Missoula, MontanaMissoula Burn Injury
Missoula Burn Injury Lawyers: Fire, Explosion, Electrical and Chemical Burn Claims in Missoula County
Boland Aarab PLLP.
A serious burn is one of the most painful injuries a person can survive, and for people hurt in western Montana it often means treatment far from home. If a fire, explosion, electrical accident or defective product burned you or a family member in the Missoula area, you may have a claim against the company or person responsible. The physical evidence can disappear quickly, so early action matters.
Key Takeaways
- Burns come from “heat, chemicals, electricity, sunlight, or radiation” and are graded by depth (MedlinePlus). An electrical burn can look minor on the skin and still cause serious internal damage (MedlinePlus).
- Sellers of defective, unreasonably dangerous products can be held strictly liable in Montana (§ 27-1-719, MCA).
- Most injury claims must be filed within 3 years (§ 27-2-204, MCA), but fire scenes are often cleared within days.
Burned in an accident in or around Missoula? Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.
Where are serious burns treated for Missoula patients?
Burn patients are first treated in Missoula’s emergency departments, most often at Providence St. Patrick Hospital, the region’s ACS Level 2 / State Regional Trauma Hospital, or at Community Medical Center (DPHHS). For the most severe burns, patients may be transferred to a regional burn center outside Montana. The University of Utah Health Burn Center in Salt Lake City describes a service area that includes Montana (University of Utah Health), and the Regional Burn Center at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle serves patients from Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Montana (UW Medicine).
That reality shapes a burn case from the start:
- Out-of-state treatment is part of the damages. Air transport, weeks in another state, lodging for family, and repeated trips back for grafts and reconstruction are real costs.
- The records are in more than one state. We collect them from Missoula, the burn center and every provider in between.
- Recovery is long. Burn survivors often need surgery, scar management, therapy and counseling for years. A life-care plan documents that future care.
What causes burn injuries around Missoula?
Western Montana’s burn risks follow its seasons and its work:
- Wildfire and the wildland-urban interface. Missoula is a national center for wildland fire. The Forest Service’s Missoula smokejumper base and Aerial Fire Depot sit beside the airport (USFS), and homes spread into timbered hillsides and river bottoms around the valley. Fires started by power lines, equipment, or careless burning can injure residents and workers, and the cause of a fire is often a contested question.
- Winter heating. Missoula’s cold, inversion-prone winters mean furnaces, wood and pellet stoves, space heaters and propane appliances run hard for months. Defective heaters, faulty gas connections and improper installation can cause fires, explosions and carbon monoxide injuries.
- Propane and fuel. Propane is common in rural parts of Missoula County. Leaks and explosions can involve the supplier, the installer or the maker of a valve or regulator.
- Vehicle fires. High-speed crashes on I-90 and U.S. 93, and crashes involving fuel tankers, can lead to post-crash fires. Fuel-system defects can make a survivable crash deadly.
- Workplace burns. Electrical work, welding, commercial kitchens and construction all carry burn risks. A third party, such as an equipment maker or another contractor, can be responsible even when workers’ comp covers the employer.
- Defective products. Lithium-ion batteries in e-bikes, scooters and phones, which are common in a college town like Missoula, can overheat and ignite.
What happens after a burn injury in Missoula?
- Get care, and keep everything. Keep the product, clothing, appliance or battery involved. Do not let an insurer or landlord take or discard it.
- Document the scene. Photograph the area before it is cleaned up or repaired. Get the name of the fire department that responded and ask for its report.
- Send preservation letters to property owners, utilities, product makers and insurers. Fire-cause evidence is often destroyed during cleanup.
- Bring in the right experts: a certified fire investigator, an electrical or mechanical engineer, and burn-care physicians.
- Filing. A burn case is filed in the Fourth Judicial District Court at the Missoula County Courthouse, 200 West Broadway (Missoula County District Court). Product cases against out-of-state manufacturers are often removed to the Missoula Division of the federal court at the Russell Smith Federal Courthouse (U.S. District Court, Missoula).
Montana law that applies
- Product liability: strict liability for defective, unreasonably dangerous products (§ 27-1-719, MCA).
- Negligence and shared fault: recovery is reduced by your share of fault, unless it is greater than that of those responsible (§ 27-1-702, MCA).
- Workplace burns: you can keep comp benefits and sue a negligent third party (§ 39-71-412, MCA).
For more, see our Montana burn injury lawyer page.
Why hire a Great Falls firm for a Missoula case?
We are based in Great Falls and handle burn cases statewide, and we are used to cases where the injury happened in one place and the treatment happened in another. Our attorneys travel to Missoula for scene inspections, depositions, hearings and trial, and we can meet with you or your family by video while you are in a burn unit out of state.
The Boland Aarab Way
- We try cases. Our firm has tried more than a dozen jury trials, and our attorneys have spent more than 4,000 hours in the courtroom.
- We know federal court, where many product cases end up: our attorneys have handled more than 40 cases in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana over nine years.
- We protect verdicts. The Montana Supreme Court reinstated a $168,500 verdict we won in Voegel v. Salsbery, 2023 MT 137.
- We are part of the trial bar. Both attorneys belong to AAJ and the Montana Trial Lawyers Association.
We also handle Missoula catastrophic injury and Missoula workplace injury cases, and other Missoula personal injury claims.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a burn center in Missoula? Missoula’s hospitals provide emergency and trauma care, but the most severe burns are often transferred to a regional burn center outside Montana, such as those in Salt Lake City and Seattle.
Can I recover the costs of treatment in Salt Lake City or Seattle? Yes, reasonable costs of care caused by the injury are recoverable, including transport, and often family travel and lodging.
My e-bike battery caught fire in my Missoula apartment. Who is responsible? Possibly the battery or bike maker, the seller, or someone who modified it. Keep what remains of the battery and charger; they are the key evidence.
A wildfire started by a power line burned me. Can I bring a claim? Possibly. If a utility’s equipment or maintenance caused the fire, the utility may be responsible. Fire-cause investigations take time, so preserve your own evidence and records.
Where would my Missoula burn injury case be heard? In the Fourth Judicial District Court at the Missoula County Courthouse, or in federal court in Missoula if an out-of-state company removes it.
Talk to a Missoula Burn Injury Lawyer
Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.
Our attorneys: Caitlin Boland Aarab · Samir F. Aarab
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
