Here’s what to do after a car accident in Grand Rapids, MI:
- Check for injuries and call 911 if needed
- Move to a safe location
- Call the police
- Document the scene
- Exchange information with the driver who hit you
- Get medical care for your injuries
- Do not admit fault
- Tell your insurance company
- Obtain the police report
- Hire a lawyer to get the compensation and money damages you are owed
Car accidents in Grand Rapids, MI can happen on US-131, I-196, M-6, 28th Street, Division Avenue, Plainfield Avenue, East Beltline, Alpine Avenue, local neighborhood roads, parking lots, and downtown intersections. What you do right after the crash can affect your health, your insurance claim, and your ability to prove fault.
Grand Rapids had 5,575 reported crashes in 2024, including 18 fatal crashes, 1,298 injury crashes, 4,259 property-damage crashes, 19 people killed, and 1,684 people injured, according to the 2024 Michigan Traffic Crash Facts summary.
The lawyers at Michigan Auto Law help people injured in Grand Rapids and throughout West Michigan after serious car accidents. We help with your No-Fault benefits, preserve evidence, deal with insurers, and hold the at-fault driver accountable.
Check for injuries and call 911 if needed
After a car accident in Grand Rapids, MI, first, check yourself and others for injuries. If anyone is injured, trapped, or there’s a hazard like a fuel leak, call 911 immediately. If it’s safe and the vehicles can be moved, move them out of traffic to help prevent another collision.
Michigan law also requires filing a police report when anyone is injured, killed, or the crash appears to involve at least $1,000 in property damage. Filing a report helps document the crash before stories change or evidence disappears, and it protects your ability to prove fault later.
Michigan law provides that a driver involved in a crash that injures or kills a person, or causes apparent property damage of $1,000 or more, “shall immediately report the crash at the nearest or most convenient police station, or to the nearest or most convenient police officer.” (MCL 257.622).
For non-emergency crashes within the city limits, you can call GRPD’s non-emergency line at 616-456-3400, or file certain minor, non-injury crash reports online.
Move to a safe location
Move yourself to a safe place. Do the same with your vehicle if it can be moved and only if you can do so safely. On highways, ramps, bridges, busy city streets, or dark shoulders, avoiding a second crash is a high priority.
Turn on hazard lights and get away from moving traffic when you can. If someone is injured, a vehicle cannot move, fuel is leaking, debris is creating danger, or traffic is unsafe, wait for police, fire, or EMS.
Get medical care for your injuries
Injuries like whiplash or concussions may not become obvious until hours or days after a crash, so it’s important to seek immediate medical care even if you feel okay at the scene. Prompt care protects your health and creates a medical record connecting your symptoms to the crash.
Tell the doctor how the crash happened and report every symptom, including headache, dizziness, confusion, nausea, neck pain, back pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, shoulder pain, knee pain, chest pain, anxiety, sleep problems, or worsening soreness. Keep discharge papers, referrals, restrictions, prescriptions, imaging results, and bills.
Exchange information with the driver who hit you
Exchange information with the driver who hit you as well as every other driver involved in the crash, including name, phone number, address, driver’s license number, license plate number, insurance company, policy number, and vehicle details.
Document the scene
After a car accident in Grand Rapids, MI, take photos of all vehicles and damage, license plates, the roadway (including skid marks and traffic signs), weather and lighting conditions, and any visible injuries. Photos taken at the scene are often the strongest evidence in a disputed-fault case.
Do not admit fault
Do not admit fault after a crash, even if you feel shaken, guilty, embarrassed, or pressured. Stick to the facts when speaking with police, other drivers, witnesses, medical providers, and insurance companies.
You can check on others, cooperate with police, and explain what you saw without guessing or accepting blame. Avoid saying the crash was your fault, apologizing in a way that sounds like an admission, speculating about speed or distance, or signing any statement before you understand the evidence and injuries.
Tell your insurance company
Michigan is a no-fault insurance state, so your own insurer is generally the first source of coverage for medical expenses and other benefits, regardless of who caused the crash.
