Short answer: If a car or truck hit you on your motorcycle in Ann Arbor or anywhere in Washtenaw County, the insurer of that car or truck pays your medical bills and lost wages first, not your motorcycle policy (MCL 500.3114(5)). Pain and suffering is claimed from the driver who caused the crash, within three years (MCL 600.5805). If no other vehicle was involved and the road surface caused the crash, notice to the road agency is due within 120 days (MCL 691.1404). Koussan Law handles Ann Arbor motorcycle accident claims on a contingency fee, so you pay nothing unless we win.
Motorcycle deaths in Washtenaw County
22 motorcyclists were killed in Washtenaw County from 2019 through 2024. In the 14 fatal crashes that involved a car or truck, the other driver was turning left in 10, 71 percent against 40 percent statewide. Most of these crashes were outside the city: 16 of 21.
| Motorcyclists killed | 22 (21 riders, 1 passenger) in 21 crashes |
|---|---|
| Crashes that involved a car or truck | 14 of 21 |
| In those, the other driver was turning left | 10 of 14, 71% (statewide 40%) |
| No other vehicle involved | 7 of 21 |
| At or near an intersection | 10 of 21 (statewide 41%) |
| Outside the City of Ann Arbor | 16 of 21 |
| Riders killed who were wearing a helmet | 15 of 22 (7 were not) |
| Motorcyclists killed by year, 2019 to 2024 | 5, 2, 4, 3, 3, 5 |
NHTSA FARS, 2019 to 2024. Statewide comparisons are Michigan as a whole over the same years. Motorcyclists are riders and passengers of motorcycles and other motored cycles.
| Reported crashes | 9,652 |
|---|---|
| Crashes with injuries | 1,591 |
| People injured | 2,115 |
| People killed | 26 |
| Motorcycles in crashes | 108 (79 in injury crashes, 4 in fatal crashes) |
Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, 2025 Washtenaw County profile (Michigan State Police crash data, compiled by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute).
No single road dominates. The fatal crashes are spread across the county's two-lane roads, Martz, Packard, Stony Creek, Zeeb, Textile and Ann Arbor-Saline among them, and along Michigan Avenue, with no road recording more than two.
Who pays a rider's medical bills?
Michigan's No-Fault Act does not count a motorcycle as a motor vehicle (MCL 500.3101), and that changes the order of who pays. When a car or truck is involved, a rider claims PIP from the insurer of the owner or registrant of that car or truck first, then its driver's insurer, then the auto insurer of the motorcycle's operator and then of its owner (MCL 500.3114(5)), and finally the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan (MCL 500.3172). The UD-10 crash report lists the owners and insurers in line; outside the city it usually comes from the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office or the Michigan State Police.
Ten of fourteen: drivers turning left
A left-turning driver must yield to oncoming traffic in the intersection or close enough to be an immediate hazard, and at a signal must wait for oncoming traffic to clear (MCL 257.650). On two-lane county roads the usual defense is that the motorcycle was too fast or could not be seen. The sight lines, the speed limit, the event data recorder in the car and any video answer it. A ticket for either driver is not evidence in the civil case (MCL 257.731). Pain and suffering requires death, serious impairment of body function or permanent serious disfigurement (MCL 500.3135(1)), and is reduced, not erased, by a rider's share of fault unless it exceeds 50 percent (MCL 500.3135(2)(b)).
When no other vehicle was involved
7 of the county's 21 fatal motorcycle crashes involved no car or truck. A crash with no motor vehicle involved generally falls outside no-fault, so medical bills go to health insurance and any medical payments coverage on the motorcycle policy. When loose gravel, a pothole, a broken edge or a missing sign caused the crash, the claim runs against the agency responsible for the road, and written notice to it is due within 120 days (MCL 691.1404). Photograph the road surface and the scene before it is repaired.
Helmets
Michigan requires a helmet for every rider under 21. Riders 21 and older may ride without one only with at least $20,000 of first-party medical coverage for motorcycle accidents, and an operator must also have two years of endorsement or a safety course (MCL 257.658). Whether a rider wore a helmet does not decide who caused the crash. See Michigan motorcycle helmet laws.
Talk to a lawyer about an Ann Arbor motorcycle crash
Koussan Law represents riders hurt in Ann Arbor and across Washtenaw County 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 motorcycle accident questions
Which insurer pays first after a car hits my motorcycle near Ann Arbor?
The insurer of the car or truck's owner, then of its driver. Only after those does the claim reach the auto policies of the motorcycle's operator and owner, and finally the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan (MCL 500.3114(5)).
I went down alone on a county road. Is there a claim?
No-fault generally does not apply without a motor vehicle involved, so health insurance and any medical payments coverage pay first. If a road defect caused the crash, the road agency may be responsible, and notice is due within 120 days.
The driver says I was going too fast. Does that end my claim?
No. Michigan compares fault: your damages are reduced by your share, and pain and suffering is barred only if you were more than 50 percent at fault. Speed is proved with evidence, not with the other driver's estimate.
How long do I have after a Washtenaw County motorcycle 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 riders
- Ann Arbor personal injury lawyer: Washtenaw County courts, hospitals and every case type
- Michigan motorcycle accident lawyer
- Grand Rapids motorcycle accident lawyer
- Michigan motorcycle accident settlements
- Ann Arbor car accident lawyer
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.
- Michigan Compiled Laws, legislature.mi.gov: MCL 500.3101, 500.3114, 500.3135, 500.3172, 257.650, 257.658, 257.731, 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.
