Short answer: When a death in Grand Rapids or anywhere in Kent County is caused by someone else's negligence, Michigan's Wrongful Death Act lets the personal representative of the estate sue the person or business responsible (MCL 600.2922). The claim generally must be filed within three years of the death (MCL 600.5805), and an estate whose letters of authority issue late has up to two years after they issue, but never more than three years past the ordinary deadline (MCL 600.5852). A jury can award medical, funeral and burial expenses, the conscious pain and suffering of the person who died, and the family's loss of financial support and of society and companionship. Koussan Law handles wrongful death claims on a contingency fee, so the family pays nothing unless we win.
Traffic deaths in Kent County
Many wrongful death claims begin on the road. 352 people were killed on Kent County roads from 2019 through 2024, and the yearly count rose from 49 to 63 over those six years. Michigan Traffic Crash Facts counts 58 more in 2025.
| People killed | 352 in 334 crashes |
|---|---|
| Killed by year, 2019 to 2024 | 49, 55, 66, 55, 64, 63 |
| Pedestrians | 70 of 352, 20% (statewide 15%) |
| Motorcyclists | 49 |
| Killed in a crash involving a large truck | 33 |
| Aged 65 and older | 71 of 352, 20% (statewide 22%) |
| Aged 16 to 24 | 63 of 352 |
| Children under 16 | 9 |
NHTSA FARS, 2019 to 2024. Statewide comparisons are Michigan as a whole over the same years. Ages are as recorded for the person killed. 2025: Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, 2025 Kent County profile (Michigan State Police crash data, compiled by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute).
Who brings a wrongful death claim in Michigan?
The claim belongs to the estate, and only its personal representative can file it (MCL 600.2922). If no estate has been opened, the family asks the probate court to appoint one, usually in the county where the person lived; for a Grand Rapids resident that is the Kent County Probate Court. The court's letters of authority are what give the representative power to sue. The representative is often a spouse or an adult child, but the person filing does not decide alone who benefits: the law names who may share in the recovery, including the spouse, children and their descendants, parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, and certain others. The lawsuit itself is usually filed in the circuit court.
What Michigan law pays when negligence causes a death
The Wrongful Death Act lets the jury award damages it considers fair and equitable, including "reasonable medical, hospital, funeral, and burial expenses for which the estate is liable; reasonable compensation for the pain and suffering, while conscious, undergone by the deceased during the period intervening between the time of the injury and death; and damages for the loss of financial support and the loss of the society and companionship of the deceased" (MCL 600.2922).
One limit matters in every case where the person who died was working. In 2024 the Michigan Supreme Court held that the estate cannot recover the lifetime earnings the person would have made as lost earning capacity (Daher v. Prime Healthcare Services). What the family can recover is the financial support it lost, which turns on what the person actually contributed to the family and how long that would likely have continued.
The deadlines, and the notices that do not wait
Three years from the death is the general limit (MCL 600.5805). When the person died before that period ran, the personal representative has two years from the letters of authority to file, with an outer limit of three years after the ordinary period expired (MCL 600.5852). That saving rule does not extend notice deadlines. A death caused by a road defect requires written notice to the road agency within 120 days (MCL 691.1404), and a claim against the State of Michigan requires a written, verified notice filed with the Court of Claims, within one year at the latest and within six months for a personal injury claim (MCL 600.6431). Michigan courts do not apply a general discovery rule to stretch these dates. The injury deadline calculator lists the dates that apply.
Death cases we handle, and the ones we refer
We handle wrongful death claims arising from car, truck and motorcycle crashes, pedestrian deaths, unsafe property, defective products and negligent security. When a death followed medical care, we refer the family to medical malpractice counsel and stay available to answer questions about the rest of the estate's claims. More on Michigan wrongful death claims.
Talk to a lawyer about a death in your family
Koussan Law represents Grand Rapids and Kent County families 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.
Grand Rapids wrongful death questions
Who can file a wrongful death lawsuit in Michigan?
Only the personal representative of the estate. If no estate is open, the family asks the probate court to appoint one; in Grand Rapids that is the Kent County Probate Court. The recovery is then shared among the relatives the statute lists.
Can the family recover the income the person would have earned?
Not as lost earning capacity: the Michigan Supreme Court ruled in Daher (2024) that it is not recoverable under the Wrongful Death Act. The family can recover the financial support it lost, along with funeral and medical expenses, conscious pain and suffering, and loss of society and companionship.
How long does a Grand Rapids family have to file?
Generally three years from the death. The estate saving rule allows two years after letters of authority issue, but never more than three years past the ordinary deadline. Notice deadlines against government bodies can be as short as 120 days and are not extended.
Does the estate have to go through probate first?
An estate must be opened so the probate court can appoint a personal representative and issue letters of authority. It is usually one of the first steps in the case.
More for Grand Rapids families
- Grand Rapids personal injury lawyer: Kent County courts and every case type
- Michigan wrongful death attorney
- Detroit wrongful death lawyer: the same law, explained for Wayne County families
- Grand Rapids truck accident lawyer
- Michigan injury deadline calculator
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 600.2922, 600.5805, 600.5852, 600.6431, 691.1404.
- Daher v. Prime Healthcare Services-Garden City, LLC, Michigan Supreme Court, Docket No. 165377 (July 30, 2024).
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.
