Are Non-Michigan Residents Eligible For Michigan No-Fault Benefits?

Many times non-Michigan residents are involved in auto accidents when visiting Michigan, while either on business or while on vacation. These include individuals from all over the United States, including Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and New York.

In fact, many non-Michigan residents question what their legal rights are if they were to get into a motor vehicle accident in Michigan. A non-Michigan resident who is injured in a Michigan auto accident while in Michigan may be able to make a claim for Michigan no-fault insurance benefits, even if they live in a state that does not have no-fault insurance benefits and their own insurance policy does not provide for these benefits.

This is a tremendous benefit for the out-of-state resident and in fact, a non-resident may be entitled to these benefits even if they were at fault for the car accident. However, the insurance company the non-resident has must have a branch in the State of Michigan as well.

Most incredible, there is no limit to the amount of medical expenses paid and these benefits last for your lifetime. For a non-resident injured in a Michigan car accident to qualify for no-fault benefits, there are several factors to consider, including:

1. Whether the person was driving their own car, and if so, whether the person's auto insurance company was certified in Michigan.

2. Whether the person was a pedestrian; and

3. Whether the person was a passenger in a Michigan registered vehicle, or was a passenger in a vehicle which had auto insurance that was certified in Michigan.

Some of the no-fault benefits a non-Michigan resident could receive include attendant care services, medical bills, prescription costs, and expense benefits, wage and income loss benefits, household chores/replacement services, survivor loss benefits which includes payment of funeral expenses, lost wages, and others to family members of an individual who dies in a car accident, case management services, medical mileage/ mileage expense benefits, and more.

In addition to receiving no-fault benefits, a non-Michigan resident injured in a Michigan car accident may be entitled to make a claim against the at-fault driver for other money damages, including for pain and suffering damages and disfigurement.

If you are a non-resident of Michigan and receive injuries due to a motor vehicle accident and are filing a claim for Michigan no-fault insurance benefits, you must abide by Michigan's statute of limitations. In Michigan, a written application for no-fault benefits with the proper insurance company must be filed within one year of the auto accident. If you fail to do so, you will not be able to obtain no-fault benefits.