PIP does not care who caused the crash
Under MCL 500.3105, Michigan PIP benefits are payable regardless of fault. An uninsured driver, an unidentified hit-and-run driver, or your own driving mistake — none of it stops your medical bills, wage loss, or replacement services from being paid by your own no-fault carrier.
The priority statute (MCL 500.3114) determines whose PIP pays: your own policy first, then a resident relative's, then the insurer of the vehicle you occupied, and finally the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan. Even a pedestrian struck by an unidentified vehicle is entitled to PIP from one of those sources.
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage
UM and UIM coverage are optional in Michigan but almost every driver should carry both. They pay you what the at-fault driver's liability insurance would have paid if it had existed or been high enough:
- Pain and suffering and other noneconomic damages once you meet the serious impairment threshold in MCL 500.3135.
- Excess wage loss beyond PIP's monthly cap.
- Excess medical costs above your chosen PIP medical cap.
UM/UIM benefits are a matter of contract, not statute. Your policy spells out the deadlines to give notice and file suit, the definition of "uninsured motor vehicle" (including whether a phantom hit-and-run vehicle counts), and any consent-to-settle requirement. Read the policy — and get it in front of a lawyer — the same day.
The Michigan Assigned Claims Plan
MCL 500.3172 creates the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan (MACP) as a backstop for injured people who have no policy in their household and no other insurer of higher priority. It is administered by the Michigan Automobile Insurance Placement Facility. When your application is accepted, the MACP assigns your claim to a servicing insurer that handles it like a standard PIP claim.
Key MACP rules
- Application must be filed within 1 year of the crash.
- PIP medical benefits are capped at $250,000 total.
- Wage loss and replacement services are paid at the standard PIP rates.
- Applicants who own an uninsured vehicle they were required to insure are barred.
- False statements on the application can void the entire claim (MCL 500.3173a).
What to do in the first 48 hours after a hit-and-run
- 1
Call 911 and get a police report. Almost every UM policy and the MACP require prompt reporting to law enforcement.
- 2
Get medical care immediately. Delayed treatment is the number-one reason PIP benefits are disputed after the fact.
- 3
Photograph everything. Damage to your vehicle, the scene, debris, license-plate fragments, or paint transfer often lead to identifying a fleeing driver.
- 4
Look for witnesses and cameras. Businesses, homes, and traffic-signal cameras often record the crash and the fleeing vehicle. Preservation letters need to go out quickly.
- 5
Call a Michigan no-fault attorney. A lawyer can identify all applicable policies, file the MACP application, and protect the UM/UIM notice requirements before they expire.
Common pitfalls we clean up every week
- Applying to the wrong insurer. MACP applications get denied for months when a higher-priority carrier existed all along.
- Missing a UM notice deadline. Some Michigan policies require notice within as little as 30 days of a hit-and-run.
- Settling with UM before UIM. Failing to preserve the underinsured motorist claim can waive a six- or seven-figure recovery.
- Assuming "no plate = no case." Investigation frequently identifies fleeing drivers weeks after the fact.
Hit by an uninsured driver? Don't guess your options.
We pull every applicable policy, open the correct PIP claim, apply to the Assigned Claims Plan if needed, and preserve UM/UIM rights. All free of charge and with zero obligation.