What to do after a car accident in Michigan
Every rule below is quoted from Michigan law or a state agency, with a link. Checked September 17, 2026.
No fault state
The short answer
Michigan is a no fault state. Your own personal injury protection coverage pays your medical bills after a crash, and you can only sue the other driver for pain and suffering if your injury is serious enough. A driver in a crash that injures or kills someone, or causes at least one thousand dollars in property damage, must immediately report it at the nearest police station or to a police officer. You have three years from the crash to sue for your injuries.
Deadlines in Michigan
- 3 years
- to sue for injuriesMCL 600.5805(2)
- 3 years
- to sue for car or property damageMCL 600.5805(2)
- 3 years
- for a family to sue after a deathMCL 600.5805(2)
- 120 days
- to notify the government if a public vehicle or road was involvedMCL 691.1404(1)
Miss one of these and you can lose the right to claim, even with a strong case.
At the scene
Stop, share your information and help anyone hurt
A driver in a crash must stop, give their name, address, and license plate number to the other driver or a police officer, and show their license.
“Give his or her name and address, and the registration number of the vehicle he or she is operating, including the name and address of the owner, to a police”
When you must call the police
A driver in a crash that injures or kills someone, or causes at least one thousand dollars in property damage, must immediately report it at the nearest police station or to a police officer.
“The driver of a motor vehicle involved in an accident that injures or kills any person, or that damages property to an apparent extent totaling $1,000.00 or more, shall immediately”
Moving your car out of traffic
In Michigan, unless the crash appears to have seriously hurt or killed someone, the driver must move the car out of the main part of the road onto the shoulder, emergency lane, or median if it can be done safely and the car still drives normally.
“Unless the operator of a motor vehicle involved in an accident knows or reasonably should know that serious impairment of a bodily function or death has resulted from the accident, the operator... shall remove the motor vehicle from the main traveled portion of the roadway into a safe refuge on the shoulder, emergency lane, or median or to a place otherwise removed from the roadway... if both of the following apply: (a) Moving the motor vehicle may be done safely. (b) The motor vehicle is capable of being normally and safely operated and can be operated under its own power in its customary manner without further damage or hazard to the traffic elements or to the roadway.”
In the days after
Whether you must file a report yourself
Michigan does not require the driver to separately file a report with a state agency. When a crash meets the police report threshold, the officer who takes the report forwards it to the Michigan State Police.
“The officer receiving the report, or his or her commanding officer, shall immediately forward each report to the director of the department of state police on forms prescribed by the”
Getting a copy of the crash report
You can buy a copy of a Michigan crash report online through the Traffic Crash Purchasing System for $15. It can take 3 to 30 days after the crash before the report is available to purchase.
“It can take 3 - 30 days following the crash for the report to be processed into the TCPS database and made available online for purchase.”
Who pays for the damage
Michigan is a no fault state. Your own personal injury protection coverage pays your medical bills after a crash, and you can only sue the other driver for pain and suffering if your injury is serious enough.
“A person remains subject to tort liability for noneconomic loss caused by his or her ownership, maintenance, or use of a motor vehicle only if the injured person has suffered”
Insurance rules in Michigan
What insurance every driver must carry
Michigan drivers must carry liability insurance of at least two hundred fifty thousand dollars per person and five hundred thousand dollars per accident for injuries you cause, and ten thousand dollars for property damage.
“a limit, exclusive of interest and costs, of not less than $250,000.00 because of bodily injury to or death of 1 person in any 1 accident”
Personal injury protection (PIP)
Every Michigan auto policy must include personal injury protection to pay medical bills after a crash. The insured picks a coverage level: unlimited, five hundred thousand dollars, two hundred fifty thousand dollars, or fifty thousand dollars if the insured is on Medicaid.
“select 1 of the following coverage levels for personal protection insurance benefits under section 3107(1)(a)”
When you can sue the other driver
You can only sue the other driver for pain and suffering if you died, suffered a serious impairment of a body function, or have permanent serious disfigurement.
“only if the injured person has suffered death, serious impairment of body function, or permanent serious disfigurement”
If the other driver has no insurance
Michigan does not require insurers to offer or include uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. It is an optional coverage you can choose to add to your policy.
“Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists Coverage These coverages will pay if an uninsured or underinsured motorist seriously injures you or a member of your household and you are awarded a settlement from the at-fault driver.”
Medical payments coverage
Michigan does not require separate medical payments coverage. Personal injury protection, which every policy must carry, already pays reasonable and necessary medical, hospital, and rehabilitation expenses regardless of fault.
“personal protection insurance benefits are payable for the following: Allowable expenses consisting of reasonable charges incurred for reasonably necessary products, services and accommodations for an injured person's care, recovery, or”
If an insurance company treats you unfairly
You can file an auto insurance complaint with the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services, or call their consumer help line.
“Our Call Center Specialists are available to help you Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 877-999-6442”
The deadline rules, word for word
Deadline to sue for injuries
You have three years from the crash to sue for your injuries.
“3 years after the time of the death or injury for all actions to recover damages for the death of a person or for injury to a person or property”
Deadline to sue for car damage
You have three years from the crash to sue over damage to your vehicle or other property.
“3 years after the time of the death or injury for all actions to recover damages for the death of a person or for injury to a person or property”
Deadline for a wrongful death claim
A wrongful death lawsuit from a crash must generally be filed within three years of the death.
“3 years after the time of the death or injury for all actions to recover damages for the death of a person or for injury to a person or property”
If a government vehicle or road was involved
If a defective road or a government owned vehicle was involved, you generally must send a written notice of the injury and the defect to the government agency within one hundred twenty days of the crash.
“within 120 days from the time the injury occurred, except as otherwise provided in subsection (3) shall serve a notice on the governmental agency of the occurrence of the injury”
Sources on this page
Each one was opened and checked on September 17, 2026.
- MCL 500.3135(1)
- MCL 500.3107c(1)
- MCL 600.5805(2)
- MCL 691.1404(1)
- MCL 257.622
- MCL 500.3009(1)(a) and (c)
- Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS), Purchasing Auto Insurance FAQ
- MCL 500.3107(1)(a)
- MCL 257.619(a)
- Mich. Comp. Laws § 257.618a
- Michigan State Police, UD-10 Traffic Crash Reporting
- Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services, How to File a Complaint
- MCR 8.121(B)
Know My Claim is not a law firm or a government agency, and this page is not legal advice. Laws change, so check the linked source before you rely on a deadline.