When a crash takes a life, someone caused it, and that person or company should answer for it. A Hazel Park wrongful death car accident lawyer exists to find who was responsible and to prove it, so your family gets both accountability and the support the law provides.
Kajy Law Firm investigates fatal crashes across Hazel Park and Oakland County, from the stretch of I-75 that runs through the city to the intersections along John R and Dequindre, and we build the case the insurance company hopes no one will.
Answers matter after a loss like this. So does making sure the responsible party does not simply move on.
Call 248-702-6641 or contact us online for a free, private case review.
Table of contents
- Who can be held responsible for a fatal Hazel Park crash?
- How we investigate a fatal crash
- The law behind a wrongful death claim
- What can your family recover?
- The deadline to act
- Fatal crash risks on Hazel Park roads
- Why Hazel Park families trust Kajy Law
- Hazel Park wrongful death FAQ
- Hold the responsible party accountable
Who can be held responsible for a fatal Hazel Park crash?
Often more than one party, and identifying all of them is the difference between a partial recovery and a full one. The at-fault driver is the obvious place to start, but fatal crashes frequently trace back to others whose negligence set the stage. Naming every responsible party also means finding every insurance policy available to your family.
| Potentially responsible party | When they may share fault |
| Another driver | Speeding, distraction, impairment, running a light |
| A trucking company | A fatigued or unqualified commercial driver on I-75 |
| An employer | A driver who was working at the time of the crash |
| A vehicle or parts maker | A defect such as failed brakes or tires |
| A government body | A dangerous road or ignored hazard, with special notice rules |
We do not stop at the first name on the police report. When commercial trucks are involved, the layers of liability grow, which we cover on our page about fatal truck crashes in Hazel Park.
Finding every responsible party is not about spreading blame for its own sake. It is about matching the harm to the people and companies that caused it, and about reaching enough insurance to actually make your family whole.
A single driver may carry a small policy that runs out long before your losses are covered. When the investigation reaches a trucking company, an employer, or a manufacturer, it opens additional sources of recovery, and it also puts the pressure where it belongs, on the parties whose choices ended a life.
How we investigate a fatal crash
We investigate a fatal crash by preserving evidence fast and reconstructing exactly what happened, because the proof of responsibility disappears quickly. In the first days, we move to secure everything before it is lost or overwritten. That early work is what lets us hold the right party accountable later.
Our investigation typically includes:
- Preservation letters to at-fault drivers and any trucking company, freezing data they might otherwise destroy.
- The vehicle's onboard data, including the Electronic Control Module (ECM), or black box, which records speed and braking before impact.
- Camera footage from businesses and traffic signals along corridors like John R and Nine Mile, often overwritten within days.
- The official crash record, filed through the state system the Michigan State Police describe at michigan.gov.
From that evidence, an accident reconstruction expert can establish how the crash occurred and who caused it, turning a disputed event into a documented one.
Speed is everything in this phase. The trucking company or the at-fault driver's insurer often has people gathering their own evidence within hours, and much of what proves responsibility has a short life. A business may keep security video for only a few days before it records over it, skid marks wash away, and a damaged vehicle can be repaired or scrapped before anyone examines it.
When a family waits weeks to reach out, the case does not become impossible, but it becomes harder, and some proof is simply gone. Reaching out early is the single best thing you can do to protect a fatal-crash claim.
Call 248-702-6641 as soon as you can, so we can preserve the proof before it is gone.
The law behind a wrongful death claim
Michigan's Wrongful Death Act sets the rules for how a family pursues a fatal-crash claim. The statute, MCL 600.2922, requires that the case be filed by the personal representative (PR) of the deceased person's estate, which is the person the probate court authorizes to act on the estate's behalf. The recovery is then shared among eligible family members.
If no personal representative has been appointed, the probate court names one, and for Hazel Park families that runs through the Oakland County Probate Court. We help your family get a PR in place quickly so the accountability case can move forward without delay.
What can your family recover?
Michigan law allows families to pursue compensation for both the financial and personal losses caused by a wrongful death. While the economic side covers tangible costs, such as final medical bills, funeral expenses, and the lost income and household support your loved one would have provided, the personal side accounts for the immeasurable loss of their companionship, guidance, and society, as well as any conscious pain and suffering endured before death.
- Valuing the Human Loss: Insurers are incentivized to ignore non-financial damages, focusing only on what can be proven with a receipt. We do the opposite: we document the full picture of your loved one's role in your life to ensure your recovery reflects the true impact of your loss, not just the expenses on paper.
- Holding Parties Accountable: For many, financial compensation is only part of the goal. The true objective is often accountability, establishing the objective truth of what happened and forcing the responsible party to face the consequences.
Our Approach: A well-built wrongful death case does more than just secure the financial support your family needs for the future. It forces an honest reckoning regarding how your loved one died, an outcome that a quiet, "no-fault" insurance settlement simply cannot provide.
