Michigan car accident claims
Michigan is a no-fault state. Your own PIP usually pays crash medical bills first. Suing the other driver is a different claim.
A crash is a negligence claim: duty, breach, cause, harm. The numbers below are the published Michigan rules, not a ruling on your facts.
Last checked Sep 3, 2026 · LawyerUnc editorial. Educational only, not legal advice.
- How long you have to file
- Ordinary injury claims in Michigan often run 3 years (MCL 600.5805(2)). Tolling and discovery rules can change a date. Confirm the current statute.
- If you share blame
- If you are more than 50% at fault, you recover nothing. At 50% or less, your recovery is cut by your share of blame.
- No-fault vs the other driver
- Michigan is a no-fault state, and the auto statute often matters more than the shared-blame statute. Your own PIP (the level you chose after the 2019 reforms) is the first stop for medical bills. A lawsuit against the other driver for noneconomic harm still has to clear a serious-impairment threshold. Do not read a Florida explainer and assume it describes Detroit. (MCL 500.3101, 500.3135)
- What usually matters
- · Michigan ordinary injury clock: 3 years (MCL § 600.5805).
- · If you are more than 50% at fault, you recover nothing. At 50% or less, your recovery is cut by your share of blame.
- What to save
- Photos of the scene and the cars, the police report number, dashcam or store video, the other driver's insurance card, and your own medical visits in order. Do not post a joke about the crash. Use the preservation letter if a truck or a tape is about to disappear.