Short answer: A rider hit by a car or truck in Warren or anywhere in Macomb County collects medical bills and lost wages first from the insurer of that car or truck (MCL 500.3114(5)); a motorcycle is not a motor vehicle under Michigan's No-Fault Act (MCL 500.3101), which is why the rider's own motorcycle policy is not first in line. If the driver fled and is never found, the claim moves to your own auto insurer or the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan (MCL 500.3172). Pain and suffering is claimed from the at-fault driver within three years (MCL 600.5805). Koussan Law handles Warren motorcycle accident claims on a contingency fee, so you pay nothing unless we win.
Motorcycle deaths in Macomb County and Warren
52 motorcyclists were killed in Macomb County from 2019 through 2024, and 16 of them in 2024 alone, more than in any of the five years before it. Warren had more fatal motorcycle crashes than any other community in the county, 12 of 52, and inside the city the yearly count rose from 1 in 2019 to 4 in 2024.
| Motorcyclists killed | 52 (51 riders, 1 passenger) in 52 crashes |
|---|---|
| Motorcyclists killed by year, 2019 to 2024 | 6, 4, 10, 6, 10, 16 |
| Crashes inside the City of Warren | 12 of 52 (next, Clinton Township: 9) |
| Crashes that involved a car or truck | 38 of 52 |
| In those, the other driver was turning left | 14 of 38, 37% (statewide 40%) |
| At or near an intersection | 24 of 52 (statewide 41%) |
| At a driveway | 10 of 52, 19% (statewide 12%) |
| Riders killed who were wearing a helmet | 29 of 52 (20 were not, 3 unknown) |
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 | 21,230 |
|---|---|
| Crashes with injuries | 4,613 |
| People injured | 6,455 |
| People killed | 52 |
| Motorcycles in crashes | 185 (134 in injury crashes, 8 in fatal crashes) |
Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, 2025 Macomb County profile (Michigan State Police crash data, compiled by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute).
| Reported crashes | 3,838 |
|---|---|
| Crashes with injuries | 863 |
| People injured | 1,203 |
| Fatal crashes | 11 |
| People killed | 11 |
Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, 2025 Traffic Crash Summary for County/Communities.
Gratiot Avenue (M-3) had the most fatal motorcycle crashes of any road in the county, followed by Groesbeck Highway and the 12 and 13 Mile roads. These are wide, busy arterials with frequent signals and business driveways.
Who pays when a car hits a motorcycle in Warren?
Because the No-Fault Act does not count a motorcycle as a motor vehicle (MCL 500.3101), a rider's PIP benefits follow a special order when a car or truck is involved (MCL 500.3114(5)). The insurer of the owner or registrant of the car or truck pays first, then the insurer of its driver, then the auto insurer of the motorcycle's operator, then the auto insurer of the motorcycle's owner. With none of those, the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan pays (MCL 500.3172). In Warren the UD-10 crash report usually comes from the Warren Police Department, the Macomb County Sheriff's Office or the Michigan State Police.
When the driver leaves the scene
Hit and run is unusually common in Warren's deadly crashes: a driver left the scene in 11 of the 62 fatal crashes inside the city from 2019 to 2024, 18 percent against 7 percent statewide. When the car that hit a rider is never identified, the first two insurers in the priority order cannot be found, so the claim moves to the auto insurers of the motorcycle's operator and owner, and then to the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan (MCL 500.3114(5), MCL 500.3172). A claim through the plan must be reported to the Michigan Automobile Insurance Placement Facility within one year (MCL 500.3174). Pain and suffering from a driver who is never found can come only from uninsured motorist coverage, if your auto or motorcycle policy includes it. Report the crash to police as soon as you can and keep the report number.
Intersections and driveways on the mile roads
24 of the county's 52 fatal motorcycle crashes were at or near an intersection and 10 more at a driveway, where vehicles enter and leave the road, a higher driveway share than statewide. A driver turning left must yield to oncoming traffic in the intersection or close enough to be an immediate hazard (MCL 257.650), and the driver's claim that the motorcycle was not seen is the usual defense. Business and traffic cameras along Van Dyke, Mound and the mile roads, the car's event data recorder and the sight lines decide it, and the other driver's ticket 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)).
Helmets
In Michigan a rider may go without a helmet only at 21 or older, with at least $20,000 of first-party medical coverage for motorcycle accidents in place, and, as the operator, with two years of endorsement or a completed safety course (MCL 257.658). Helmet use does not decide who caused the crash. See Michigan motorcycle helmet laws.
Talk to a lawyer about a Warren motorcycle crash
Koussan Law represents riders hurt in Warren and across Macomb County on a contingency fee, so you pay nothing unless we win. Our main office is in Detroit at 821 W Milwaukee St. That is a short drive from Warren. Call (313) 800-0000 or request a free consultation. For a rough sense of value first, the case value calculator takes about a minute.
Warren motorcycle accident questions
I have motorcycle insurance. Why is the other driver's insurer paying my PIP?
Because Michigan's No-Fault Act does not treat a motorcycle as a motor vehicle. When a car or truck is involved, the law sends a rider's PIP claim to that vehicle's insurers first. A motorcycle policy still matters for any medical payments or property coverage it includes.
The driver who hit me drove away. Who pays?
If the car is never identified, your claim goes to the auto insurer of the motorcycle's operator or owner, and with none, to the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan, which must be notified within one year. Pain and suffering depends on uninsured motorist coverage on your policy.
I was not wearing a helmet. Can I still recover?
Yes. Helmet use does not decide fault. A rider 21 or older with the required $20,000 of first-party medical coverage may ride legally without one, and the insurer can only argue about whether a helmet would have changed the injuries.
How long do I have after a Macomb County motorcycle crash?
A year for written PIP notice, or for notice to the assigned claims plan after a hit and run, and three years for a lawsuit against the driver. Government defendants and road-defect claims have notice deadlines measured in months.
More for Warren and Macomb County riders
- Warren personal injury lawyer: Macomb County courts and every case type
- Michigan motorcycle accident lawyer
- Hit and run accident claims
- Detroit motorcycle accident lawyer
- Macomb County personal injury 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, 500.3174, 257.650, 257.658, 257.731, 600.5805.
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.
