Michigan E-Bike and Scooter Accident Attorneys

Most people who get hurt on an e-bike or scooter never expected to be dealing with an insurance company. You were commuting, running an errand, or just out for a ride, and then a driver turned without looking or the pavement gave out under your wheels. Now there are medical bills and a pile of questions nobody seems able to answer cleanly.

At Neumann Law Group, our Michigan e-bike and scooter accident attorneys help riders across Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Traverse City figure out who actually owes them money after a crash, which is rarely as simple as it sounds. Your situation fits within the firm’s broader Michigan vehicle accident practice, and it leans on years of handling no-fault claims that insurers were slow to pay.

How Michigan Classifies E-Bikes and Scooters

Michigan sorts electric bicycles into three classes under MCL 257.13e. Class 1 provides pedal assistance up to 20 miles per hour, Class 2 adds a throttle with the same 20 mile-per-hour cap, and Class 3 offers pedal assistance up to 28 miles per hour. All three carry a motor limit of 750 watts. A device modified beyond these limits loses its bicycle status and is treated as a moped or motorcycle, which then carries registration and insurance duties.

Electric scooters occupy a stranger place in the code. The Legislature wrote the electric skateboard definition in MCL 257.13f to cover stand-on devices up to 2,500 watts and 25 miles per hour, and Michigan agencies have read that definition to include the shared scooters run by companies such as Bird, Lime, and Spin. A rider on one of these scooters carries the rights and duties of a vehicle driver on the roadway under MCL 257.657, yet the device itself is not a motor vehicle for insurance purposes. That gap between road duties and insurance status is where most rider confusion begins.

How E-Bike and Scooter Crashes Happen in Michigan

Micromobility injuries have climbed sharply. The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated 149,100 emergency department visits tied to e-scooters, e-bikes, and similar devices in 2024, up from 37,300 in 2017. In its 2017 to 2024 data, about 24 percent of e-bike injuries involved a motor vehicle, which places those riders squarely inside Michigan’s no-fault system.

At Neumann Law Group, our Michigan e-bike and scooter accident lawyers see the same patterns repeat. A driver turns across a bike lane without checking for a faster-moving e-bike. A car door opens into the path of a scooter. A pothole or broken pavement seam throws a rider with small, hard wheels. A rental scooter’s brake or throttle fails mid-ride. Each of these scenarios sends the claim in a different legal direction, and the first question is almost always whether a motor vehicle was involved.

Does Michigan No-Fault Insurance Cover E-Bike and Scooter Injuries?

Michigan’s no-fault system can cover an e-bike or scooter rider, but not because the rider insured the device. A person injured while not an occupant of a motor vehicle is treated as a non-occupant under the No-Fault Act. When a car or truck is involved in the crash, that rider may claim personal injury protection benefits the same way an injured pedestrian would, regardless of who caused the collision.

Where those benefits come from depends on the rider’s own coverage. Under MCL 500.3114(1), a rider who holds an auto policy, or who lives with a spouse or relative who does, claims PIP through that policy. A rider with no such coverage claims through the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan under MCL 500.3115 and MCL 500.3172, where allowable medical expenses are capped at $250,000. Either way, the one-year deadline in MCL 500.3145 controls, and it runs from the date of the crash.

Crashes without a motor vehicle follow a different path. A rider who falls because of a defective battery, a failed brake, or a hazard in the road cannot reach no-fault PIP, because no motor vehicle was involved. Those cases turn on product liability or premises and road-authority claims instead. The interaction between PIP, health insurance, and the assigned claims plan is set out further in the firm’s Michigan no-fault insurance guide.

What Damages Can an Injured E-Bike or Scooter Rider Recover?

Two tracks of recovery can run at once. No-fault PIP pays economic losses such as medical care, wage loss, and replacement services regardless of fault. A separate claim against the at-fault driver can seek noneconomic damages for pain and disability, but only where the injury meets the serious impairment of body function threshold defined in MCL 500.3135.

Vehicle and device damage is recoverable in limited form through the mini tort provision of MCL 500.3135(3)(e), which allows up to $3,000 from an at-fault driver. When a defect in the e-bike or scooter caused the crash, Michigan’s product liability statute, MCL 600.2946, opens a claim against the manufacturer or seller. Where a rider dies from the injuries, a wrongful death action under MCL 600.2922 belongs to the personal representative of the estate and follows its own timeline.

How Does Fault Affect an E-Bike or Scooter Claim?

Michigan applies modified comparative fault under MCL 600.2959. A rider’s recovery drops by their share of fault, and a rider found more than 50 percent at fault cannot recover noneconomic damages at all. Insurers often press this point against riders, pointing to a missing helmet, sidewalk riding, or dark clothing to shift blame onto the person who was hurt.

