A 19-year-old Billings man faces criminal charges after allegedly rolling a Toyota Cressida on November 7 while attempting to make a left turn. According to court documents, Montana Highway Patrol officers responded to reports of an auto accident on Johnson Lane in Lockwood just before midnight. A passenger in the vehicle received treatment for a broken leg, but fortunately escaped serious injuries.

According to court filings, the driver told police that his injured passenger had been driving the car. He also allegedly told police that he had only consumed one shot of alcohol, but the criminal complaint states that he first told local fire crew members that he had been driving after drinking three beers and two shots of liquor.

Criminal charges filed against the driver include a count of driving without proof of insurance. That charge could prove troublesome for the injured passenger. Even though the passenger escaped serious injuries, she will most likely be receiving bills for significant medical expenses. Even an injury as relatively minor as a broken can result in several thousand dollars of hospital charges.

In most cases, an injured accident victim can seek compensation for medical expenses from the insurance company providing coverage to a careless driver. In this case, however, the driver may not have had valid insurance coverage at the time of the accident.

Because insurance companies have a thorough understanding of personal injury law and often go to great lengths to minimize liabilities arising from an accident, recovering fair compensation for injuries can be challenging under the best of circumstances. When a driver has no insurance coverage the difficulty of recovering the costs arising from the driver’s negligence only increases. Montana residents who suffer injury through the fault of an uninsured driver may benefit from seeking the advice of an experienced personal injury attorney to help make certain that they are reimbursed for medical expenses and other costs arising from a car accident.

Source: Missoulian, “Billings man accused with causing rollover in Lockwood charged with 2 felonies,” Carmen Irish, Nov. 8, 2012