Short answer: If you were hurt in a car crash in Flint or anywhere in Genesee County, your own auto insurer pays your medical bills, part of your lost wages and help around the house through Michigan no-fault (PIP), no matter who caused the crash. Give it written notice within one year (MCL 500.3145). Pain and suffering comes from a separate claim against the at-fault driver, which requires death, a serious impairment of body function or permanent serious disfigurement (MCL 500.3135) and must be filed within three years (MCL 600.5805). Koussan Law handles Flint car accident claims on a contingency fee, so you pay nothing unless we win.
Genesee County crash numbers
Genesee County has the highest traffic death rate of any large county in Michigan: 13.8 deaths a year per 100,000 residents from 2019 through 2024, against 11.6 in Wayne County and 10.7 statewide (the nine counties with more than 250,000 residents). On an average day in 2024, about eight people were hurt in a Genesee County crash.
| Reported crashes | 10,087 |
|---|---|
| Crashes with injuries | 2,091 |
| People injured | 2,986 |
| Fatal crashes | 53 |
| People killed | 54 |
Michigan State Police 2024 county crash statistics, from our Michigan traffic crash data by county report.
| People killed | 333 in 322 crashes |
|---|---|
| Deaths a year per 100,000 residents | 13.8 (statewide 10.7) |
| Pedestrians among those killed | 71 of 333, 21% (statewide 15%) |
| Fatal crashes after dark | 174 of 322, 54% (statewide 46%) |
| Fatal crashes with a hit-and-run driver | 44 of 322, 14% (statewide 7%) |
| Fatal crashes inside the City of Flint | 144 of 322 |
| People killed by year, 2019 to 2024 | 53, 55, 62, 51, 59, 53 |
NHTSA FARS, 2019 to 2024. Statewide comparisons are Michigan as a whole over the same years. Rates use the 2024 Census population estimate.
The Genesee County roads with the most fatal crashes
Flint's freeways get the attention, but most of the county's deadly crashes happen on surface roads: only 29 of the 322 fatal crashes from 2019 to 2024 were on an interstate.
| Dort Highway (M-54) | 32 |
|---|---|
| Saginaw Street | 20 |
| I-75 | 11 |
| Pasadena Avenue | 10 |
| Pierson Road | 10 |
| Bristol Road | 9 |
| I-475 | 8 |
| US-23 | 7 |
| I-69 | 6 |
| Welch Boulevard | 6 |
NHTSA FARS, by the road recorded for each crash; each count covers the whole road within the county, ramps excluded.
Dort Highway alone accounts for about one in ten of the county's fatal crashes. Angle crashes were the most common collision between two moving vehicles (82 of the 322), the kind that happens when a driver turns or pulls out across traffic, and 180 of the 322 began with something other than two moving vehicles colliding: a pedestrian, a fixed object or a rollover. Our Flint page covers the freeway corridors, the Genesee County Circuit Court and every type of case we handle in the county.
Hit and run is twice as common in deadly Genesee County crashes
In 44 of the county's 322 fatal crashes from 2019 to 2024, a driver left the scene. That is 14 percent, twice the statewide share. When the driver who hit you is never found, Michigan law still pays your no-fault benefits:
- Your own auto policy pays first. PIP follows you, not the car that hit you; if you have no policy, a policy of a spouse or relative you live with usually applies (MCL 500.3114).
- No policy at all? The Michigan Assigned Claims Plan pays PIP benefits when no insurance applies or none can be identified (MCL 500.3172). Its notice deadline is strict.
- Pain and suffering from a driver who is never identified can come only from uninsured motorist coverage, an optional part of a Michigan auto policy. Check your declarations page.
Report the crash to police as soon as you can and keep the report number. More on hit and run accident claims.
What no-fault pays after a Flint crash
Personal protection insurance (PIP) pays regardless of fault (MCL 500.3107):
- Reasonable charges for medical care, recovery and rehabilitation, up to the PIP medical limit on your policy.
- Lost income for up to three years after the crash, reduced 15 percent for taxes and capped at a monthly maximum.
- Up to $20 a day for household services you can no longer do yourself.
Drivers now choose their PIP medical limit: unlimited, $500,000, $250,000, or $50,000 for drivers enrolled in Medicaid (MCL 500.3107c), and some drivers with Medicare may opt out of PIP medical coverage. Medical bills above your limit can be claimed from the driver who caused the crash (MCL 500.3135(3)(c)), one reason the at-fault driver's claim matters even while your own insurer is paying.
The claim against the driver who caused the crash
A claim against the at-fault driver covers what PIP does not: pain and suffering, medical bills above your PIP limit, and wage loss beyond PIP's three years or monthly cap. Three rules shape it:
- The threshold. Pain and suffering is recoverable only for death, serious impairment of body function or permanent serious disfigurement (MCL 500.3135(1)).
- Comparative fault. Your damages are reduced by your share of fault, and pain and suffering is barred if you were more than 50 percent at fault (MCL 500.3135(2)(b)).
- Seat belts. Insurers often raise belt use. In Genesee County, 69 of the 189 people killed inside a car, truck or van from 2019 to 2024 were recorded as unbelted. Michigan caps the reduction for not wearing a belt at 5 percent of your damages (MCL 257.710e).
The lawsuit must be filed within three years of the crash (MCL 600.5805). Claims against a government driver or a road agency carry much shorter notice rules; the injury deadline calculator lists them with the statutes behind them.
Your car repairs: the mini tort
If you were not more than half at fault, you can recover up to $3,000 of damage to your vehicle that your own insurance did not pay, such as your collision deductible, from the at-fault driver, reduced by any share of fault that was yours (MCL 500.3135(3)(e); the $3,000 cap applies to crashes after July 1, 2020). A claim that size can usually be filed in the small claims division of the district court where the crash happened.
Talk to a lawyer about your Flint crash
Koussan Law represents people hurt in Flint and Genesee 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.
Flint car accident questions
Does my own insurer pay even though the other driver caused the crash?
Yes. Under Michigan no-fault, your own auto insurer pays your PIP benefits (medical care, wage loss and replacement services) regardless of fault. You claim against the other driver separately for pain and suffering and for losses PIP does not cover.
What if the driver who hit me in Flint drove away?
Your PIP benefits are the same: your own policy or a household policy pays first, and with no policy at all, the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan. Pain and suffering from a driver who is never identified depends on whether you bought uninsured motorist coverage. Report the crash to police right away.
Is my injury serious enough to sue the other driver?
Michigan allows pain and suffering only for death, serious impairment of body function or permanent serious disfigurement. A serious impairment is one that is objectively shown, affects an important body function and affects your general ability to lead your normal life (MCL 500.3135(5)). It is fact-specific, so a free case review is the fastest way to know.
How long do I have after a Genesee County crash?
Give your insurer written notice of a PIP claim within one year. A lawsuit against the at-fault driver generally must be filed within three years. Claims involving a government vehicle or a road defect have shorter notice periods, some as short as 120 days.
More for Flint and Genesee County
- Flint personal injury lawyer: freeways, the Genesee County Circuit Court and every case type
- Flint motorcycle accident lawyer
- Flint truck accident lawyer
- Michigan car accident lawyer
- Michigan traffic crash data by county
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. Genesee County figures computed by Koussan Law from the crash, vehicle and person files.
- Michigan State Police, 2024 county crash statistics, as compiled in our Michigan traffic crash data by county report.
- 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, 500.3114, 500.3135, 500.3145, 500.3172, 257.710e, 600.5805.
Updated October 9, 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.
