Posted in News on May 25, 2012
A car accident can happen in a split second, and yet peoples’ lives are changed forever. Negligent driving is too often the cause of such a situation, and victims of car accidents in Montana should know that our state’s personal injury laws offer protections when negligence is shown to be the cause of a crash.
These issues are likely on the minds of those affected by a recent two-vehicle collision in Montana. A local news report does not indicate which motorist was at fault for the crash, except that one of the vehicles apparently crossed the center line of the road and collided with the other.
Sadly, one of the drivers, a 57-year-old woman, was killed in the accident. Two people in the other vehicle, which was a pickup truck, were taken to a local hospital to be treated for injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening. Their injuries were initially categorized as minor.
When a driver crosses into oncoming traffic or makes some other dangerous or negligent maneuver that causes an accident, that driver’s insurance will be responsible for compensating anyone who was injured as a result. However, insurance companies have a history of trying to minimize their payments or even avoid making them entirely.
This can be a serious problem for accident victims and their family members, who are seldom in a strong enough physical or psychological position to deal firmly with an at-fault driver’s insurance company. Victims of car accidents may be struggling with injuries, rehabilitation, problems at work, or any number of complications. And family members of deceased victims are dealing with what could be the most devastating event of their lives. For these reasons, Montana has laws that are designed to help and protect people who have been injured by negligent or reckless driving.
Source: KXLF, “Ennis woman killed in car accident,” Adam Bell, May 9, 2012