Michigan Broadside Motorcycle Accident Lawyers

A broadside motorcycle collision happens when one vehicle strikes another along its side, forming a right angle that gives this crash its other common name, the T-bone. For a rider, the side of the motorcycle offers no structure to absorb the blow, so the body takes the full force of the impacting vehicle. These crashes concentrate at intersections, where a driver runs a red light, rolls through a stop sign, or turns left across the path of an oncoming motorcycle the driver never registered. Michigan crash data reflects the pattern: the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning reports that 84 percent of motorcycle crashes involving another vehicle occur on busy streets, and most happen when the other vehicle is turning left.

At Neumann Law Group, our Michigan motorcycle accident attorneys have represented riders injured in intersection broadside crashes across Detroit, Grand Rapids, Traverse City, and the surrounding communities. The firm draws on more than 200 years of combined experience handling vehicle injury claims, including the layered insurance questions that arise when a motorcycle accident involves a car or truck.

What Is a Broadside Motorcycle Collision Under Michigan Law?

A broadside crash is treated under Michigan law as a motor vehicle negligence event when a car or truck is involved, which triggers both the no-fault benefit system and the separate right to sue the at-fault driver. The angle of impact is what makes these crashes so severe for riders. A motorcyclist struck on the side absorbs energy directly through the pelvis, hips, and legs, and a thrown rider often suffers a second impact with the roadway or another vehicle. Crushed or shattered pelvic and leg injuries, spinal trauma, and traumatic brain injuries are common results.

Most intersection broadside crashes come down to a failure to yield. A left-turning driver crosses in front of a rider who had the right of way, or a driver entering from a side street misjudges how quickly the motorcycle is approaching. Because a single headlight and a narrow profile make a motorcycle harder to gauge, drivers routinely underestimate a rider’s speed and distance. That misjudgment, not the rider’s conduct, is usually the legal cause of the collision.

How Broadside Motorcycle Crashes Begin in Michigan

The originating event in most broadside cases is a driver’s decision to proceed through space the motorcycle already occupied or was about to occupy. Intersections governed by traffic signals and stop signs are the highest-risk locations, and left turns are the single most common trigger. Drivers turning left across oncoming traffic must yield, and when they turn into the path of a rider they did not see, the front of the turning vehicle strikes the side of the motorcycle.

State data underscores when the danger peaks. The Michigan Department of State reports that across 2021 through 2023, 53 percent of fatal crashes involving a motorcyclist and another vehicle occurred between 4 p.m. and 11 p.m., with the heaviest concentration from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Evening glare, fatigue, and heavier traffic compound the visibility problem that already works against riders. Our attorneys have handled these crashes on the corridors that run through the firm’s Michigan markets, from the Lodge Freeway (M-10) and I-75 around Detroit to 28th Street and US-131 through the Grand Rapids area.

How Does Michigan No-Fault Insurance Apply to an Injured Motorcyclist?

A motorcycle is not a “motor vehicle” under Michigan’s no-fault act, so motorcycle policies do not automatically include Personal Injury Protection benefits. When a car or truck is involved in the crash, a different rule applies. A rider injured in a collision showing evidence of motor vehicle involvement may claim PIP medical benefits through a special priority order set out in MCL 500.3114(5). Motorcycle owners must carry liability insurance under MCL 500.3103(1) and may purchase optional first-party medical benefits under MCL 500.3103(2).

The priority of who pays is one of the most contested issues in motorcycle no-fault claims, and it rarely starts with the rider’s own motorcycle policy. The order can depend on the involved vehicle, who owned and operated it, what auto policies exist, and the PIP medical limit or opt-out selected on those policies. After the 2019 reforms (PA 21 of 2019), the at-fault driver’s chosen coverage tier can cap the medical benefits available to an injured rider, which makes early coverage analysis essential. Our attorneys map the available policies before any insurer’s coverage position is accepted. A fuller explanation of the system is available in the firm’s Michigan no-fault insurance guide.

What Damages Are Available in a Michigan Broadside Motorcycle Case?

Recovery moves along two tracks. Economic losses, including reasonable and necessary medical care, wage loss, and replacement services, may be paid through PIP benefits when a motor vehicle was involved in the crash. Noneconomic damages, meaning pain, suffering, disfigurement, and loss of the ability to lead a normal life, are pursued in a third-party claim against the at-fault driver and require meeting the serious impairment threshold under MCL 500.3135. Excess economic losses beyond available PIP coverage may also be recoverable from the at-fault driver.

The serious impairment threshold is the gateway to noneconomic damages. Under MCL 500.3135, a rider must show death, permanent serious disfigurement, or an objectively manifested impairment of an important body function that affects the person’s general ability to lead a normal life. The catastrophic injuries typical of broadside crashes, such as a shattered pelvis or a spinal cord injury, usually clear that bar, but the defense will test it. Documenting the injury through objective medical evidence is central to preserving the claim.

How Does Comparative Fault Affect a Broadside Motorcycle Claim?

Michigan follows modified comparative fault under MCL 600.2959. A damages award is reduced by the injured rider’s percentage of fault, and a rider found more than 50 percent at fault is barred from recovering noneconomic damages. If a jury values noneconomic damages at $500,000 but assigns the rider 20 percent of the fault, the recoverable amount drops to $400,000. The same conduct that crosses the halfway line ends the noneconomic claim entirely.

