If you’ve been hurt in a truck crash in Michigan, your own auto insurance pays a set of benefits called Personal Injury Protection — PIP — no matter who caused the crash. Knowing what PIP covers, how much, and the deadlines that apply can be the difference between getting your care fully paid and fighting your own insurer over every bill. Here’s a complete guide.
What is PIP?
PIP is the core of Michigan’s No-Fault insurance system. Because Michigan is a no-fault state, you turn to your own policy first for medical care and wage loss — you don’t have to wait to prove the truck driver was at fault. PIP is designed to get benefits flowing quickly after a crash, when you need them most.
What PIP covers after a truck accident
Medical expenses
PIP pays for reasonably necessary medical treatment related to your crash injuries — emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, imaging, medication, rehabilitation, and more, subject to your coverage level.
Wage loss
PIP replaces a portion of the income you lose because you can’t work — generally up to 85% of lost wages, for up to three years, subject to a monthly maximum that is adjusted over time.
Replacement services
If your injuries keep you from doing everyday tasks — cleaning, cooking, childcare, yard work — PIP pays a daily amount (up to a set limit) to have someone else do them.
Attendant care
For serious injuries, PIP can cover in-home nursing or daily personal care. Attendant-care claims are among the most valuable — and most fought over — benefits in catastrophic truck cases.
Mileage and other costs
PIP also reimburses mileage to and from medical appointments and certain other out-of-pocket, crash-related expenses.
Coverage levels after the 2019 reform
Michigan’s 2019 No-Fault reform ended automatic unlimited PIP medical coverage and let drivers choose a level — from a capped amount up to unlimited, with certain opt-outs for people who have qualifying health coverage. The practical result: the amount of PIP medical coverage available now varies from person to person, and choosing too little can leave you dangerously underinsured after a catastrophic truck crash. One of the first things to check after a serious wreck is which level you selected.
The medical fee schedule
The reform also introduced a fee schedule that limits how much medical providers are reimbursed for crash-related care. This can affect access to certain treatment and complicate attendant-care and long-term-care claims — issues that surface constantly in severe truck-injury cases and are worth having a lawyer monitor.
Which insurer pays? The priority rules
If you have your own auto policy, you generally claim PIP through it. If you don’t, Michigan uses a “priority” order to decide which insurer is responsible — for example, the policy of a resident relative, or, as a last resort, the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan. Sorting out the correct insurer quickly matters, because the deadlines start running from the date of the crash.
Deadlines you can’t miss
Michigan’s No-Fault deadlines are strict. You generally must give written notice of your claim within one year of the crash, and the “one-year-back rule” limits how far back you can recover benefits at any point. Miss these and you can lose benefits you were otherwise owed. We cover them in detail in our guide to Michigan No-Fault deadlines.
Your own insurer may still fight you
It surprises people that PIP disputes are common even though you’re claiming against your own insurer. Insurers delay payment, deny treatment as “not reasonably necessary,” cut off benefits, or dispute attendant-care hours. You have the right to challenge those decisions — and a lawyer can help you enforce the benefits you’re owed.
PIP plus a claim against the trucking company
PIP doesn’t pay for pain and suffering, and it won’t fully cover a severe injury. That’s why serious truck cases involve two claims — your PIP benefits and a separate liability claim against the at-fault trucking company, available once your injury meets Michigan’s serious injury threshold. Our Michigan truck accident lawyers coordinate both so nothing is left on the table.
Frequently asked questions
Do I claim PIP even if the truck driver was clearly at fault? Yes. PIP is paid regardless of fault; the at-fault trucking company is pursued in a separate claim.
What if my PIP coverage level is low? You may need to rely more heavily on the liability claim and any other available coverage — a lawyer can map out your options.
Can my insurer cut off my benefits? They sometimes try. You can dispute wrongful denials and cutoffs.
Talk to a Michigan truck accident lawyer
Make sure you’re getting every PIP benefit you’re entitled to. The call is free, the consultation is confidential, and you pay nothing unless we win. Call 1-800-TRUCK-CRASH or request a free case review.
This is general information about Michigan law, not legal advice. Benefits and limits change; consult a licensed Michigan attorney about your case.