Tell your insurance company about your crash, but keep the report factual and avoid recorded statements until you have talked to your lawyer and you fully understand your injuries, coverage, deadlines, and legal rights.
File your application for No-Fault benefits with your auto insurer right away, even though you have 1 year from the date of the crash to do so. (MCL 500.3145(1)) The sooner you file, the sooner you will start receiving help with paying your medical bills and reimbursing you for lost wages.
Obtain the police report
If the Grand Rapids Police Department investigated your crash, you can request a copy of your car accident police report in person at the Records Unit (1 Monroe Center NW) or online through the Michigan State Police Traffic Crash Purchasing System.
Consult a lawyer
Hire an experienced Grand Rapids car accident lawyer to get the compensation and money damages you are owed after a crash. You need a lawyer right away if you were hurt, missed work, need treatment, have unpaid bills, were contacted by another insurer, or received a settlement offer.
A lawyer can preserve crash evidence, review insurance coverage, identify available No-Fault benefits, calculate damages, meet deadlines, communicate with adjusters, and hold the at-fault driver accountable.
Do not give a statement to the adjuster or sign a release or waiver or agree to a settlement without first getting advice from your lawyer.
Can I Sue After A Car Accident In Grand Rapids?
In many cases, yes, you can sue after a car accident in Grand Rapids, MI. You must prove that another driver, business, vehicle owner, rideshare company, trucking company, or other party caused your crash. Also, the evidence must prove that you suffered a serious impairment of body function. (MCL 500.3135(1))
What Damages Can I Recover After A Grand Rapids Car Accident?
After a car accident in Grand Rapids, MI, your damages may include:
How Long Do I Have To Sue After A Car Accident In Grand Rapids?
You have 3 years to sue for your pain and suffering after a car accident in Grand Rapids, MI. (MCL 600.5805(2)) However, you should contact a lawyer right away because videos, witnesses, vehicle damage, medical proof, insurance records, and crash-scene evidence need to be preserved before they are lost or disappear.
Do I Need A Lawyer After A Car Accident In Grand Rapids?
Yes, you may need a lawyer after a car accident in Grand Rapids, MI and here are the reasons why:
- You were injured – A lawyer can help document medical treatment, future care, pain, disability, scarring, emotional distress, work limits, and how the crash changed your daily life.
- You are missing work – Wage loss should be supported with pay records, tax documents, employer letters, disability slips, medical restrictions, and proof that crash-related injuries kept you from working.
- Fault is being disputed – If another driver or insurer blames you, a lawyer can use photos, video, police reports, vehicle damage, witness statements, reconstruction evidence, and medical records to respond.
- Your No-Fault benefits are delayed or denied – A lawyer can address unpaid medical bills, wage-loss disputes, attendant care issues, replacement services, IME requests, and benefit cutoffs.
- You may qualify for pain and suffering damages – A lawyer can evaluate whether the crash caused injuries that meet Michigan’s legal threshold for a third-party claim against the at-fault driver.
- The other driver was uninsured or underinsured – A lawyer can review your policy for uninsured motorist or underinsured motorist coverage and identify other possible sources of recovery.
- You received a settlement offer – Insurance companies may offer money before your injuries, treatment needs, work loss, and future damages are fully known. A lawyer can evaluate whether the offer is fair.
- You are being asked for a recorded statement or release – A lawyer can protect you from broad authorizations, confusing forms, premature releases, and statements that may later be used to reduce your claim.
When Do I Need A Lawyer After A Car Accident In Grand Rapids?
You need a lawyer after a car accident in Grand Rapids, MI when you went to the hospital, have continuing pain, need surgery, cannot work, have unpaid bills, face disputed fault, are being blamed, receive insurer pressure, or are offered money before your recovery is clear.
Legal help is especially important when the crash happened on a busy corridor like US-131, I-196, M-6, 28th Street, Division Avenue, East Beltline, Alpine Avenue, or a congested downtown street where fault, witnesses, road conditions, video, and vehicle movement can quickly become disputed. You should also contact a lawyer if the insurer asks for a recorded statement, sends broad medical authorizations, delays payment, cuts off treatment, disputes wage loss, or suggests settlement before the long-term impact is known.