Short answer: If you were hurt in a car crash in Ann Arbor or anywhere in Washtenaw County, your own auto insurer pays your medical bills and part of your lost wages through Michigan no-fault (PIP), regardless of fault (MCL 500.3107); give it written notice within one year (MCL 500.3145). Pain and suffering is claimed from the at-fault driver when the injury meets Michigan's threshold (MCL 500.3135), within three years (MCL 600.5805). A crash caused by a road defect needs written notice to the road agency within 120 days (MCL 691.1404). Koussan Law handles Ann Arbor car accident claims on a contingency fee, so you pay nothing unless we win.
Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County crash numbers
Ann Arbor's own streets account for a small share of the county's traffic deaths: 24 of the 163 people killed in Washtenaw County from 2019 to 2024 died inside the city. The rest died on the freeways and county roads around it. 2024 was the deadliest of the six years, with 35 deaths.
| Reported crashes | 2,849 |
|---|---|
| Crashes with injuries | 397 |
| People injured | 509 |
| Fatal crashes | 5 |
| People killed | 5 |
Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, 2025 Traffic Crash Summary for County/Communities.
| People killed | 163 in 148 crashes |
|---|---|
| Deaths a year per 100,000 residents | 7.3 (statewide 10.7) |
| Killed inside the City of Ann Arbor | 24 |
| Fatal crashes after dark | 75 of 148, 51% (statewide 46%) |
| Car, truck and van occupants killed who were unbelted | 42 of 109, 39% (statewide 33%) |
| People killed who were 65 or older | 40 of 163, 25% (statewide 22%) |
| People killed by year, 2019 to 2024 | 26, 26, 30, 24, 22, 35 |
NHTSA FARS, 2019 to 2024. Statewide comparisons are Michigan as a whole over the same years. Rates use the 2024 Census county population estimate.
| Reported crashes | 9,652 |
|---|---|
| Crashes with injuries | 1,591 |
| People injured | 2,115 |
| People killed | 26 |
Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, 2025 Washtenaw County profile (Michigan State Police crash data, compiled by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute).
The Washtenaw County roads with the most fatal crashes
I-94 had the most fatal crashes of any road in the county from 2019 to 2024 (16), followed by Michigan Avenue (US-12) and US-23. Those three roads alone account for 39 of the county's 148 fatal crashes.
| I-94 | 16 |
|---|---|
| Michigan Avenue (US-12) | 13 |
| US-23 | 10 |
| Martz Road | 5 |
| Packard Road | 5 |
| Washtenaw Avenue (M-17) | 5 |
| M-14 | 4 |
| Rawsonville Road | 3 |
NHTSA FARS, by the road recorded for each crash; each count covers the whole road within the county, ramps excluded.
Away from the freeways the list is county roads such as Martz, Packard and Rawsonville, and 75 of the county's 148 fatal crashes happened after dark. Our Ann Arbor page covers the Washtenaw County courts, Ann Arbor's hospitals and every type of case we handle in the county.
Seat belts, front seat and back seat
42 of the 109 people killed inside a car, truck or van in Washtenaw County from 2019 to 2024 were recorded as unbelted, a higher share than statewide, so expect an insurer to raise belt use. Michigan's rule is narrower than most people think. The duty to wear a belt applies to the driver and front-seat passengers, and to children 13 to 15 anywhere in the vehicle (MCL 257.710e(3)). A violation may be treated as evidence of negligence, but it cannot reduce the recovery by more than 5 percent (MCL 257.710e(8)). An adult riding in the back seat has no statutory duty to belt, so the argument is not available against them at all, which matters for rideshare passengers. Belt use never affects PIP benefits.
Crashes outside the city: freeways, townships and county roads
Because most serious Washtenaw County crashes happen outside Ann Arbor, the crash report often comes from the Michigan State Police, the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office or a township department rather than the Ann Arbor Police Department. Ask for the UD-10 report from whichever agency responded; it lists the vehicles, owners and insurers. When the road itself contributed, a pothole, a broken edge or a washout, the claim runs against the agency responsible for that road, and written notice to it is due within 120 days of the crash (MCL 691.1404). That deadline is far shorter than the three years that applies to the at-fault driver.
What PIP pays, and what the at-fault claim adds
PIP pays medical and rehabilitation charges up to the limit selected on the policy (MCL 500.3107c), wage loss for up to three years subject to a monthly maximum, and up to $20 a day for household services (MCL 500.3107). The claim against the at-fault driver adds pain and suffering, available for death, serious impairment of body function or permanent serious disfigurement (MCL 500.3135(1)), and medical bills or wage loss above the PIP limits (MCL 500.3135(3)(c)). Your damages are reduced by your share of fault and pain and suffering is barred above 50 percent (MCL 500.3135(2)(b)).
Talk to a lawyer about your Ann Arbor crash
Koussan Law represents people hurt in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County crashes on a contingency fee, so you pay nothing unless we win. Our main office is in Detroit at 821 W Milwaukee St. Call (313) 800-0000 or request a free consultation. For a rough sense of value first, the case value calculator takes about a minute.
Ann Arbor car accident questions
I was hurt on I-94 outside Ann Arbor. Which police report do I need?
The UD-10 crash report from the agency that responded, usually the Michigan State Police on the freeway or the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office on a county road. It names the vehicles, owners and insurers, which decides who pays.
I was not wearing a seat belt. Do I still have a claim?
Yes. In Michigan, failing to wear a belt can reduce a recovery by no more than 5 percent, the insurer must show the belt would have made a difference, and it does not affect PIP benefits. Adults in the back seat have no statutory duty to wear one.
A pothole on a county road caused my crash. Who is responsible?
The agency responsible for that road may be, under the highway exception to governmental immunity. Written notice of the injury and the defect is due to the agency within 120 days of the crash (MCL 691.1404).
How long do I have after a Washtenaw County crash?
One year to give written notice of a PIP claim, three years to sue the at-fault driver, and 120 days for notice of a road-defect claim.
More for Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County
- Ann Arbor personal injury lawyer: Washtenaw County courts, hospitals and every case type
- Ann Arbor truck accident lawyer
- Ann Arbor motorcycle accident lawyer
- Michigan car accident lawyer
- Highway and freeway accident claims
Sources
- NHTSA, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), national data files for 2019 to 2024; the 2024 file is the most recent release and may be revised. County and city figures computed by Koussan Law from the crash, vehicle and person files.
- Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, 2025 county profiles and the 2025 Traffic Crash Summary for County/Communities.
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 county population estimates (used for the per-100,000 rates).
- Michigan Compiled Laws, legislature.mi.gov: MCL 500.3107, 500.3107c, 500.3135, 500.3145, 257.710e, 600.5805, 691.1404.
Updated October 18, 2026. General information about Michigan law, not legal advice for your situation; the deadlines and coverage rules that apply to you depend on your facts and your policy.
