Under Michigan hit and run laws, leaving the scene of an accident is a crime that runs from a 90-day misdemeanor with a $100 fine up to a 15-year felony, with the tier set by whether the crash damaged only a vehicle, injured someone, or killed someone the fleeing driver caused to die. A conviction also brings six license points, a Secretary of State suspension, insurance consequences, and civil exposure that can outlast the criminal case.
What You Must Do at the Scene
Every driver in a crash on a public road or on private property open to public travel must stop immediately and stay put. The only exception is leaving to report to the nearest police agency when staying would create a genuine risk of further harm.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.617 – Accident Resulting in Serious Impairment of Body Function or Death
Once stopped, MCL 257.619 requires you to give your name, address, and vehicle registration number (plus the owner’s name and address if the car isn’t yours) to the other driver, anyone who was struck, or a police officer. You must show your operator’s or chauffeur’s license on request, and you must give reasonable assistance to anyone hurt, including helping arrange medical care or transportation.2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.619 – Accidents, Duties of Driver
Hitting a parked or unattended vehicle triggers the same basic duty. You have to stop, try to find the owner, and if you can’t, report the collision to the nearest police officer. Driving off because no one saw you is still leaving the scene.3Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.620 – Collision With Attended or Unattended Vehicle
Criminal Penalties by Severity
The gap between the lightest and heaviest charge is enormous, and it turns on what the crash did.
Vehicle Damage Only
If the only harm is damage to another vehicle, leaving the scene is a misdemeanor. Maximum penalty: 90 days in jail, a $100 fine, or both.4Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 257.618 – Accident Resulting in Damage to Vehicle The statutory penalty is modest. The points and insurance hit that follow are usually where the real money goes.
Serious Injury or Death
When the crash causes serious impairment of a body function or a death, leaving is a felony carrying up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.617 – Accident Resulting in Serious Impairment of Body Function or Death “Serious impairment of body function” is a specific Michigan legal standard, so ordinary bruises or scrapes don’t reach this tier. Accidents causing lesser personal injuries fall under a separate provision, MCL 257.617a.
Fatal Crash the Driver Caused
The top charge applies only when two facts line up: the driver caused the accident, and someone died. That’s a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.617 – Accident Resulting in Serious Impairment of Body Function or Death The causation piece matters. A driver who fled a fatal crash they didn’t cause faces the five-year felony, not the 15-year one. To reach the higher tier, prosecutors have to prove the driver was at fault for the collision itself, not just for leaving it.
Points and License Suspension
A hit and run conviction puts six points on your Michigan driving record, one of the highest values the state assigns.5Michigan Secretary of State. Chapter 2 – Your Driving Record At 12 or more points, the state can require driver reexamination and impose its own suspension.
The Secretary of State also suspends the license separately from any court sentence. Leaving the scene of an accident that caused personal injury draws a 90-day suspension.6Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 257.319 – Suspension of License, Crimes, Violations Offenses involving death or serious impairment carry longer suspensions. When one incident produces multiple convictions, only the longest suspension period runs.
Insurance Fallout
Six points and a suspension together almost guarantee a sharp premium increase, and some carriers will simply decline to renew the policy. After reinstatement, the state may require an SR-22 filing proving you carry the minimum required coverage. Not every insurer writes SR-22 policies, which can push you into high-risk specialty carriers at much higher rates.
Restitution and Civil Lawsuits
Criminal court can order restitution as part of the sentence, requiring you to reimburse the victim’s medical bills, lost wages, and property damage. That doesn’t end the exposure. The victim can also file a civil suit for the same losses plus pain and suffering, and Michigan gives injury plaintiffs three years from the date of the accident to file.7Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 600.5805 – Statute of Limitations, Personal Injury and Property Damage
The two tracks use different standards of proof. An acquittal in criminal court doesn’t block a civil verdict, because the plaintiff only has to show it was more likely than not that you were responsible, not that you were guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. That’s where a lot of defendants get surprised.
Defenses That Come Up
The most common defense is that the driver didn’t know a crash happened. The statute requires that the driver “knows or has reason to believe” a collision occurred.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.617 – Accident Resulting in Serious Impairment of Body Function or Death In a minor bump on a noisy road in bad weather, that argument can be genuine. Once damage is significant or a pedestrian is involved, it usually collapses.
Mistaken identity is another route. When police trace a license plate but no witness saw the driver, the registered owner can argue someone else was at the wheel. Surveillance footage, cell phone location data, and witness accounts drive the outcome. A pre-accident stolen-vehicle report undercuts the prosecution substantially.
Procedural challenges also come into play. If evidence came from an improper stop or a defective procedure, defense counsel can move to suppress. That doesn’t dispute whether the defendant left; it disputes whether the state can prove it with admissible evidence.
A Note for Non-Citizens
A felony hit and run conviction can create immigration problems separate from the criminal sentence. Depending on the subsection of conviction, an offense involving injury or death may be treated as a crime involving moral turpitude, which can affect permanent residency, naturalization, and good-moral-character findings. The analysis is fact-specific and turns on the exact statute charged. Any non-citizen facing a hit and run felony should talk to an immigration attorney before agreeing to a plea, because a resolution that looks efficient in criminal court can open the door to removal.