Michigan Vehicle Code, section by section › MCL 257.617
Accident resulting in serious impairment of body function or death; stopping required; reporting to police agency or officer; violation as felony; penalty.
In plain terms
A driver who knows or should know he was in a crash must stop at the scene and stay until the duties in section 619 are done, or report to the police at once if staying would cause further harm. Leaving a crash that caused serious impairment or death is a felony carrying up to 5 years, and up to 15 years if the leaving driver caused a death.
How this section works in practice
Sections 617, 617a and 619 are the hit-and-run statutes, and for an injured person they matter in three ways. First, the duty to stop is measured from what the driver knew or had reason to believe, so a driver who claims not to have noticed a pedestrian or a motorcycle is tested against the physical evidence. Second, a felony charge under this section changes the civil case: the driver's insurer will still defend a negligence claim, but the driver's flight is admissible evidence and juries treat it as consciousness of fault. Third, when the driver is never found, the claim becomes an uninsured motorist claim under the victim's own policy and, for PIP benefits, a claim through the priority rules of MCL 500.3114 or the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan, each with its own notice deadline. Every hit-and-run victim should report to the police immediately, both because section 622 requires it and because uninsured motorist policies usually require a prompt police report for a phantom-vehicle claim.
Text of MCL 257.617
Sec. 617.
(1) The driver of a vehicle who knows or who has reason to believe that he or she has been involved in an accident upon public or private property that is open to travel by the public shall immediately stop his or her vehicle at the scene of the accident and shall remain there until the requirements of section 619 are fulfilled or immediately report the accident to the nearest or most convenient police agency or officer to fulfill the requirements of section 619(a) and (b) if there is a reasonable and honest belief that remaining at the scene will result in further harm. The stop shall be made without obstructing traffic more than is necessary.
(2) Except as provided in subsection (3), if the individual violates subsection (1) and the accident results in serious impairment of a body function or death, the individual is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 5 years or by a fine of not more than $5,000.00, or both.
(3) If the individual violates subsection (1) following an accident caused by that individual and the accident results in the death of another individual, the individual is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 15 years or a fine of not more than $10,000.00, or both.
History: 1949, Act 300, Eff. Sept. 23, 1949 ;-- Am. 1951, Act 270, Eff. Sept. 28, 1951 ;-- Am. 1956, Act 22, Eff. Aug. 11, 1956 ;-- Am. 1958, Act 35, Eff. Sept. 13, 1958 ;-- Am. 1975, Act 170, Eff. Mar. 31, 1976 ;-- Am. 1989, Act 267, Eff. Mar. 29, 1990 ;-- Am. 2001, Act 159, Eff. Feb. 1, 2002 ;-- Am. 2005, Act 3, Imd. Eff. Apr. 1, 2005
Source: MCL 257.617 at legislature.mi.gov (official text). Text as published in the 2025 edition of the Michigan Compiled Laws; reviewed by Koussan Law on September 19, 2026.
Sections this one refers to
- MCL 257.619: Duties After a Crash
Practice pages
Important: This is not legal advice
This article is general information about Michigan personal injury law. It is not legal advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for consultation with a licensed Michigan attorney about your specific situation. The laws, deadlines, procedures, and frameworks here are general guidelines that may or may not apply to your case.
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