After a car accident, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed, upset, and worried about your future. Injuries, property damage, and the inability to work can make life feel uncertain.
The Advocates’ personal injury attorneys have been representing car accident victims for nearly three decades, and we are ready to help you too. We are committed to assisting you in your physical, emotional, and financial recovery.
If you need a competent, caring attorney for your personal injury claim, contact The Advocates law firm today for a free consultation.
Immediately after your accident, check for injuries
Contact The Advocates as soon as possible to begin the road to recovery
Seek medical attention as soon as you can
Get any property damage assessed and repaired
Once you've completed treatment, your case can move forward
Your Advocate will send a demand letter to the other party
Not every accident requires an attorney. However, if the accident resulted in injuries or significant property damage, it is a good idea to contact a lawyer. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you navigate the claims process, which can be lengthy and complex. Your attorney will build your case, keep track of your medical records, negotiate with insurance companies, and represent you in court if necessary. Studies have shown that accident victims who hire a personal injury lawyer can receive settlements up to 3.5 times larger than if they settled on their own.
The best way to know if you have a case is to speak with an attorney. The Advocates offer free consultations—you can speak with a qualified legal team to understand what your case is worth without paying a dime. Once you have decided to hire an Advocate, we will investigate your accident to firmly establish liability.
The Advocates work on contingency only. Our legal fees are calculated as a percentage of your settlement and are only collected after your case is completed. This means that you only pay us if we win your case and you collect compensation. That’s The Advocates Guarantee.
Every personal injury case is different. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to accident claims. The length of the claims process will depend on the severity of your injuries, the willingness of the other party to settle, the court’s caseload, and more.
In general, personal injury cases can take anywhere from several months to a few years. It’s important to contact an attorney as soon as possible to get your case started. Each state has a statute of limitations for personal injury cases, after which you will lose your right of action.
When you hire The Advocates, we will begin investigating your accident immediately while you finish medical treatment. Once all evidence and medical records have been compiled, your attorney will send a demand letter to the other party’s insurance company. At this point, negotiations will begin.
In many cases, a settlement can be reached during negotiations. If the other party refuses to make a fair offer, you may choose to file a suit. In the litigation phase, your attorney will represent you in court in front of a judge, jury, and/or arbitrator.
A Team of Car Accident Professionals Assigned to Your Case |
For nearly 30 years, The Advocates have helped thousands of personal injury victims receive the compensation and care they deserve after their accidents, and we are prepared to do the same for you. We can help you:
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Depending on the nature of your accident, car accident injuries can range from mild to life-threatening. Some common vehicle collision injuries include:
In most cases, the speed limit on the interstate in Montana is 80 miles per hour. Heavy trucks have a maximum speed limit of 70 miles per hour. On two-lane highways, passenger vehicles have a maximum speed of 70 miles per hour during the day and 65 miles per hour at night.
The penalty for violating the speed limit can range from fines of $40-200. In some areas, like construction zones, fines are doubled. For speeding in a school zone, a person may be convicted of a misdemeanor in addition to having to pay a fine.
According to the Montana Department of Transportation, distracted driving is classified as any non-driving activity that has the potential to distract a driver from the primary task of driving and increase the risk of crashing. This includes, but is not limited to:
The state of Montana is currently the only state in the country that does not have statewide distracted driving laws of some kind. However, many cities have enacted their own laws regarding cell phone use while driving, including Helena, Missoula, Billings, Bozeman, and others.
The state itself has introduced several measures to ban texting and driving statewide over the last few years, but has not yet managed to pass one.
No one may drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol. “Drugs” includes prescription drugs, marijuana (even as a registered cardholder) or illicit drugs.
In Montana, the legal blood alcohol concentration limit is 0.08. For commercial drivers, the limit is 0.04. However, there are times when an individual may be charged with impaired driving, even if their BAC is less than the legal limit.
If there is sufficient evidence that a driver has been drinking or using drugs, even if their BAC is below the legal limit, they may still be charged.
The penalties for drunk driving in Montana are severe.
For a first offense, a driver must:
For second and third offenses, penalties increase:
Penalties increase even more if a passenger was in the car at the time of the DUI.
In the case of a drunk driving accident, the impaired driver will usually be found at-fault. If you’ve been in a car crash with a drunk driver, contact The Advocates to get started on the road to recovery.
Any driver who knows or should have reasonably known that they have been involved in an accident with a person, object, or another vehicle, must stop as close to the scene of the accident as is safe. The driver has a duty to ensure injured parties receive aid from a medical professional and exchange information with the other driver. Failure to do so is considered a hit-and-run.
If you’ve been involved in a motor vehicle accident, be sure to do the following:
For any personal injury case, a plaintiff only has a certain amount of time to file their claim. After that time period is up, they lose their right of action. This is referred to as the statute of limitations.
In Montana, the statute of limitations for car accident cases is 3 years. However, it is a good idea to file your claim much sooner than that. Personal injury cases can take a long time to settle, so it is a good idea to give yourself as much time as possible before the statute of limitations is up. As soon as you think you may have a case, contact a personal injury lawyer so they may begin working on your claim.
If you were injured in a car accident, you will need to prove that the other driver was at fault in order to receive any damages. Montana is a comparative negligence state, meaning that you must be found less responsible for the accident than the other driver(s) in order to receive a settlement. Your claim will be reduced depending on how much responsibility you are found to have had in causing the accident.
Insurance companies can be ruthless and will do whatever they can to prove you had some responsibility in the accident. Fighting insurance providers on your own can be stressful, upsetting, and disruptive to your recovery.
The Advocates’ auto accident lawyers have years of experience negotiating with insurance providers and fighting for our clients’ right to fair compensation under the law. We are ready to provide you with fierce legal representation and thoughtful, compassionate care throughout your entire recovery.
We are here to help every step of the way– our number one priority is your peace of mind. The Advocates will be by your side from the day you contact us to the day you receive your settlement check. Contact us today for a free case evaluation. You deserve a worry-free recovery. You deserve an Advocate.