Bozeman Bicycle Accident Lawyers

Bozeman Bicycle Accident lawyer icon, Boland Aarab PLLP

Bozeman, MontanaBozeman Bicycle Accident

Bozeman Bicycle Accident Lawyers: Cyclist and E-Bike Crashes on Bozeman Streets, Trails and Canyon Roads

Boland Aarab PLLP.

A cyclist hit by a car in Bozeman has the same rights as any other driver on the road, and an e-bike is legally a bicycle in Montana. Most claims run against the driver’s insurance and your own uninsured motorist coverage. Cases are filed in the Eighteenth Judicial District Court in Bozeman, generally within three years.

Hit while riding in Bozeman or the Gallatin Valley? Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.

Where do Bozeman cyclists get hurt?

Bozeman is one of Montana’s busiest cycling towns, and most crashes happen where riders and fast-growing traffic meet:

  • Around Montana State University. Students and staff ride and scooter between campus, downtown and the neighborhoods on streets like South 11th Avenue, Kagy Boulevard and College Street. The volume of bikes, pedestrians and turning cars peaks at class changes.
  • Trail crossings. The Gallatin Valley Land Trust’s “Main Street to the Mountains” system now runs close to 100 miles (GVLT). The Gallagator Trail, built on an old rail line, is a commuter route from the public library toward Kagy Boulevard and MSU (GVLT, Gallagator Trail). Every place a trail crosses a street is a potential conflict with a driver who is not looking.
  • North 19th Avenue, North 7th Avenue and Oak Street. Wide arterials, right-turning drivers and busy driveways create “right hook” crashes and left-turn collisions. In 2025 the City began redesigning Oak Street intersections after an engineering study (City of Bozeman).
  • Downtown Main Street. Parked cars mean a real risk of “dooring.”
  • Road rides out of town. Riders heading up Bridger Canyon (Montana 86), toward Hyalite Canyon or out Huffine Lane share narrow shoulders with fast traffic, trucks and trailers.
  • Hit-and-runs. Drivers who leave a cyclist behind are a recurring problem in Bozeman. Your own uninsured motorist coverage can pay in that situation.

Winter commuters face early darkness, snow berms that push riders into the lane, and ice on bike lanes that are not plowed.

What happens after a bicycle accident in Bozeman?

The report. Call 911. Bozeman Police investigate collisions inside city limits; outside the city, it is usually the Gallatin County Sheriff or, on highways, the Montana Highway Patrol. Bozeman Police and Sheriff’s reports are kept by Gallatin County Support Services/Records at 1709 West College Street (Gallatin County). Make sure the report records that you were on a bicycle or e-bike and where you were riding.

Keep the evidence. Do not repair or throw away the bike, helmet, clothing or bike computer. GPS ride files from a phone or cycling app can show your speed, line and the exact moment of impact.

The court. If the case is filed, it goes to the Eighteenth Judicial District Court at the Gallatin County Law and Justice Center, 515 South 16th Avenue (§ 3-5-101, MCA). A case against an out-of-state driver may be removed to the federal court’s Butte Division (D. Mont. L.R. 1.2). If a poorly designed crossing or an unmarked hazard contributed, a claim against the City of Bozeman or Gallatin County requires written notice first (§ 2-9-301, MCA).

Montana law that applies

Our Montana bicycle accident lawyer page explains these rules in more depth:

Why hire a Great Falls firm for a Bozeman case?

Bicycle cases often turn on a jury’s view of cyclists, and insurers know it. We are based in Great Falls, take cases statewide, and our attorneys travel to Bozeman to meet clients, walk the scene, take depositions and try cases. We do not have a Bozeman office. We build each case with the reconstruction and medical evidence a skeptical adjuster, or a jury, needs to see.

The Boland Aarab Way

  • Courtroom experience that counts. Our attorneys have spent more than 4,000 hours in the courtroom.
  • Appeals, too. Our appellate record reaches back to 1977 (appellate results), and we had a jury’s $168,500 verdict reinstated in Voegel v. Salsbery, 2023 MT 137.
  • Trial bar leadership. Caitlin Boland Aarab is an AAJ Governor and serves on the MTLA Board.
  • Direct access. You deal with the lawyers, not a call center.

We also handle pedestrian accident cases in Bozeman and brain injury cases in Bozeman. See our Bozeman personal injury page.

Frequently Asked Questions

I was hit on an e-bike near MSU. Is that treated like a bicycle crash? Yes, if it meets Montana’s definition of an electrically assisted bicycle. It is legally a bicycle, and you have the same rights as any other cyclist.

A car hit me where the Gallagator Trail crosses a street. Who had the right of way? It depends on the crossing, the signals and the markings. Drivers must still use due care, and we examine the crossing design as well as the driver’s conduct.

The driver who hit me in Bozeman drove off. What now? Report it to Bozeman Police right away. Your own uninsured motorist coverage, including coverage on your car policy, may pay even though you were on a bike.

Can I sue the City of Bozeman over a dangerous bike lane? Sometimes, if a design or maintenance problem contributed. Written notice to the City is required before suit, and government claims have damage caps.

Where is a Bozeman bicycle accident lawsuit filed? In the Eighteenth Judicial District Court at the Gallatin County Law and Justice Center, or in the federal court’s Butte Division if the case is removed.

Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.