Helena, MontanaHelena Burn Injury
Helena Burn Injury Lawyers: Fire, Explosion, Electrical and Chemical Burns in Lewis and Clark County
Boland Aarab PLLP.
A serious burn in the Helena area usually means treatment far from home, because we found no verified burn center in Montana. Regional centers in Seattle, Idaho Falls and Salt Lake City say they serve Montana patients. A Helena burn case must account for that distance, and for fire-scene evidence that can disappear within days.
Key Takeaways
- Sellers of defective, unreasonably dangerous products can be held strictly liable in Montana (§ 27-1-719, MCA).
- An electrical burn can look minor on the skin and still cause serious internal damage (MedlinePlus).
- Most injury claims must be filed within 3 years (§ 27-2-204, MCA), but fire-scene evidence can be gone far sooner.
Seriously burned in or around Helena? Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.
Where are Helena burn patients treated?
Most serious burns are first treated at St. Peter’s Health in Helena, which Montana DPHHS designates a State Area Trauma Hospital. Severe burns usually need a specialized burn center. We found no American Burn Association-verified burn center in Montana. Three regional centers say they serve Montana patients:
- Harborview Medical Center’s Regional Burn Center in Seattle, which says it serves Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho;
- Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, which says its burn center serves Montana among other states;
- University of Utah Health’s Burn Center in Salt Lake City, which says it covers a five-state area that includes Montana.
For a Helena family, that often means an air transport, weeks or months in another state, and repeated trips back for grafts, reconstructive surgery and scar management. Those costs are part of the case. So are the costs of the care that follows at home in Helena: therapy, pressure garments and, for many survivors, counseling for post-traumatic stress.
What causes serious burns around Helena?
The Helena area has its own set of fire, heat and electrical hazards:
- Winter heating. Long, cold winters mean furnaces, wood stoves, space heaters and propane systems running for months. Defective heaters, faulty gas connections and poorly maintained equipment can cause fires and explosions. A landlord, installer, service company or manufacturer may be responsible.
- Wildfire season. Helena sits among forested mountains, and summer and fall fire seasons put residents, firefighters, contractors and utility crews at risk. When a fire was caused by someone’s negligence, such as equipment sparks, a power line or an unattended burn, the people responsible can be liable for the injuries.
- Electrical injuries. Construction, utility and tree-service work near overhead lines, and faulty wiring in older Helena buildings, cause electrical burns that are often worse than they look.
- Fuel and chemicals. Tanker and freight traffic on I-15 and US-12, fuel handling at businesses, and industrial chemicals can cause flash fires and chemical burns in a crash or workplace accident.
- Rail. Helena knows what a rail disaster looks like. In February 1989, runaway freight cars from Mullan Pass collided with locomotives near Carroll College, and the explosion damaged the college and nearby buildings. No one was killed. Hazardous cargo still moves on the line through town.
- Products. Lithium batteries, e-bikes and chargers, gas cans, pressure cookers and other consumer products can fail violently.
What happens after a burn injury in Helena?
Report and investigate. Fires in Helena are investigated by the local fire department and, in some cases, by state investigators. On the highways, the Montana Highway Patrol investigates crashes. Workplace burns may involve OSHA. Those investigations focus on cause and safety, not on your claim.
Preserve the evidence immediately. The heater, the battery, the wiring, the gas line and the scene itself are the evidence in a burn case. Insurers often send their own investigators within days, and debris gets cleared. Ask us to send preservation letters and to have our own qualified fire investigator examine the scene before anything is removed or repaired.
Keep records from every state. Burn-center, transport and rehabilitation records from Washington, Idaho or Utah must be collected along with Helena records.
The court. A Helena burn case is generally filed in the First Judicial District Court at the Lewis and Clark County Courthouse, 228 Broadway (§ 3-5-101(1), MCA). Product manufacturers are usually out-of-state companies and often remove cases to the U.S. District Court’s Helena Division at the Paul G. Hatfield Federal Courthouse, 901 Front Street.
Montana law that applies
Briefly: negligence claims against property owners, contractors, drivers and employers other than your own. Strict liability against sellers of defective, unreasonably dangerous products (§ 27-1-719, MCA). Comparative fault (§ 27-1-702, MCA). A 3-year deadline for most claims. If you were burned at work, workers’ comp is usually the only claim against your employer, but you may also sue a third party such as a contractor, utility or manufacturer (§ 39-71-412, MCA). Our Montana burn injury lawyer page explains burn degrees, treatment and damages in depth.
Why hire a Great Falls firm for a Helena case?
Burn cases are won on the physical evidence and the experts, often against product manufacturers in federal court. Where the lawyer’s office sits does not decide them. We are based in Great Falls, handle burn cases statewide, and move quickly to get investigators to Helena scenes. Our attorneys travel for depositions, hearings and trial, and we can coordinate with you while you are in treatment out of state.
The Boland Aarab Way
- We know federal court. Our attorneys have handled more than 40 cases in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana over nine years.
- We try cases. Our firm has tried more than a dozen jury trials, in Cascade, Phillips, Meagher and Yellowstone Counties, and our attorneys have spent more than 4,000 hours in the courtroom.
- We protect verdicts. The Montana Supreme Court reinstated our client’s $168,500 jury verdict in Voegel v. Salsbery, 2023 MT 137.
- You work with the lawyers, including while you are in treatment far from home.
We also handle catastrophic injury cases in Helena, workplace injuries in Helena and other Helena personal injury cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a burn center in Helena? No. We found no verified burn center in Montana. Serious burns are usually stabilized at St. Peter’s Health and may be transferred to a regional burn center such as Harborview in Seattle, EIRMC in Idaho Falls or University of Utah Health.
Can I recover the cost of being treated out of state? Medical costs caused by someone else’s negligence are recoverable, including transport and out-of-state care. So are related travel and lodging costs in many cases.
A space heater started the fire in my Helena rental. Who is responsible? Possibly the manufacturer, if the heater was defective (§ 27-1-719, MCA), or the landlord or a service company, if they were negligent. Keep the heater and don’t let anyone discard it.
I was burned by a power line on a job site. Is workers’ comp my only option? Comp is usually your only claim against your employer, but a utility, general contractor or equipment maker may be a third party you can sue (§ 39-71-412, MCA).
How fast should I act after a house fire or explosion? Immediately. The scene and the product are the evidence, and insurers often clear or collect them within days.
Talk to a Helena Burn Injury Lawyer
Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.
Our attorneys: Caitlin Boland Aarab · Samir F. Aarab
Sources: § 27-1-719, MCA · § 27-1-702, MCA · § 27-2-204, MCA · § 39-71-412, MCA · § 3-5-101, MCA · MedlinePlus, Electrical injury · UW Medicine, Regional Burn Center at Harborview · EIRMC Burn Center · University of Utah Health Burn Center · DPHHS designated trauma facilities · 1989 Helena train wreck (Carroll College)
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
