Havre, MontanaHavre Catastrophic Injury
Havre Catastrophic Injury Lawyers: Life-Changing Injuries, Amputations and Permanent Disability on the Hi-Line
Boland Aarab PLLP.
A catastrophic injury on the Hi-Line changes more than a person’s health. It can mean months of treatment hundreds of miles from home, a farm or ranch that no one else can run, and a house that no longer works in a Havre winter. Montana law allows compensation for all the harm a wrongful act causes, including harm certain to happen in the future. Most claims must be filed within 3 years.
Has a life-changing injury upended your family’s life? Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.
What makes a catastrophic injury case different in Havre?
The care is far away. Northern Montana Hospital in Havre offers emergency care, surgery, physical therapy and rehabilitation, dialysis and telehealth (NMHC). It is not a designated trauma facility on the state’s November 2025 list (DPHHS). People with catastrophic injuries are usually treated first at Benefis in Great Falls (ACS Level 2), in Billings (Level 1), or at out-of-state centers for specialized rehabilitation. The family follows: motels, meals, missed work and 110-mile drives on US-87. Those costs are real losses, and they belong in the claim.
The future has to be planned for the Hi-Line. A life-care plan written for a city, with therapists down the street, does not fit Havre. A plan that is honest about the Hi-Line accounts for:
- how often the person must travel to Great Falls, Billings or out of state for specialty care, and what that travel costs;
- which therapy, nursing and aide services are actually available locally, and how much of the gap telehealth can fill;
- home modifications that work in a Havre winter, such as heated, covered entries, ramps that can be kept clear of snow and ice, a backup generator for medical equipment, and accessible transportation;
- replacement help for farm or ranch work the injured person can no longer do.
Lost earning capacity may be hard to see. Many Hi-Line families earn their living from a farm, ranch or small business, not a paycheck. Proving what an injured operator’s work was worth, and what it will cost to replace, takes an economist who understands agricultural operations. A W-2 won’t show it.
Where do catastrophic injuries happen around Havre?
Most catastrophic injuries we see arise from head-on and rollover crashes on US-2 and US-87; crashes with semis and grain trucks; farm machinery, augers and grain bins; oil and gas work; railroad work in the Havre yard and shop; fires and explosions; and medical errors. The legal theory differs in each, including negligence, product liability, FELA and malpractice. But the damages work is the same.
What happens after a catastrophic injury in Havre?
Reporting and records. The incident may have been investigated by the Havre Police Department, the Hill County Sheriff’s Office, the Montana Highway Patrol, OSHA or the railroad. We obtain every report, along with the records from each hospital and rehabilitation center, which are often spread across several cities.
Courts. A Hill County case is generally filed in the Twelfth Judicial District Court at the Hill County Courthouse, 315 4th Street, Havre (§ 3-5-101, MCA). Cases against out-of-state corporations are often heard in the Great Falls Division of the U.S. District Court (D. Mont. L.R. 1.2(c)(3)). For a severely injured client, where the case is heard, and how often they must travel, matters. We plan around it.
Insurance. Serious injuries usually exceed the at-fault party’s minimum coverage many times over. We look for every policy, including commercial and umbrella policies, and the client’s own underinsured motorist coverage.
Montana law that applies
See our Montana catastrophic injury lawyer page for the full discussion. In brief:
Why hire a Great Falls firm for a Havre case?
Many Hi-Line patients spend the first weeks after a catastrophic injury in Great Falls, which is where our office is. We handle cases statewide. We travel to Havre, to the family’s home and to the scene, and we attend depositions, hearings and trial wherever they are held. We do not have a Havre office, and we fit our schedule around a client’s recovery rather than the other way around.
The Boland Aarab Way
- We try cases and protect the verdicts. When a Phillips County jury’s $168,500 verdict was thrown out, we had it reinstated by the Montana Supreme Court (Voegel v. Salsbery, 2023 MT 137).
- We have courtroom experience. Our attorneys have spent more than 4,000 hours in the courtroom, and the firm has tried more than a dozen jury trials.
- 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 belong to the trial bar. Both attorneys belong to AAJ and MTLA.
Related Havre pages: spinal cord injuries · brain injuries · Havre and Hill County injury lawyers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover the cost of driving to Great Falls or Billings for treatment? Yes, reasonable travel for necessary medical care is part of the damages. Keep a log of trips, mileage, lodging and meals, for you and for the family members who go with you.
How do you value an injured farmer’s or rancher’s lost work? We use economists and agricultural experts to measure what the person’s labor and management were worth, and what it costs to hire that work out. Tax returns are a starting point, not the whole answer.
Will a life-care plan account for living in Havre? It should. We work with planners who account for Hi-Line realities, including travel, local service gaps and what winter demands of a home.
What if the person who hurt me has only minimum insurance? Minimum limits rarely cover a catastrophic injury. We look for employer, commercial and umbrella coverage, and for your own underinsured motorist coverage.
How long do I have to file? Generally 3 years for injury claims in Montana, and shorter for malpractice and claims against government entities. Important evidence should be preserved long before any deadline.
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.
