Fractures common in car crashes
- Wrist, forearm and hand fractures from bracing against the wheel or dashboard
- Leg, ankle, foot, knee (tibial plateau) and hip fractures from footwell impact
- Rib and sternum fractures from seat belts and airbags
- Clavicle (collarbone) and shoulder fractures
- Pelvic and vertebral fractures in higher-speed crashes
- Facial fractures
What no-fault pays
Your PIP insurer pays reasonably necessary treatment up to your coverage level: emergency care, surgery to set the bone with plates, rods or screws, casts and braces, physical and occupational therapy, follow-up surgery to remove hardware, and medications. While you cannot work, wage loss pays 85% of gross pay up to $7,455 per 30 days for accidents from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. If you cannot do chores, replacement services pay up to $20 a day, and if you need help with dressing or bathing, attendant care applies.
The claim against the at-fault driver
To recover pain and suffering, you must meet the serious impairment threshold (MCL 500.3135). A fracture usually satisfies the first part, an objectively manifested impairment, because the break and the resulting loss of use are observable. The contested questions tend to be the other two:
- Important body function. Walking, use of your dominant hand, lifting and breathing are important to almost anyone; the court looks at what matters to you.
- General ability to lead your normal life. The court compares your life before and after the crash. Weeks in a cast, time off work, needing help at home, and activities you had to stop all count. Michigan law sets no minimum duration, so a fracture that fully healed can still qualify.
What increases the value of a fracture claim
- Surgery, especially open reduction with internal fixation, and later hardware removal
- Fractures into a joint, which can lead to post-traumatic arthritis
- Nonunion or malunion requiring more surgery
- Permanent loss of motion, strength or a limp
- Scarring, which can also support a claim for permanent serious disfigurement
- A job that depends on the injured limb
Future losses matter. If you cannot return to your job, income lost above the PIP cap or after three years is a claim against the at-fault driver. See excess medical and wage claims.
Pre-existing conditions
Osteoporosis or an earlier injury to the same bone does not defeat a claim. Michigan law compensates the aggravation of a pre-existing condition. The defense may argue the bone would have failed anyway; your orthopedic surgeon’s explanation of the mechanism of injury answers that.
Do not settle until you know the outcome. Many fracture complications, including nonunion and arthritis, appear months later. A release signed early ends the claim. The suit against the at-fault driver must be filed within three years of the crash (MCL 600.5805(2)).
Sources: MCL 500.3135(1), (3)(c), (5); McCormick v Carrier, 487 Mich 180 (2010); MCL 500.3107; MCL 600.5805(2); DIFS Bulletin 2026-20-INS.
Questions people ask us
Does a broken bone meet Michigan’s serious impairment threshold?
Often, but not automatically. A fracture is objectively visible on imaging, but you must also show it impaired an important body function and affected your general ability to lead your normal life. The impairment does not have to be permanent.
What if my fracture healed completely?
A healed fracture can still meet the threshold if, while you were recovering, it affected your general ability to lead your normal life. Michigan law sets no minimum duration. Permanent limits, hardware and arthritis add to the claim.
Who pays for surgery to repair a fracture?
Your no-fault PIP insurer, up to your coverage level, regardless of fault. Costs above your PIP limit can be claimed from the at-fault driver.