Missoula, MontanaMissoula Car Accident
Missoula Car Accident Lawyers: Reserve Street, I-90 and Brooks Street Crashes in Missoula County
Boland Aarab PLLP.
If you were hurt in a car crash in Missoula, your case will usually be decided by three things: who caused the crash, how much insurance covers it, and what your injuries will cost over time. Most Missoula cases are filed in the Fourth Judicial District Court at the Missoula County Courthouse. You generally have 3 years to file, but the evidence fades much sooner.
Key Takeaways
- Missoula County cases go to the Fourth Judicial District Court, which serves Missoula and Mineral Counties (§ 3-5-101(4), MCA).
- Montana gives you 3 years to file most injury claims (§ 27-2-204, MCA).
- Montana’s minimum liability coverage is only $25,000 per person (§ 61-6-103, MCA). Your own UM and UIM coverage often matters most.
Hurt in a crash in Missoula or anywhere in Missoula County? Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.
Where do car crashes happen in Missoula?
Missoula’s crash pattern follows its growth. The city sits where the Clark Fork, the Bitterroot and the Blackfoot valleys meet, and nearly all through traffic funnels onto a handful of roads:
- Reserve Street. Reserve is part of U.S. Highway 93 and the city’s main north–south commercial strip. When the Missoula Metropolitan Planning Organization, the City and the Montana Department of Transportation chose Reserve, from I-90 to Brooks Street, for a federally funded safety action plan, they did so because of its “high crash history and complexity.” The plan notes that most crashes occur at or near intersections and involve rear-ends, turning vehicles and vehicles trying to cross Reserve (Reserve Street Safety Action Plan).
- Brooks Street, which carries U.S. 12 through the Midtown shopping district, with frequent driveways and left turns.
- Russell Street and West Broadway, where MDT is designing a reconstruction with new medians, turn lanes, sidewalks and bike lanes. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in spring 2029 (MDT, Russell Street). Until then, drivers share an older, crowded corridor.
- Interstate 90, with Missoula exits at Airway Boulevard (101), Orange Street (104), Reserve Street (105), Van Buren Street (107) and the MT 200 interchange toward Bonner (109), plus the U.S. 93 north interchange at the Wye (96).
- Higgins Avenue downtown and across the river, where drivers mix with people walking, biking and riding the bus.
Missoula winters bring black ice on bridges and overpasses, and valley inversions that hold cold air and haze near the ground (Missoula Public Health). Summer wildfire smoke can cut visibility. None of these conditions excuses a careless driver. Montana drivers must adjust their speed and following distance to the conditions in front of them.
What happens after a car accident in Missoula?
The report. Inside the city limits, the Missoula Police Department investigates. Its Records Unit is at 435 Ryman Street, and reports are usually ready in 7 to 10 business days. The fee is $7 for people involved in the crash. Crash reports are confidential under Montana law, so a lawyer needs your written authorization to get one (City of Missoula). Outside the city limits, on I-90, U.S. 93 or county roads, the Montana Highway Patrol is the primary investigating agency. The Missoula County Sheriff’s Office does not investigate crashes (Missoula County Sheriff).
Medical care. Serious injuries in the region are usually taken to Providence St. Patrick Hospital, which DPHHS lists as an ACS Level 2 / State Regional Trauma Hospital, or to Community Medical Center, a Community Trauma Hospital (DPHHS trauma facility list). Those records become the foundation of your claim.
The insurance claim. Most cases settle with the at-fault driver’s insurer and, when that coverage runs out, with your own underinsured motorist coverage. Many Missoula drivers carry only Montana’s minimums, so we look at every policy that may apply, including household policies and any employer’s policy.
The courthouse. If the case does not settle, it is filed in the Fourth Judicial District Court on the second floor of the Missoula County Courthouse, 200 West Broadway (Missoula County District Court). The jury is drawn from Missoula County.
Federal court. If the at-fault driver or company is from another state and the claim is large enough, the defense may move the case to federal court. For Missoula-area crashes, that is the Missoula Division of the U.S. District Court, at the Russell Smith Federal Courthouse, 201 East Broadway (U.S. District Court, Missoula). The Missoula Division covers Missoula, Ravalli, Mineral, Lake, Sanders, Flathead, Lincoln and Granite Counties. Montana law still governs fault and damages.
Montana law that applies
- Deadline: generally 3 years for injury claims (§ 27-2-204, MCA). Claims against the City of Missoula, Missoula County or the State require written notice first (§ 2-9-301, MCA).
- Shared fault: you can recover if your share of fault is not greater than that of those responsible, reduced by your percentage (§ 27-1-702, MCA).
- Seat belts: whether you wore one is not admissible in a Montana injury case (§ 61-13-106, MCA).
For the full picture, including uninsured motorist claims, damages and dealing with adjusters, see our Montana car accident lawyer page.
Why hire a Great Falls firm for a Missoula case?
Because the work that decides a car case is the same in every Montana county: early evidence, complete medical proof, careful insurance analysis and a lawyer who is ready to try the case. We are based in Great Falls and handle cases statewide. Our attorneys travel to Missoula for depositions, hearings, mediations and trial, and much of the early work, such as records requests, calls with your doctors and insurance negotiations, happens by phone and video. We do not have a Missoula office, and we will tell you plainly how we will handle the distance.
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 protect verdicts. When a Phillips County jury’s $168,500 verdict for our client in a rear-end crash case was set aside, we took it to the Montana Supreme Court and had it reinstated (Voegel v. Salsbery, 2023 MT 137).
- 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, and Samir Aarab has argued twice before the Ninth Circuit.
- We are part of the trial bar. Both attorneys belong to the American Association for Justice and the Montana Trial Lawyers Association. Caitlin Boland Aarab is an AAJ Governor and serves on the MTLA Board.
We also handle Missoula truck accident and Missoula pedestrian accident cases, and other Missoula personal injury claims.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a crash report from the Missoula Police Department? Request it from MPD Records at 435 Ryman Street or call (406) 552-6303. It usually takes 7 to 10 business days, and the fee for people involved is $7.
Who investigates a crash on Reserve Street north of the interstate or on I-90? Inside city limits, the Missoula Police Department. Outside city limits, including most of I-90 and U.S. 93 beyond town, the Montana Highway Patrol is the primary investigator.
Where will my Missoula car accident case be filed? Usually in the Fourth Judicial District Court at the Missoula County Courthouse, 200 West Broadway. If the defendant is from out of state, it may be moved to the federal courthouse at 201 East Broadway.
What if the other driver only had minimum coverage? Montana’s minimum is $25,000 per person. Your own underinsured motorist coverage may pay the difference, and we check every policy that could apply.
Do I have to come to Great Falls to meet with you? No. We can meet by phone or video, and our attorneys come to Missoula for depositions, hearings and trial.
Talk to a Missoula Car Accident 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.
