What to Do After a Car Accident in Michigan: 7 Critical Steps

By Attorney Manny Chahal · Updated 2026 · Reading time: ~6 min

The first 72 hours after a Michigan auto crash decide most of your case. PIP applications get filed or missed, evidence gets preserved or lost, and adjusters start building the file they will use to deny you. Here is exactly what to do — and what not to do — in the order it matters.

Step 1: Get Safe and Get Help (Minutes 0–10)

Move out of traffic if you can do so safely. Turn on your hazard lights. If anyone — including you — feels hurt, dizzy, has neck or back pain, or hit their head, call 911. Refusing transport because you “feel okay” is the #1 mistake. Adrenaline masks injury. Symptoms from whiplash, concussion, and disc injuries often peak 24–72 hours later. The hospital record from the day of the crash is one of the most important documents in your file.

Step 2: Call the Police — Always

Michigan law requires a police report for any crash involving injury, death, or property damage exceeding $1,000 (MCL 257.622). Even on a quiet two-car fender bender, get the report. The UD-10 traffic crash report is the foundational document for liability and is the first thing every insurance adjuster pulls. The officer’s at-fault determination is not binding, but it is heavily persuasive.

Step 3: Document Everything at the Scene

• Photos. Vehicles from all four sides, license plates, damage close-ups, debris field, skid marks, traffic signs, the position of vehicles before they are moved.
• Other driver’s information. Name, address, phone, license plate, driver’s license number, insurance company and policy number. Take a photo of their insurance card and license.
• Witnesses. Name and phone for anyone who saw the crash. Independent witnesses are gold; passengers in either vehicle are less persuasive.
• The scene. Wide shots showing the intersection, weather, lighting, and any obstructions.

Step 4: Get Medical Attention Within 24 Hours

If you did not go to the hospital from the scene, go to urgent care or your primary care provider the same day or the next morning. Tell every provider you see: this is from a motor vehicle crash on [date]. Those words trigger the auto-related medical billing code and start your PIP file. Skipping medical attention — or waiting a week — gives the insurance company a powerful argument that your injuries were not caused by the crash.

Step 5: File Your PIP Application Within Days

This is the step most people miss. Under Michigan No-Fault, you have 1 year from the date of the crash to give written notice of injury to the responsible PIP insurer (MCL 500.3145). For most people in a car at the time of the crash, that insurer is your own auto policy — even though the crash was not your fault. Michigan is a no-fault state for medical and wage loss benefits.

If you do not own a car and were a passenger, the order of priority under MCL 500.3114 is: (1) your resident relative’s auto policy, (2) the auto policy of the vehicle you were in, (3) the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan. Pedestrians and bicyclists hit by a car follow a similar priority chain.

Step 6: Don’t Talk to the Other Driver’s Insurance Company

Within 24–72 hours the at-fault driver’s adjuster will call you. They will sound friendly, tell you they “just want to get your statement so we can resolve this quickly,” and ask you to sign a medical authorization. Decline politely. You are not required to give a recorded statement to the at-fault driver’s insurer. Anything you say will be transcribed and used to argue your injuries are minor or pre-existing. The recording is also pulled out at deposition years later.

Your own insurer’s adjuster is different — your policy generally requires cooperation. But even there, get a lawyer involved before any recorded statement.

Step 7: Talk to a Personal Injury Lawyer Before You Sign Anything

Adjusters move fast on the cheap settlements. They will offer $500–$2,500 to “close it out” before you have any idea what your medical picture looks like. Once you sign a release, you are done — even if you discover a herniated disc the following week. A lawyer’s first job is preserving every category of recovery available to you: PIP medical, wage loss, replacement services, attendant care, third-party pain and suffering, mini-tort property damage, and any uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy.

What NOT to Do

• Do not post about the crash on social media. Photos of you smiling at a barbecue three days later will be used to argue you are not really injured. Adjusters and defense lawyers monitor public profiles.
• Do not skip follow-up appointments. Gaps in treatment longer than 30 days are the single most common reason claims are devalued.
• Do not exaggerate. Your medical records will be scrutinized line by line. Inconsistencies destroy credibility.
• Do not give the at-fault insurer permission to access your full medical history. They are entitled to records relevant to your injuries — not your gynecologist visits from 2014.
• Do not discard the wreckage. If your vehicle is totaled, the at-fault insurer will want to dispose of it within days. In serious-injury cases, photos and a vehicle inspection by an accident reconstructionist may be critical.

Critical Deadlines at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions