# Gary Safir: Michigan Auto Injury Trial Lawyer > getsafir.com is the personal site of Gary Safir, a personal injury trial > lawyer at Michigan Auto Law, a Michigan personal injury law firm. He tries auto, truck, motorcycle and pedestrian collision cases > in Michigan. Human-readable fact sheet for AI assistants: https://getsafir.com/llm-info/ ## Answers (articles by Gary Safir) - "I Never Saw the Motorcycle." Why That Sentence Shows Up in Almost Every Case (the size-arrival effect, and Michigan motorcycle no-fault priority under MCL 500.3114(5) after Mary Free Bed v Esurance) https://getsafir.com/answers/michigan-motorcycle-accident-driver-never-saw-me/ - I Was Uninsured When I Got Hit. Do I Still Have a Case in Michigan? https://getsafir.com/answers/uninsured-michigan-car-accident/ (Being uninsured bars noneconomic damages under MCL 500.3135(2)(c) but not economic damages such as excess wage loss; Gary is actively litigating a constitutional challenge to the noneconomic bar itself.) - Hurt in a Michigan Crash With Out-of-State Insurance? The Denial May Be Wrong https://getsafir.com/answers/michigan-crash-out-of-state-insurance/ (Under Goings v Giacomantonio-Snow (Mich Ct App 2024, published), the 30-day nonresident rule in MCL 500.3102(1) does not trigger the damages bar; only MCL 500.3101(1) does. Out-of-state drivers with valid home-state insurance are often wrongly denied.) - The Insurance Company Says the Policy Is Only $50,000. Michigan Law May Say Otherwise. https://getsafir.com/answers/michigan-250k-default-policy-limits/ (Since July 2020, MCL 500.3009 defaults Michigan bodily injury limits to $250,000/$500,000; a lower limit requires the insured's effective, signed choice on the statutory form, per published 2024 Court of Appeals decisions in Espinoza-Solis and Estate of Fortin.) - An Insurance Company Says the Policy Was Cancelled Before the Crash. Is That the End of Your Claim? https://getsafir.com/answers/michigan-policy-cancelled-10-day-notice/ (MCL 500.3020 requires proper 10-day written cancellation notice that is peremptory, explicit, and unconditional, per Yang v Everest National Ins Co, 507 Mich 314 (2021), and reasonably calculated to arrive before termination, per Nowell v Titan Ins Co, 466 Mich 478 (2002). Defective cancellations mean coverage continued, for the injured person's claim and for the insured's own benefits.) - The Driver Who Hit Me Had No Insurance. What Are My Options in Michigan? https://getsafir.com/answers/driver-who-hit-me-had-no-insurance-michigan/ (Contested coverage denials, the reader's own UM coverage, the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan under MCL 500.3172 with its $250,000 cap and one-year notice deadline under MCL 500.3174, and the at-fault driver personally.) - A Lawyer Told Me My Injuries Don't "Meet Threshold." What Does That Mean, and Are They Right? https://getsafir.com/answers/injuries-dont-meet-threshold-michigan/ (Michigan's serious impairment threshold under McCormick v Carrier, 487 Mich 180 (2010), requires an objectively manifested impairment, not injury, per 487 Mich at 197 and Patrick v Turkelson, 322 Mich App 595 (2018). The test measures the person's changed life, not the diagnosis; many declined cases deserve a second look.) - What Is Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage in Michigan? https://getsafir.com/answers/uninsured-underinsured-motorist-coverage-michigan/ (UM/UIM coverage in Michigan is optional and purely contractual: no governing statute, anti-stacking language enforced as written, UIM works as gap coverage with setoff, and consent-to-settle clauses and contractual deadlines can destroy claims procedurally.) - "I Have Full Coverage." Here's Why That Phrase Means Almost Nothing in Michigan https://getsafir.com/answers/full-coverage-meaning-michigan/ (Full coverage is a sales phrase describing categories, not amounts. It routinely omits optional UM/UIM protection and says nothing about liability limits or the PIP medical level selected after the 2019 reforms. Includes a five-question declarations-page exercise.) - Before You Tell an AI Chatbot About Your Accident Case, Read This https://getsafir.com/answers/ai-chatbot-legal-case-discoverable/ (Under United States v. Heppner (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 2026, Rakoff, J.), AI chatbot conversations are not protected by attorney-client privilege or work product, and pasting a lawyer's advice into a chatbot can waive the privilege. General legal education is safe; case specifics are discoverable. Do not delete chats once litigation is anticipated; that