At the scene
- People first — check everyone, call 911 for injuries, move to safety if drivable.
- Police report for anything beyond a parking-lot tap. In Michigan, crashes over a damage threshold must be reported anyway — err toward the report.
- Photograph everything: positions, damage, plates, the intersection, road conditions, their insurance card.
- Exchange info; volunteer nothing about fault. "Are you okay?" is the whole conversation.
- Deer strike? Photos of the scene and (carefully) the animal evidence — it's a comprehensive claim, not collision, and the difference matters.
How Michigan routes it
No-fault means your own policy leads: PIP handles your injuries; your collision coverage handles your vehicle (with the deductible outcome set by Broad vs. Standard vs. Limited); mini-tort recovers up to $3,000 of deductible/damage from an at-fault driver. Serious injuries can open liability claims beyond PIP — which is what everyone's BI limits are for.
The agent difference
We report it right the first time, flag the coverages the adjuster should apply (Broad waiver, rental, full glass), sanity-check the estimate, and stay attached until the check clears. During business hours, call us before the carrier: Roscommon (989) 275-5555, Grayling (989) 348-4444, Coopersville (616) 850-1111. Overnight, use the carrier's 24/7 line, then loop us in at 8:30.