The deadline to act
Michigan generally gives families three years from the date of death to file a wrongful death lawsuit, and the accountability case depends on meeting it. A saving provision can adjust the timeline based on when the estate is opened, and any claim against a government body can carry a far shorter notice deadline, sometimes measured in months. Because those exceptions can be decisive, have an attorney confirm your specific deadline early.
The investigation also has its own clock. Evidence that proves responsibility, from camera footage to vehicle data, can vanish long before the filing deadline. Acting early protects both the legal claim and the proof behind it. You can review local crash data and fatalities to understand how often these crashes happen here.
Fatal crash risks on Hazel Park roads
Hazel Park’s geography forces high-speed, heavy traffic through a dense, compact city, significantly elevating the risk of a fatal accident. With I-75 running directly through town and the I-696 interchange feeding a massive volume of commuter and freight vehicles, high-speed collisions are a constant, dangerous reality.
- High-Risk Corridors: Surface roads like John R Road and the Dequindre corridor experience relentless cross-city traffic, while busy intersections at Nine and Ten Mile create high-speed conflict zones where even minor errors can turn deadly.
- The Uninsured Driver Challenge: The influx of vehicles from surrounding communities and the freeway creates a specific danger: Metro Detroit has one of the nation’s highest rates of uninsured drivers. If a fatal crash is caused by an underinsured or uninsured motorist, the financial burden should not be yours to absorb. Your insurance policy may provide underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage that can help protect your family from those losses.
- Our Investigative Strategy: We don’t stop at the surface level. If the at-fault driver lacks insurance, we immediately widen the investigation to identify all other potentially responsible parties and evaluate your own policy’s coverage options.
Because we work these roads constantly, we understand the specific traffic patterns of Hazel Park. We don't just process a file; we proactively search for every avenue of recovery so that a lack of insurance on the other side does not result in a loss for your family.
Why Hazel Park families trust Kajy Law
Families here trust us because we handle only motor vehicle cases and we bring the same resources to a Hazel Park claim that we would anywhere. Kajy Law Firm has recovered more than $100 million, holds a 98% success rate, and staffs cases with 10 attorneys and over 35 legal professionals. In a wrongful death claim, that investigative muscle is what proves responsibility and holds the right party accountable.
Our Southfield office is a short drive from Hazel Park, and we serve Oakland County families seven days a week. This work connects to our broader Hazel Park car accident representation, and every consultation is free and confidential. That first conversation carries no cost and no obligation to hire us. It is simply a chance to learn where your family stands, what the law allows, and what the next step would be, so you can make a decision with real information instead of guesswork.
Hazel Park wrongful death FAQ
The police report blames the other driver. Do we still need our own investigation?
Yes. A police report is a starting point, not the final word, and it can miss a second liable party or understate what happened. Our independent investigation preserves evidence the report does not capture and can uncover responsibility, such as a trucking company or employer, that changes the value of your case.
What if the driver who caused the fatal crash fled or had no insurance?
Your family may still recover through uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, known as UM or UIM, if your loved one carried it. In a hit-and-run, we also work to identify the driver. We review every policy and every possible source during the first meeting.
Can a trucking company really be held responsible for the driver's crash?
Often, yes. If the driver was working, the company can share liability, and federal safety violations can strengthen the case. Given how much freight moves along I-75 through Hazel Park, commercial vehicles are a real factor in fatal crashes here, and we handle that added complexity.
How soon should we contact a lawyer after a fatal crash?
As soon as possible. The evidence that proves who was responsible degrades quickly, and preservation letters need to go out before data is erased. You do not have to decide anything on the first call; reaching out simply protects your options.
How is fault decided in a Michigan wrongful death case?
Fault is decided by the evidence, and Michigan uses a modified comparative negligence rule. If your loved one shared some responsibility, the recovery is reduced by that percentage, and it is barred only if they were more than half at fault. Understanding how comparative negligence law affects your settlement helps explain why a thorough investigation matters and keeps the fault where it belongs, on the party that caused the crash.
Can more than one family member share in the recovery?
Yes. Although the personal representative files the single lawsuit, the compensation can be shared among close family such as a spouse, children, and parents. A probate judge approves the distribution, and we prepare those filings so every eligible relative is included.
Does filing a claim mean a long court battle?
Usually not. Most wrongful death cases resolve through settlement once the responsible parties and the full losses are documented. Understanding how wrongful death settlements are calculated helps ensure that insurers account for the full value of the claim. We prepare each case as if it could go to trial, which pushes insurers toward fair offers, and we go to court only when a fair result requires it.
What does a Hazel Park wrongful death lawyer cost?
Nothing upfront. We work on contingency, so our fee comes only from a recovery, and we advance the costs of the investigation and experts. If we recover nothing, you owe no attorney fee. We explain all terms before you sign.
Hold the responsible party accountable
A fatal crash should not end with the person who caused it walking away while your family absorbs the loss. Let a firm that investigates these cases hard take it on. Call Kajy Law Firm at 248-702-6641 or contact us privately. Free consultation, and no fee unless we recover for your family.