Montana Injury Law Blog

Car accidents happen for a variety of reasons: driver error, negligence, manufacturing defects, and dangerous weather. No matter the specific cause or result of the car accident, speaking with a lawyer can help you sort out your rights, options and future decisions. A Montana car accident lawyer can help in ways you probably wouldn’t expect.

Unfortunately, driver negligence is quite common. As a Montana car accident lawyer, I come across examples of it every day. All it takes is losing focus that split-second before the accident occurs. It might be talking to another passenger, talking on a cell-phone, changing a CD or radio station, eating, or applying make-up.  Otherwise small distractions can prevent a normally quick reaction to changing traffic conditions, and result in a major car accident. Things like sudden braking in stop-and-go-traffic, an unexpected object or animal in the road, or changing weather conditions can all create tragic car accidents. Sometimes, traffic or criminal laws are violated by drivers who disobey traffic signs, fail to signal while turning, speed, disregard weather or traffic conditions, or drive under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

You may have some idea of who caused a car accident, but the legal determination can be surprisingly complicated and involve questions about who acted when, which law governs the situation, and witness recollections. Even if the driver of the other car was clearly negligent, you must still prove that his negligence caused your damages. Worse still, the question of whether insurance coverage applies involves often in-depth analysis of coverage provisions, state law, and factual aspects of the accident. Luckily, a Montana car accident lawyer can guide you through these complex and contentious issues and help ensure that you’re compensated for what the other driver took from you.

Missoula injury attorney Thomas C. Bulman wrote a thoughtful and informed response in the Missoulian to claims of a medical malpractice crisis in Montana. Among other important facts, Bulman noted that in the last 10 years there have been only 24 medical malpractice trials in the state. Of those 24 cases, the patient prevailed only five times. In the past 10 years, only one Montana dentist was sued (and the dentist prevailed). In the past 10 years, only one Montana podiatrist was sued (and the podiatrist prevailed). Bulman also points out that other statistics show “a clear downward trend for complaints from patients even though the overall number of health care providers has significantly increased during this same 10-year period.”

The article is enlightening, and a great source of information for anyone concerned about medical malpractice in Montana. You can read it at the Missoulian’s website here.

Once you realize that Montana injury lawyers, and victims of medical malpractice, are not to blame for the high cost of malpractice insurance in Montana – the question becomes why the insurance companies are charging medical professionals so much for malpractice insurance.