$30,000 is the minimum PIP coverage on a North Dakota car policy, and an old MRI does not wipe out your claim. If a driver in Minot made your condition worse, North Dakota law still lets you recover for the aggravation of a pre-existing injury. Right now, get medical care, tell the provider what changed after the crash, and open the PIP claim immediately. Do not let the insurer turn "you had this before" into "this crash caused nothing."

Here is why.

North Dakota is a no-fault state for auto crashes, so your first medical bills and some lost wages usually run through PIP first, up to that $30,000 minimum, no matter who caused the wreck. That matters fast in spring and summer rider crashes around Minot, especially on roads like US 2, Broadway, and near Minot Air Force Base where visibility mistakes happen.

The insurance company will often grab your old MRI, prior PT notes, or urgent care records and argue your pain was already there. Their goal is to pay only for the "before" condition and deny the new damage or worsening. The law does not give them a free pass just because you were not perfectly healthy before the collision. If the crash made an old neck, back, knee, or shoulder problem worse, that worsening is part of the claim.

What helps right now:

• Tell every doctor what was different after this crash: more pain, new numbness, less range of motion, headaches, missed work, trouble sleeping, trouble riding or walking.
• Ask that your chart clearly says "aggravation of pre-existing condition" if that is what happened.
• Report the crash to your insurer and, if not already done, make sure a report exists with Minot Police Department or the responding agency.
• Do not give a casual recorded statement saying "it's the same as before."

Insurers love old imaging. What they fear is clear proof that your symptoms, function, and treatment changed after this crash.