In broadside cases the defense often shifts attention to the rider. A common argument is that the rider was speeding or that a missing helmet aggravated a head injury. Michigan law allows riders 21 and older to ride without a helmet under MCL 257.658 when they meet the licensing and first-party medical benefit requirements, and a helmet-law violation does not disqualify a rider from no-fault benefits under MCL 500.3113(b). A defendant may still argue that the absence of a helmet contributed to the severity of a head injury, which is litigated through the comparative fault framework rather than as a bar to the case. The firm addresses these defenses with crash reconstruction, eyewitness accounts, and the physical evidence at the intersection. The interaction is explained further on the firm’s comparative fault in Michigan resource page.

Building a Michigan broadside motorcycle case calls for fast evidence preservation, an accurate read of the no-fault priority rules, and readiness to try the case if an insurer undervalues it. At Neumann Law Group, our motorcycle accident lawyers bring decades of combined trial experience to claims of this kind, including insight from defense-side work into how insurers evaluate and defend these cases. To talk through your options at no cost with the firm’s Michigan injury attorneys, call (800) 525-6386.

What Is the Statute of Limitations for a Michigan Motorcycle Accident Claim?

A negligence claim against the at-fault driver for noneconomic damages generally must be filed within three years of the crash under MCL 600.5805. A claim for PIP benefits arising from motor vehicle involvement carries a separate one-year deadline measured from the date of the accident under MCL 500.3145. The two clocks run independently, and missing the shorter PIP deadline can forfeit medical and wage benefits even while the three-year tort claim remains alive.

The Broadside Motorcycle Claim Process in Michigan Courts

A third-party motorcycle case proceeds like other Michigan negligence actions. After investigation and a demand to the at-fault driver’s liability insurer, suit is filed in the circuit court for the county where the crash occurred or where a party resides. Motorcycle cases land in venues such as the Third Circuit Court in Wayne County for Detroit-area crashes, the 17th Circuit Court in Kent County for Grand Rapids matters, and the 13th Circuit Court for Grand Traverse County. Discovery follows, including depositions, medical records, and often accident reconstruction. Most cases resolve through negotiation, but the credible prospect of trial is what drives fair settlement value.

At Neumann Law Group, our Michigan motorcycle accident attorneys prepare each broadside case as though it will be tried, preserving the vehicles as evidence, securing intersection camera and signal-timing data before it is lost, and retaining the right experts early. The firm offers free consultations, is available 24 hours a day, and travels to clients whose injuries limit their mobility.

Frequently Asked Questions About Broadside Motorcycle Crashes in Michigan

Can a Motorcyclist Recover No-Fault Benefits After a Broadside Crash in Michigan?

Yes, when a motor vehicle is involved. A motorcycle is not a motor vehicle under Michigan’s no-fault act, but a rider injured in a collision showing evidence of motor vehicle involvement may claim Personal Injury Protection (PIP) medical benefits through a special priority order under MCL 500.3114(5). Motorcycle owners must carry liability insurance and may purchase optional first-party medical benefits under MCL 500.3103(2).

Does Not Wearing a Helmet Bar a Michigan Motorcycle Accident Claim?

No. Riders 21 and older may legally ride without a helmet under MCL 257.658 if they meet the licensing and first-party medical benefit requirements. A helmet-law violation does not disqualify a rider from no-fault benefits under MCL 500.3113(b). A defendant may still argue that the absence of a helmet contributed to head injuries, which is addressed through comparative fault under MCL 600.2959.

How Is Fault Decided in a Left-Turn Broadside Motorcycle Crash?

Fault turns on whether a driver failed to yield, ran a control device, or misjudged the rider’s speed and distance. Michigan applies modified comparative fault under MCL 600.2959, which reduces a damages award by the injured rider’s share of fault and bars noneconomic damages entirely if the rider is found more than 50 percent at fault. Intersection broadside cases frequently involve a left-turning driver who did not see an approaching motorcycle.

What Damages Can an Injured Motorcyclist Pursue in Michigan?

Available recovery falls into two tracks. Economic losses such as medical care and wage loss may be covered through PIP benefits when a motor vehicle was involved. Noneconomic damages such as pain, suffering, and loss of normal life require meeting the serious impairment threshold under MCL 500.3135 and are pursued against the at-fault driver. Excess economic losses beyond available PIP coverage may also be recoverable.

Related Practice Areas

• Unsafe lane change motorcycle crashes raise overlapping right-of-way and visibility questions when a driver moves into a rider’s path.
• Fatal motorcycle accidents proceed as wrongful death actions and follow a separate set of damages rules.
• Spinal cord injuries are among the most serious outcomes of a side-impact motorcycle crash and require detailed long-term damages analysis.
• Car accidents involving intersection right-of-way failures share much of the liability analysis used in broadside motorcycle cases.

Talk to a Michigan Motorcycle Accident Attorney

If you were seriously hurt in a broadside motorcycle crash anywhere in Michigan, an honest case evaluation is the place to start. At Neumann Law Group, our Michigan motorcycle accident lawyers offer free consultations, are available 24/7, and will travel to riders whose injuries limit their mobility. Call (800) 525-6386 or contact our office to talk with a Michigan personal injury lawyer about what happened.