Medical Suspension Appeals
If a Michigan driver suffers from a medical condition that affects his/her ability to drive safely, the Michigan Secretary of State can suspend, restrict or even revoke driving privileges. Typical medical conditions leading to intervention include the following: Epilepsy/seizure disorders; glaucoma/cataracts/eyesight illnesses; hearing loss; physical/dexterity disabilities. Typically, the State finds out about these medical issues from a physician, or from a police officer who has cited the driver or investigated an accident, or even from concerned family members.
The Secretary of State will often call the driver in for a Reexamination procedure to determine his/her fitness to drive. These Reexaminations often include a requirement that the driver produce medical records and/or a physician's statement attesting to the patient's ability to drive safely (or lack thereof). Further, the driver is often given eyesight, hearing, and driving tests during the Reexamination. If the Secretary of State feels the condition(s) render the driver unsafe, they can take immediate actions including restricting, suspended or revoking privileges.
A person can file a Legal Appeal challenging the propriety of the medical suspension/revocation. This is done in the driver's Circuit Court County of Residence. A person whose license has been suspended due to medical conditions—not revoked—can also file a Hardship Appeal seeking judicial relief. Either way, the person must actually file a civil lawsuit against the Secretary of State, pay a civil filing fee ($175 on average), and properly serve the representatives for the SOS (either the Attorney General or County Prosecutor, depending upon the location).
Obviously, drivers with serious medical conditions that do indeed affect their ability to drive face a tall task of returning to the road while these condition(s) persist. After all, we don't want to endanger the public with a driver who cannot safely operate his/her own vehicle. That said, too often the state substitutes its own judgment ahead of medical professionals, and acts rashly/harshly in suspending people with conditions that are manageable. These people need an ally to fight for them and put them back on the road.
Attorney Daniel T. Geherin, owner of MiLicenseLawyer.com and author of The Michigan Drunk Driving and Driver's License Restoration Handbook, has been handling medical appeals and other license cases for the last two decades. He has dedicated his career to helping put drivers back on the road following a license suspension or revocation. He is recognized as a license appeals specialist in Ann Arbor and throughout Michigan.
For a dedicated, experienced and successful license appeals attorney in Michigan to handle your Medical Suspension appeal, please contact Dan Geherin and his team at MiLicenseAttorney.com. We stay on the cutting edge of license appeals laws and regulations; we know the process inside and out, and we'll fight zealously to restore your license.
Geherin Law Group: We are the key to putting you back in the driver's seat.