotiate a great settlement for you.

How to Prove a Gas Station Injury Claim?

Under Michigan law, a gas station customer is owed the highest legal duty of care because the person is a business invitee. This legal duty requires the business to warn customers of dangerous conditions, to inspect the grounds for hazards, and to eliminate the condition in a timely manner. Most times, the evidence shows that the employees never did a visual inspection for hazards, and they failed to timely eliminate the hazard.

Surveillance Video as Evidence in Gas Station Cases

Our Michigan gas station injury lawyers have won sizeable settlements after obtaining surveillance videos from the business. Every gas station has video cameras both inside the convenience store and outside in the pump areas for security purposes.

These video cameras often capture the incident and provide great proof of negligence and liability against the business. First, they show exactly how the injury occurred, and this is very helpful in the absence of eyewitnesses. Second, they often show the nature and extent of the dangerous conditions.

Finally, the videos can be strong evidence to show how long the hazard existed before the injury and that employees never inspected the area or took actions to eliminate the dangerous condition. This includes the failure to put down salt to melt an icy area or the failure to mop up a spill on the floor inside the store.

Our slip and fall attorneys will request the videos from the gas station immediately after you hire our award-winning personal injury law firm. Many businesses erase their videos after 30 days so it is important you contact us immediately so we can preserve that video evidence that can help win your case.

Largest Gas Stations in Michigan

Michigan consumers have access to various gas stations across the state. The largest gas station chains in Michigan are:

1. AmeriGas with 1,231 locations
2. Exxon Mobil with 599 locations
3. BP with 564 locations
4. Shell with 418 locations
5. Citgo with 327 locations
6. Speedway with 294 locations
7. Admiral with 95 locations
8. Amoco with 60 locations
9. Circle K with 49 locations
10. Murphy USA with 27 locations

Number of Gas Stations by County in Michigan

How much is a Gas Station Injury Settlement?

The amount of a gas station injury settlement is based on several factors, including the:

• Strength of proving negligence against the gas station owner
• Seriousness of the injury and medical condition
• Medical treatment needed for the injury, like surgery and physical therapy
• Medical bills and other financial losses suffered by the victim
• Degree of pain and suffering, mental anguish, and disability

There is no calculator used to determine the amount of a settlement. Rather, it is the skill and effectiveness of your lawyer that will help you get the highest settlement.

Examples of Michigan Gas Station Settlements

• $1,100,000 for a slip and fall that caused a traumatic brain injury
• $950,000 for a fall on a sheet of ice near a gas pump
• $400,000 for a burn injury caused by a defective pump
• $375,000 for a fall caused by cracked cement in the parking lot
• $150,000 for a burn injury caused by hot coffee

Can I get No-Fault Insurance Benefits for a Gas Station Injury?

You can claim Michigan no-fault insurance benefits if you were injured at a gas station. To qualify for these benefits, you must be actively maintaining your vehicle, like filling it with gas or oil, or be in physical contact with the vehicle. You may also qualify for these benefits if you slip and fall while entering or exiting your motor vehicle.

Further, you are entitled to these benefits if you were hit by a car in the gas station parking lot, either as a vehicle occupant or while walking in the area.

No-fault benefits pay for your medical bills, lost wages, and other benefits. Our Michigan gas station injury lawyers will help you file the paperwork needed for your claims.

Contact a Michigan Gas Station Injury Lawyer

If you were injured at a gas station or on-site convenience store, you should contact our Michigan station attorneys now to start your case. We will immediately request surveillance video and start our investigation of your case. This is your best chance of winning the maximum possible settlement to compensate you for your injuries.

There is no cost to start your case, and we do not charge any legal fees unless you win a settlement. If you do not receive a settlement, you owe us nothing!