What to do after a car accident in Minnesota
Every rule below is quoted from Minnesota law or a state agency, with a link. Checked September 17, 2026.
No fault state
The short answer
Minnesota is a no fault state. Your own auto policy pays your basic medical and wage loss after a crash no matter who caused it, and you can only sue the other driver if your injury is serious enough. A driver in a crash that injures or kills someone must promptly report it to local police, the State Patrol, or the county sheriff. You have six years from the crash to sue for your injuries.
Deadlines in Minnesota
- 6 years
- to sue for injuriesMinn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1
- 6 years
- to sue for car or property damageMinn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1
- 3 years from death, 6 year outer limit
- for a family to sue after a deathMinn. Stat. § 573.02, subd. 1
- 180 days
- to notify the government if a public vehicle or road was involvedMinn. Stat. § 466.05, subd. 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, birth date, address, and license plate number to the other driver or a police officer, and help anyone who is injured.
“shall give the driver's name, date of birth, mailing address or email address, and the registration plate number of the vehicle being driven. The driver shall render reasonable assistance to”
When you must call the police
A driver in a crash that injures or kills someone must promptly report it to local police, the State Patrol, or the county sheriff.
“give notice of the collision to the local police department if the collision occurs within a municipality, to a State Patrol officer if the collision occurs on a trunk highway, or to the office of the sheriff”
In the days after
Whether you must file a report yourself
Minnesota does not require the driver to separately file a report with a state agency. When an officer investigates a reportable crash, that officer must send an electronic or written report to the Commissioner of Public Safety within ten days.
“A peace officer who investigates in the regular course of duty an accident that is required to be reported under this section must submit an electronic or written report of the accident to the commissioner of public safety within ten days”
Getting a copy of the crash report
To get a copy of a Minnesota crash report, you go through the Department of Public Safety's Driver and Vehicle Services data request portal.
“Learn how to request a crash report or a record from DVS on our driving record request procedure page. Visit DVS's data request portal to submit a data request.”
Who pays for the damage
Minnesota is a no fault state. Your own auto policy pays your basic medical and wage loss after a crash no matter who caused it, and you can only sue the other driver if your injury is serious enough.
“requiring the insurer to pay, regardless of the fault of the insured, basic economic loss benefits”
Insurance rules in Minnesota
What insurance every driver must carry
Minnesota drivers must carry liability insurance of at least thirty thousand dollars per person and sixty thousand dollars per accident for injuries you cause, and ten thousand dollars for property damage.
“of not less than $30,000 because of bodily injury to one person in any one accident and, subject to said limit for one person, of not less than $60,000 because of injury to two or more persons”
Personal injury protection (PIP)
Every Minnesota auto policy must include personal injury protection, called basic economic loss benefits, of at least forty thousand dollars per person: twenty thousand dollars for medical expenses and twenty thousand dollars for lost income and other costs.
“shall provide a minimum of $40,000 for loss arising out of the injury of any one person, consisting of $20,000 for medical expense loss”
When you can sue the other driver
You can only sue another driver for pain and suffering if your medical and related economic losses go over four thousand dollars, or you meet another listed injury threshold such as permanent injury, disfigurement, or 60 days of disability.
“no person shall recover damages for noneconomic detriment unless the sum of the following exceeds $4,000”
If the other driver has no insurance
Minnesota requires every vehicle owner to carry uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, of at least twenty five thousand dollars per person and fifty thousand dollars per accident.
“Every owner of a motor vehicle registered or principally garaged in this state shall maintain uninsured and underinsured motorist coverages as provided in this subdivision”
Medical payments coverage
Minnesota does not require a separate medical payments coverage. Personal injury protection, which every policy must carry, already pays reasonable medical, surgical, dental, and rehabilitation expenses regardless of fault.
“Medical expense benefits shall reimburse all reasonable expenses for necessary: medical, surgical, x-ray, optical, dental, chiropractic, and rehabilitative services, including prosthetic devices”
If an insurance company treats you unfairly
To file a complaint against an insurance company in Minnesota, use the Department of Commerce's online complaint portal and select "Insurance" as the topic.
“By filing a complaint through our online portal, you will be able to communicate with the investigator and add documents throughout the investigation.”
The deadline rules, word for word
Deadline to sue for injuries
You have six years from the crash to sue for your injuries.
“Six-year limitation. Except where the Uniform Commercial Code otherwise prescribes, the following actions shall be commenced within six years”
Deadline to sue for car damage
You have six years from the crash to sue over damage to your vehicle or other property.
“Six-year limitation. Except where the Uniform Commercial Code otherwise prescribes, the following actions shall be commenced within six years”
Deadline for a wrongful death claim
A wrongful death lawsuit from a crash must generally be filed within three years of the death, and no later than six years after the crash.
“Any other action under this section may be commenced within three years after the date of death provided that the action must be commenced within six years after the act”
If a government vehicle or road was involved
If a city, town, or other municipality vehicle or road was involved, you must present a written notice of the crash to that municipality within one hundred eighty days after you discover the loss or injury.
“shall cause to be presented to the governing body of the municipality within 180 days after the alleged loss or injury is discovered a notice stating the time, place and circumstances”
Sources on this page
Each one was opened and checked on September 17, 2026.
- Minn. Stat. § 65B.49, subd. 1
- Minn. Stat. § 65B.44, subd. 1(a)
- Minn. Stat. § 65B.51, subd. 3
- Minn. Stat. § 604.01, subd. 1
- Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1
- Minn. Stat. § 573.02, subd. 1
- Minn. Stat. § 466.05, subd. 1
- Minn. Stat. § 169.09, subd. 6
- Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Public Record Requests
- Minnesota Department of Commerce, File a Complaint page
- Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 1.5(c)
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.