North Dakota Car Accident Settlement Calculator

In North Dakota motor vehicle accident cases, you can recover damages only if your fault is less than 50%. If the jury finds you equally at fault (50/50), you recover nothing. This threshold makes the fault determination in car accident cases especially consequential — the difference between 49% and 50% fault is the difference between receiving compensation and receiving nothing.

You have 6 years to file suit in North Dakota, a deadline that is longer than the national average of 2.7 years. While you have more time than most states, delaying still weakens your case as evidence degrades and witnesses become harder to locate. North Dakota does apply a discovery rule, which can adjust the starting point of the limitations period when the injury was not immediately discoverable.

As a no-fault auto insurance state, North Dakota requires you to file a claim with your own insurance company first under your personal injury protection (PIP) policy, regardless of who caused the accident. You can only file a lawsuit against the at-fault driver if your injuries meet North Dakota's serious injury threshold — typically involving significant disfigurement, permanent injury, or medical expenses exceeding the PIP limit. This two-step process means many minor car accident claims in North Dakota are resolved entirely through PIP, while serious injury cases proceed as traditional lawsuits.

North Dakota requires all drivers to carry minimum liability insurance of $25K per person / $50K per accident in bodily injury coverage and $25K in property damage coverage (commonly written as 25/50/25). These minimums are below the national average, meaning many drivers in North Dakota may carry only enough insurance to cover a fraction of the costs from a serious accident. North Dakota also requires uninsured motorist (UM) coverage of at least $25K per person, which protects you if the at-fault driver has no insurance. As a no-fault state, North Dakota also mandates personal injury protection (PIP) coverage of at least $30K.

Claims against government entities in North Dakota — such as accidents involving government vehicles, city buses, or dangerous road conditions maintained by a municipality — require a formal notice of claim within 180 days. This compressed timeline catches many accident victims off guard. If a government entity may be at fault, consulting an attorney immediately is critical to preserving your right to compensation.