Pontiac Car Accident Lawyer

Where do crashes happen in Pontiac?

On the highways that cross the city. Of Pontiac's 1,967 crashes in 2024, 906 were on an interstate, a US route or a state route. That is nearly half.

I-75

Police recorded 352 Pontiac crashes on the interstate in 2024.

Telegraph Road and the Woodward Loop

Another 244 crashes were on US routes. Telegraph Road (US-24) runs along the west side, and Woodward circles downtown as a loop that can confuse drivers who do not use it every day.

M-59 and Woodward Avenue

State routes accounted for 310 crashes. M-59 crosses the city east to west, and Woodward (M-1) comes up from the south.

People on foot and on bikes

In 2024, 26 Pontiac crashes involved a pedestrian and 19 involved a bicyclist. Of the Oakland County cities on this site, only Southfield had more pedestrian crashes, and none had more bicycle crashes.

If your crash happened at one of these, tell us which one. The location shapes where we look for video, witnesses and prior crash history.

How common are crashes in Pontiac?

Common, and more likely to be serious. In 2024 police recorded 1,967 crashes in Pontiac, with 660 people injured and 3 killed. Of those injured, 61 had serious injuries. That is more serious injuries than Southfield or Troy recorded, in a city with fewer crashes.

Across Oakland County, police reported 35,951 crashes in 2024, with 9,139 people injured and 68 killed.

Pontiac is the county seat. The courts, the county offices and two hospitals are here, and the highways were built to bring people in.

How do I get my Pontiac crash report?

From the Oakland County Sheriff's Office. Pontiac does not have its own police department. The Sheriff's Office polices the city, so your report is a Sheriff's report. It is called a UD-10, and your insurer will ask for it.

• Online: crash reports are usually available through the county's CLEMIS system 7 to 10 business days after the crash.
• In person: the Sheriff's Office Records Unit, 1201 North Telegraph Road in Pontiac, behind the Oakland County Jail in Building 10 East. Open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Phone (248) 858-5011.
• Questions about the crash itself: the Pontiac substation at (248) 409-7100.
• What to have ready: the report or incident number the deputy gave you, the date, and the location.

If the Michigan State Police handled your crash on I-75, the report comes from them. The agency name is printed at the top of the report.

Read the report when you get it. If a fact is wrong, tell us. We deal with that early.

A deputy gave me a ticket. Will that sink my injury claim?

No. In Pontiac the ticket comes from a Sheriff's deputy, and it goes to the 50th District Court at 70 North Saginaw Street. Whatever the court decides on it stays out of the injury case. MCL 257.731.

Do not ignore it. Respond by the date printed on the ticket, usually within 14 days. The court offers an online review for eligible tickets written by the Sheriff's Office, and the traffic division answers at (248) 758-3878.

Fault in the injury case

The injury case weighs fault on its own evidence. Your damages are cut by your percentage of fault, and if you carry more of it than all the others combined, you recover nothing for pain and suffering. MCL 600.2959.

Claims for car damage, called mini tort, usually go to the 50th District Court, which hears civil cases up to $25,000. Our Michigan Mini Tort Guide covers it.

Where is a Pontiac injury lawsuit filed?

In Pontiac. The Oakland County Circuit Court is here, and that is where a larger injury case from anywhere in the county is filed. Cases worth $25,000 or less stay in the 50th District Court downtown.

Most claims never reach a courtroom. Your own insurer pays your medical bills and lost wages first under Michigan no-fault, and that part starts with a claim form, not a lawsuit.

Who owns the road where I crashed?

It depends on the road, and it matters when the road itself played a part.

• State roads: I-75, Telegraph Road (US-24), M-59 and Woodward Avenue, including the downtown loop, are state highways under the Michigan Department of Transportation.
• County and city roads: other major roads belong to the Road Commission for Oakland County or the City of Pontiac. Neighborhood streets belong to the city.

If a road defect helped cause the crash, the deadline is short. Written notice must reach the responsible agency within 120 days of the injury, and it must describe the exact location and the defect. MCL 691.1404. That is far shorter than the time to bring other claims, so tell us early if you think the road was part of it.

Where does the ambulance take you in Pontiac?

Usually to one of two hospitals in the city. Both are Level II trauma centers.

• Trinity Health Oakland Hospital, 44405 Woodward Avenue.
• McLaren Oakland, 50 North Perry Street.

Wherever you were treated, give the hospital your auto insurance claim number. In Michigan your own auto insurer pays crash medical bills first.

I was walking or on a bike and I do not own a car. Who pays?

You are still covered. Pontiac has more pedestrian and bicycle crashes than most of the cities on this site, so this comes up. Michigan no-fault looks first for an auto policy of your own, then one held by your spouse or a relative you live with.

If there is none, the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan assigns an insurer to pay. That is also the path when the driver who hit you had no insurance and you have no policy at home. Written notice of the claim is due within one year. MCL 500.3145.

See Hit by an Uninsured Driver in Michigan for the full order.

Pontiac questions we hear

The Sheriff has not released my report yet. Can I still call?

Yes. You do not need the report to start, and we can help you get it.

I cannot afford a lawyer. What does this cost?

Talking to us is free. On injury cases there's no fee unless we win. Case costs are itemized separately in the written fee agreement.

Can I talk to someone in Spanish or Chaldean?

Yes. Tell us when you call 844-ASK-AZZO.

What if the crash was south of the city on Woodward?

Then it may belong to Bloomfield Township or Bloomfield Hills, each with its own police. Further down Woodward is Birmingham. For how the two Michigan claims work, see our Michigan car accident page.

Where is your office?

33687 Woodward Avenue in Birmingham, straight down Woodward from Pontiac. You can also start at askazzo.com.

Sources

• Michigan Traffic Crash Facts, 2024 Oakland County report, crashes by municipality
• Michigan State Police, 2024 Statewide Traffic Crash Data Year End Report
• Oakland County Sheriff's Office, Records Unit
• 50th District Court, Pontiac
• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, designated trauma facilities
• MCL 257.731, MCL 600.2959, MCL 691.1404, MCL 500.3145

Photo: Pontiac Michigan Skyline 2021 by WeaponizingArchitecture, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped, with a color tint added. Our versions of this photo are shared under the same license.