The helmet question deserves care. Michigan requires helmets only for some riders: Class 3 e-bike operators and passengers under 18 under MCL 257.662a, and e-scooter operators under 19 under MCL 257.658. An adult riding lawfully without a helmet has broken no law, yet a defense lawyer may still argue the choice contributed to a head injury. How that argument is weighed under Michigan’s fault rules is the subject of the firm’s comparative fault resource.

How Neumann Law Group Approaches Michigan E-Bike and Scooter Cases

At Neumann Law Group, our Michigan e-bike and scooter accident attorneys treat early evidence as the case. The device tells part of the story, so we work to preserve it before it is repaired or returned. For rental scooters, the operator’s app holds trip data, speed, and route, and that record can disappear within days. We also gather the involved vehicle’s information, witness accounts, helmet condition, and photographs of any road defect.

The firm brings more than 200 years of combined attorney experience to these claims, along with a working knowledge of how insurers value no-fault and third-party injury cases, drawn in part from defense-side roots. Riders across the state can reach the firm’s attorneys from offices in Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Traverse City, and the firm travels to clients whose injuries limit their mobility.

Sorting out which insurer owes benefits, and whether a tort claim is available, is rarely obvious in the days after a micromobility crash. At Neumann Law Group, our Michigan e-bike and scooter accident lawyers review these questions at no cost and can tell a rider where the claim actually stands. Call (800) 525-6386 to talk through what happened.

What Is the Statute of Limitations for an E-Bike or Scooter Claim in Michigan?

Michigan sets more than one clock. A claim for no-fault PIP benefits must be pursued within one year of the crash under MCL 500.3145. A tort claim against an at-fault driver, and most product liability claims, carry a three-year limit under MCL 600.5805. A wrongful death action runs three years from the date of death under MCL 600.2922.

Missing the one-year PIP deadline usually ends that part of the claim no matter how strong it is, which is why the two clocks are easy to confuse and costly to ignore. A rider can hold a live tort claim against the driver while the window for medical and wage-loss benefits has already closed.

Frequently Asked Questions About E-Bike and Scooter Accidents in Michigan

Do I Need Insurance to Ride an E-Bike or Scooter in Michigan?

No. Michigan treats e-bikes as bicycles and most e-scooters as electric skateboards, and neither meets the no-fault definition of a motor vehicle under MCL 500.3101. Riders need no license, registration, or auto insurance for the device itself. That status does not remove a rider from the no-fault system entirely when a motor vehicle is involved in a crash.

Can I Get No-Fault Benefits if a Car Hit Me on My Scooter?

Often, yes. A rider struck by a car or truck is treated as a non-occupant and may claim PIP benefits through their own or a resident relative’s auto policy under MCL 500.3114(1), or through the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan under MCL 500.3115 if no such policy exists. The application must be filed within one year of the crash under MCL 500.3145.

Are Helmets Required for E-Bikes and Scooters in Michigan?

Only for younger riders. Under MCL 257.662a, Class 3 e-bike operators and passengers under 18 must wear a helmet, and operators must be at least 14. Under MCL 257.658, e-scooter operators under 19 must wear one. Adults face no statewide helmet mandate, though the absence of a helmet can still surface as a defense argument in an injury claim.

Who Is Liable When a Rental Scooter Malfunctions?

Liability depends on the cause. When a brake, throttle, or battery fails because of a defect, a product liability claim under MCL 600.2946 may reach the manufacturer or the rental operator. At Neumann Law Group, our Michigan e-bike and scooter accident lawyers move quickly to preserve the device and the operator’s trip data, both of which can decide a malfunction case.

How Long Do I Have to File an E-Bike or Scooter Accident Claim in Michigan?

It depends on the claim. No-fault PIP benefits carry a one-year deadline under MCL 500.3145. Tort claims against an at-fault driver and most product liability claims run three years under MCL 600.5805, and a wrongful death claim runs three years from the date of death under MCL 600.2922. A single crash can involve more than one of these deadlines.

Related Practice Areas

• Product liability claims under MCL 600.2946 can reach the manufacturer or seller when a defect in an e-bike or scooter caused the crash.
• Bicycle accidents raise many of the same visibility and no-fault questions that govern e-bike claims.
• Car accidents involving a motorist who failed to yield are the most common source of serious micromobility injuries in Michigan.

Talk to a Michigan E-Bike and Scooter Accident Attorney

If you were hurt on an e-bike or scooter in Michigan, the answers about coverage and deadlines should come before the insurance company’s adjuster sets the terms. At Neumann Law Group, our Michigan e-bike and scooter accident attorneys offer a free case review, are available 24 hours a day, and 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.