Montana Car Accident Attorneys

A wreck outside Billings looks nothing like a fender-bender in downtown Missoula — and Montana's 51% fault bar punishes anyone who lets the insurer write the story.

Free to use — no fee unless you win
Matched with a Montana attorney in 24 hours
30,000+ plaintiffs served nationwide

Free Montana car accident case review

A Montana attorney will take a look. Or call 1-833-WELEGAL.

How we match your Montana car accident case

When you submit a Montana car accident matter, we route it through a national network of independent partner firms and put it in front of the one that fits best — based on the kind of case it is, what it is likely to involve, where it has to be handled, and who has capacity to take it on now.

Case type

A car accident matter needs someone who handles car accident work day to day, not a generalist. Practice area is the first filter.

Size and complexity

Some firms are built for catastrophic injury and multi-party litigation; others resolve straightforward claims quickly. We weigh what your matter is likely to involve against how each firm actually works.

Jurisdiction and licensing

Your matter is decided under Montana law, so it goes to an attorney licensed in Montana who regularly appears where your case would be heard.

Capacity and fit

Availability, conflicts of interest and language all matter. If the best-fit firm cannot take your case, we route it to the next one that can — or tell you plainly when no one in the network is the right answer.

Every partner reviews your case for free. Injury and workers’ compensation matters are handled on contingency — no fee unless you win. Other matters are quoted upfront, before you commit to anything.

Get started How DearLegal works

DearLegal provides marketing and matching services and is not a law firm. Submitting a case does not create an attorney-client relationship. Matches depend on case type, jurisdiction and firm availability.

Exhibit A

What happens with a car accident claim in Montana

Day 0
It happens.
Get medical care and keep every record. Montana is a no-fault state, so your own PIP coverage pays first medical bills regardless of who caused it.
Within 24 hours
Tell us what happened.
Two minutes on this page. A Montana car accident attorney reviews it for free and, if it’s a fit, you’re matched within 24 hours.
Weeks 1–4
Your attorney builds the file.
Reports, medical records, witnesses, camera footage, insurance policies. This is the part insurers hope you skip.
Months 1–6
Demand and negotiation.
Your attorney sends a demand and negotiates with the insurer. Montana’s fault rule matters here — Modified comparative fault, 51% bar.
Before the 3-year deadline
Suit is filed if it has to be.
Montana gives 3 years from the date it happened. Filing keeps your leverage; missing it ends the claim.
Resolution
Settlement or verdict.
You pay nothing along the way. The fee — typically 33% — comes only out of what’s recovered. If nothing is recovered, you owe nothing.

Statute of Limitations: 3 years
3 years from the date of the crash (Mont. Code Ann. § 27-2-204)
Fault Rule: 51%
Modified comparative fault, 51% bar (Mont. Code Ann. § 27-1-702)
Damages Cap: No cap
No statutory cap on non-economic damages in standard auto cases
Minimum Liability Insurance: 25/50/20
$25,000 / $50,000 / $20,000 (Mont. Code Ann. § 61-6-103)
Insurance System: At-fault
Tort (at-fault). No no-fault PIP requirement.
Typical attorney fee: 33%
33%–40% contingency — no fee unless you win

Distance is the defining feature of Montana crash cases. Wrecks on I-90, I-15, and US-93 often happen miles from the nearest trooper, with wildlife crossings and hard winters adding hazards most states never see — and thousands of serious-injury crashes pile up across the state every year. The legal stakes are just as unforgiving: under Mont. Code Ann. § 27-1-702, Montana applies modified comparative fault, and your recovery is barred entirely if your fault exceeds the combined fault of the defendants. The statute of limitations runs 3 years, which sounds generous until you realize how quickly skid marks, debris fields, and witness memories disappear on a remote highway.

Exhibit B

When to call a car accident attorney in Montana

Does any of this sound like you? Tap what applies.

Exhibit C

Car Accident cases we take in Montana

Which one is closest to yours?

Rear-end collisions

Montana law generally presumes the trailing driver was negligent — which doesn't stop adjusters from floating sudden-stop and brake-checking defenses. Expect a fight over whiplash and soft-tissue injuries too.

Sound like yours? A Montana attorney reviews it free — no fee unless they win.

Start my free review

Exhibit D

How much do Montana car accident attorneys cost?

Sample settlement statement

Montana · Car Accident

Recovery$100,000

Attorney fee · 33%− $33,000

Case costs (advanced by firm)repaid at the end

To you$67,000

Due today$0

Try a different recovery$100,000

$5,000$3,000,000

Illustrative only. Your fee terms are set in a written agreement with your attorney and may include costs and expenses regardless of outcome.

Most Montana car accident attorneys work on contingency: the fee is a share of what they recover, and nothing if they don’t.

Expect contingency-fee representation from Montana car accident attorneys — typically 33% to 40% of the total recovery, with case costs advanced by the firm and deducted at the end. You pay nothing out of pocket to start.

A good attorney walks through every number at your free consultation — before you sign anything.

Get startedTakes about two minutes. No obligation.

Exhibit E

What your Montana car accident compensation can include

A Montana car accident recovery is built from several parts. Tap one to see what it covers.

Economic Damages

Every dollar the crash cost you: medical bills, lost wages, future care, and other measurable losses. No statutory cap applies.

DearLegal is a legal referral service, not a law firm. We connect individuals with licensed attorneys who can evaluate their case. Nothing on this page constitutes legal advice. Results vary based on individual circumstances.

Exhibit F

Montana car accident questions, answered

Still unsure? Tell us what happened and a Montana attorney will review it for free.

Start free review

You get 3 years from the date of the crash for personal injury claims, but only 2 years for property damage — both under Mont. Code Ann. § 27-2-204. One trap to watch: if a state vehicle or state road maintenance is involved, the Montana Tort Claims Act requires notice under Mont. Code Ann. § 2-9-301, so don't sit on it.

There's no no-fault PIP in Montana — you go straight after the at-fault driver and their liability carrier. The catch is comparative fault: under Mont. Code Ann. § 27-1-702, your recovery shrinks by your percentage of blame, and if you're more than 50% at fault, you collect nothing at all. That's why adjusters fight so hard over fault percentages.

Not necessarily. Your own policy's uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage steps in, and Montana insurers are required to offer UM coverage under Mont. Code Ann. § 33-23-201. Check your declarations page — many Montanans carry it without realizing.

Decline. With Montana's 51% bar, a single offhand comment — "I didn't see them coming" — becomes ammunition to push your fault percentage up. Hand the adjuster your attorney's number, or your own insurer's, and say nothing else.

There's no formula. Your medical bills, lost income, projected future treatment, vehicle damage, and how clean your liability evidence is all drive the number. The good news for serious injuries: Montana does not cap non-economic damages in standard auto cases, so pain and suffering is valued on the facts, not a statute.

The deadlines and fault rules are the same, but I-90 and I-15 cases tend to be bigger and messier: heavy commercial truck traffic, elk and deer crossings, black ice, and out-of-state drivers. Federal trucking regulations and weather-related liability theories often come into play, which is exactly where an experienced attorney earns their fee.

Usually nothing. Montana car accident attorneys work on contingency — they take a percentage of what they recover for you, typically in the 33% to 40% range. No recovery, no attorney fee.