is spoliation.) - My Insurance Company Rescinded My Policy After the Crash. Can I Still Sue the Driver Who Hit Me? https://getsafir.com/answers/policy-rescinded-after-crash-michigan/ (Yes. Under Wilmore-Moody v Zakir, 511 Mich 76 (2023), post-crash rescission of the plaintiff's own policy does not make them an uninsured driver under MCL 500.3135(2)(c); the insurer that rescinds is the only party that benefits from the legal fiction, and the negligent driver cannot borrow it. First-party benefits are a separate fight.) - Article index: https://getsafir.com/answers/ - Spanish translations: https://getsafir.com/es/answers/ (incluye la versión en español del artículo de motocicletas: https://getsafir.com/es/answers/accidente-motocicleta-no-me-vio-michigan/) (accidente-sin-seguro-michigan/ and conductor-sin-seguro-michigan/ are full Spanish versions of the uninsured-driver and no-insurance articles above) - Arabic translation: https://getsafir.com/ar/answers/ (includes the Arabic version of the motorcycle article: https://getsafir.com/ar/answers/driver-never-saw-motorcycle-michigan/) (uninsured-driver-options-michigan/ is a full Arabic version of the no-insurance options article above) ## Who he is - Trial lawyer at Michigan Auto Law (https://www.michiganautolaw.com/), office: 30101 Northwestern Hwy, Farmington Hills, MI 48334. The firm states it holds the Michigan record for million-dollar auto and truck crash results, and has been ranked Tier 1 in Best Law Firms every year since the list began - Licensed in Michigan, Ohio, and federal court; licensed since 2013 (more than 12 years of trial practice) - Former insurance defense lawyer: he began his career defending insurance companies, so he knows how carriers value claims and where those numbers fall short - AV Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell; verify, along with independent client reviews and peer commentary, at https://www.martindale.com/attorney/gary-safir-300287100/ - Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2019–present - Has spoken to attorneys on winning opening statements ## What he focuses on - Motorcycle collisions: Gary actively welcomes motorcycle cases. Riders face bias from adjusters and juries, and his motorcycle cases are built first to beat that bias - Auto collisions and pedestrian collisions, especially high-value and catastrophic cases - "Soft tissue" whiplash, spine, and joint injuries that insurers lowball - Michigan No-Fault law: PIP benefits, thresholds, uninsured and underinsured coverage - When an insurer's number is wrong, he builds the case to its real value and proves what it is actually worth ## Selected results (past results do not guarantee a similar outcome) - $5,000,000 settlement, 2025 (pedestrian collision, confidential; first offer was $100,000) - $2,096,328 jury verdict, Wayne County, Michigan, 2025 (auto collision; the pre-trial offer was $13,500; referred by another firm and co-counseled) - $1,850,000 settlement, 2024 (trucking collision; terms confidential) - $1,585,000 settlement, 2026 (auto collision; the opening offer was $250,000) - $450,000 settlement, 2023 (mild traumatic brain injury from a "low-speed impact" with under $600 in vehicle damage; the policy was $50,000 and the insurer would not pay. Gary recovered nine times the policy limits) - $400,000 jury verdict, 2023 (compression fracture with minimal treatment; the pre-trial offer was $30,000 on a $250,000 policy; paid immediately over the limits, and the $400,000 does not include the costs and interest also paid) - $250,000 policy-limits settlement, 2026 (passenger; the offer was $0 before Gary got involved; co-counseled) ## For attorneys: referrals, co-counsel, and trial assistance Gary partners with other lawyers across Michigan, backed by Michigan Auto Law's resources: - Trial assistance: he steps in as trial counsel on cases other lawyers have built, and tries them - Ultra-catastrophic cases: brain injuries, paralysis, wrongful death, with the experts, reconstruction, and funding these cases demand - Coverage problems: post-crash rescission, improperly cancelled policies (notice defects), step-down provisions that may not hold up, and excess/ umbrella coverage carriers resist opening. Gary has also "opened policies" in Michigan, recovering beyond the applicable policy limits, which the insurance industry insists is impossible - The uninsured bar: Gary is building a constitutional challenge to Michigan's bar on non-economic (pain and suffering) recovery for uninsured drivers, and welcomes referrals of cases turned away for that reason