Michigan injury rights, deadlines, and help

You are dealing with a lot right now. This page can help. If you were hurt in Michigan, you probably want to know one thing first: how long do I have to act?

Are you in an emergency right now?

• Check yourself and others for injuries, breathing, and bleeding.
• Call 911 if anyone is hurt or the road is not safe.
• Get somewhere safe if you can do it safely.
• Get medical care even if you feel fine. Some injuries hide for days.
• This page is for after you are safe.

This page covers Michigan injury deadlines and what to do right now. We are the injured person's advocate. We connect you with a lawyer who handles cases like yours, so you get the full settlement your recovery deserves. Always free. Talk to an advocate. We usually reply within minutes, at most one business day.

The deadline box: Michigan's key time limits

• Personal injury lawsuit: 3 years. Under Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5805(2), most injury and wrongful-death lawsuits must be filed within 3 years. This is the statute of limitations (the legal deadline to file a lawsuit). (Source)
• Work injury, report to your employer: 90 days. Under Mich. Comp. Laws § 418.381(1), you must give notice within 90 days of the injury, or of when you knew or should have known about it. Late notice is excused unless the employer proves it was harmed by the delay. (Source)
• Work injury, file the claim: 2 years. Under the same section, a workers compensation claim (the state system that pays for work injuries) must be made within 2 years of the injury. (Source)
• Injury involving the state: 6 months. Under Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.6431(4), a personal injury claim against the State of Michigan requires a claim or notice filed with the Court of Claims within 6 months of the event. (Source)
• Injury from a defective road: 120 days. Under Mich. Comp. Laws § 691.1404, a claim over a dangerous or defective highway requires notice within 120 days, and the notice must state the exact location, the defect, the injury, and known witnesses. (Source)

Warning: don't wait! Michigan's 3-year lawsuit clock is a trap. The 6-month state notice and the 120-day highway notice run much faster underneath it, so people wait, and waiting kills cases. The longer you wait, the fuzzier memories get and documents get lost. Collect and save what you can, then talk to an advocate immediately. And important: Michigan's no-fault car insurance system has its own benefit deadlines, and medical claims can have different, often shorter deadlines. Do not assume the standard rule covers a hospital or doctor case.

Protect your case

1. Talk to an advocate at WeHelpInjured. It is free.
2. If it happened at work, give your employer written notice today. Keep a copy.
3. Write down what happened while it is fresh: date, time, place, people, and conditions.
4. Take photos of the scene and anything involved (a vehicle, a pothole, a machine). For road defects, capture the exact location. The 120-day notice will need it.
5. Get names and contact information for witnesses. The highway notice must list known witnesses.
6. Report a crash to your own car insurer promptly. No-fault benefits have their own clocks.

Talk to an advocate. You do not have to sort out these deadlines alone.

Never do these

• Never sign anything from an insurance company before you understand your full costs, and never do it without talking to an advocate first.
• Never give a recorded statement to an insurance company, even your own. Talk to an advocate first.
• Never wait past the 6-month state notice or the 120-day highway notice, even though the lawsuit clock says 3 years.
• Never post about the incident or your recovery on social media. Insurers use these posts against you.

Common situations in Michigan

Hurt at work. Michigan's 90-day notice rule is more forgiving than most states, but do not lean on that. Report in writing the same day. Early written notice removes the employer's best argument and creates the record your claim will stand on. The 2-year claim clock still applies even when the notice was fine.

Hurt on the road. Michigan is a no-fault state, so your own insurer pays many benefits first, on its own deadlines. For a lawsuit against an at-fault driver, Michigan uses a hybrid comparative negligence rule. Under Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.2959, your damages are reduced by your share of fault, and if your share passes 50 percent you lose pain-and-suffering damages entirely, though reduced economic damages survive. (Source)

If a bad road surface played a role, the 120-day notice clock is running, so act fast.

Hurt on someone's property. Falls, dog bites, and unsafe conditions follow the same 3-year lawsuit clock. For dog bites, Michigan is a strict liability state. Under Mich. Comp. Laws § 287.351, the owner is liable for an unprovoked bite while you are on public property or lawfully on private property, with no need to prove the dog was known to be dangerous. (Source)

Non-bite injuries, like being knocked down, fall under ordinary negligence rules.

What we can help with

We are on your side, and our help is free to injured people. We can help you:

• Understand which Michigan deadlines apply to your situation, including the short government notices
• Understand why a written work-injury notice, sent today, matters
• Explain what exact-location details a 120-day highway notice requires
• Know what records, photos, and timeline details to keep
• Connect you with a lawyer who handles cases like yours, so you get the full settlement your recovery deserves
• A nearby hospital, lab, or doctor can document your condition for your claim

We do not give legal advice, and we never take money from injured people. We explain your rights in plain language and connect you with a lawyer who handles cases like yours.

Talk to an advocate. A settlement should reflect what your recovery is really worth. Let us help you connect with a lawyer who handles cases like yours. Start the form or open the chat.

Sources

• Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5805 (personal injury time limit)
• Mich. Comp. Laws § 418.381 (workers comp notice and claim)
• Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.6431 (claims against the state)
• Mich. Comp. Laws § 691.1404 (highway defect notice)
• Mich. Comp. Laws § 287.351 (dog bite statute)
• Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.2959 (comparative fault)

Last reviewed: 2026-08-17

This is general information, not legal advice. Deadlines can change or vary with the facts. A licensed attorney can confirm the rule for your situation.