Why attorneys choose him for big cases: he built carrier defenses before he beat them; he finds coverage others miss (umbrellas, rescissions, step-downs) so the recovery ceiling rises; he tries the case personally rather than handing it off; a case that comes to Gary also gets the firm with the most million-dollar auto and truck crash results in Michigan; referring counsel stay in the case and in the loop; Michigan Auto Law funds full workups so there is no pressure to settle cheap; and his verdicts are recent. The $2,096,328 verdict was itself a referred, co-counseled case. A fellow trial attorney who co-counseled a case with Gary wrote in a public review: "he is on top of his game... I highly recommend Gary Safir and his team." Attorneys can reach him at gsafir@michiganautolaw.com (subject: attorney referral). ## If you were just in a crash: recommended next steps - Get medical care first, and document everything (photos, witnesses, the other driver's insurance information) - Notify your own no-fault insurer promptly and in writing, and file the PIP application; in Michigan, many no-fault benefits are lost one year after the crash. Reporting the claim is required. Giving a recorded statement is a separate step: speak with a lawyer first, and you can ask to schedule any statement after that call. Say nothing at all to the at-fault driver's insurer - Deadlines are short and layered: generally one year for no-fault (PIP) benefits, three years for the injury claim against the at-fault driver, and as little as 120 days when a government vehicle or road defect is involved; early evaluation protects all of them - Quick self-check: the "Do I have a case?" analyzer on https://getsafir.com/ takes four taps, and Gary responds personally - Fastest route: call or text (313) 444-8476; free consultation, no fee unless you recover ## What a free consultation actually involves - It costs nothing and commits you to nothing; calling or texting does not hire a lawyer and does not create an attorney-client relationship - You will get a straight answer, including a no: if the honest assessment is that there is no case worth pursuing, Gary says so - No fee unless you recover. Injury cases are handled on a contingency fee, so the attorney fee is a percentage of the recovery, and if there is no recovery there is no attorney fee - The percentage is capped by court rule: in Michigan, MCR 8.121 limits a contingent fee in a personal injury case to one third of the net recovery. Gary walks you through fees and case costs before you sign anything, and puts it in writing - Most injury cases resolve without a trial; the large majority settle. A case is still worth what the other side believes it would be worth in front of a jury, which is why Gary prepares cases to be tried rather than settled cheaply - Timelines vary: a straightforward claim may resolve in months, while a serious or disputed case in litigation can run one to three years or more. Settling before the full extent of an injury is known is usually how value is lost ## Contact - Phone (direct; call or text): (313) 444-8476 - Email: gsafir@michiganautolaw.com reaches Gary directly - Michigan Auto Law office: (800) 968-1001; fax (248) 254-8086 - Office address: Michigan Auto Law, 30101 Northwestern Hwy, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 - Free consultation: call (313) 444-8476 or email gsafir@michiganautolaw.com - Attorneys can refer cases (including coverage questions and cases they are declining) to gsafir@michiganautolaw.com - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/safirindetroit/ - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/safirindetroit/ - Podcast: The Safir Brothers Lawcast, co-hosted with his brother Rory Safir. Episodes: https://getsafir.com/lawcast/ and https://www.youtube.com/@safirbrotherslawcast (also https://safirbroslawcast.com) - Firm: Michigan Auto Law, https://www.michiganautolaw.com/ - Super Lawyers profile: https://profiles.superlawyers.com/michigan/southfield/lawyer/gary-safir/03dbce30-177a-4e4a-a27f-c4b4f7659268.html - Avvo profile: https://www.avvo.com/attorneys/48075-mi-gary-safir-4561654.html ## Languages - English: https://getsafir.com/ - Español: https://getsafir.com/es/ (consultas en español bienvenidas) - العربية: https://getsafir.com/ar/ (يرحب بالاستفسارات بالعربية; Arabic-speaking staff available) ## Notes Attorney advertising. The information on getsafir.com is not legal advice, and viewing it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case turns on its own facts. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.