Havre Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer | Paralysis & SCI Claims

Havre, MontanaHavre Spinal Cord Injury

Havre Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers: Paralysis, Rollover Crashes and Fall Injuries in Hill County and the Hi-Line

Boland Aarab PLLP.

On the Hi-Line, a spinal cord injury usually begins with a rollover on US-2, a fall from a grain bin or rig, or a crash with a truck. What happens in the first few hours matters. Was the spine protected at the scene and during transfer? Was the injury recognized? How quickly did the patient reach a hospital that could treat it? Montana law covers the lifetime costs of paralysis caused by someone else’s negligence. Most claims must be filed within 3 years.

Paralyzed or seriously injured in an accident near Havre? Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.

How do spinal cord injuries happen around Havre?

Nationally, vehicle crashes (37.1%) and falls (32.5%) have caused most traumatic spinal cord injuries since 2015 (NSCISC, 2026). On the Hi-Line, those two causes look like this:

Rollovers and head-on crashes on US-2 and US-87, where high speeds, long distances and drowsy or distracted driving meet crosswinds, ice and wildlife.
Crashes with semis and grain trucks, where the difference in weight crushes the passenger compartment.
Falls from heights: grain bins and elevator structures, rigs and tanks in oil and gas work, rail equipment and roofs.
Farm and ranch injuries, from machinery rollovers and livestock.
Diving and recreation injuries, where a property owner’s negligence may be involved.

What happens after a spinal cord injury near Havre?

The first hours. Emergency crews and the first hospital must protect the spine and recognize a spinal cord injury quickly. Northern Montana Hospital in Havre is not a designated trauma facility on the state’s November 2025 list (DPHHS). Patients with suspected spinal cord injuries are usually moved to Benefis in Great Falls (ACS Level 2) or to the Level 1 centers in Billings. A missed fracture, a spine left unprotected, or a delayed transfer can make an injury worse. When that happens, the medical providers may share responsibility with whoever caused the original accident.

Rehabilitation. After acute care, many patients go to a specialized spinal cord injury rehabilitation program, often out of state. Families from the Hi-Line may spend weeks or months away from home.

Coming home to the Hi-Line. A spinal cord injury creates needs that are harder to meet in a rural area:

an adapted vehicle, and the long drives to physician follow-up, urology and wheelchair seating clinics;
home health nursing and attendant care that may be scarce in Havre and scarcer on a farm 40 miles out;
prevention of pressure injuries and bladder complications, which can become emergencies when help is hours away;
replacement of wheelchairs, lifts and other equipment over a lifetime.

The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center estimates the lifetime cost for a person injured at age 25 with high tetraplegia at $6,419,617 in 2025 dollars, not counting lost wages (NSCISC Facts and Figures at a Glance, 2026). A life-care plan should be tailored to the injury and to where the client actually lives.

Reports and courts. Crash reports come from the Montana Highway Patrol, the Havre Police Department or the Hill County Sheriff’s Office. Workplace falls may involve an OSHA inspection. A Hill County lawsuit 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 defendants are often heard in the federal Great Falls Division (D. Mont. L.R. 1.2(c)(3)).

Montana law that applies

For more detail, see our Montana spinal cord injury lawyer page. In short:

Damages include harm “certain to result in the future” (§ 27-1-203, MCA), which covers a lifetime of care.
Whether you wore a seat belt is not admissible to reduce your claim (§ 61-13-106, MCA). This matters in rollover cases.
You can recover if your fault is not greater than the defendants’ combined fault (§ 27-1-702, MCA).
Most claims must be filed within 3 years (§ 27-2-204, MCA).

Why hire a Great Falls firm for a Havre case?

Our office is in Great Falls, where many Hi-Line spinal cord patients are first treated after transfer. We handle cases statewide. We come to Havre and to clients’ homes, so a client in a wheelchair doesn’t have to make the drive to us. We do not have an office in Havre. We travel for depositions, hearings and trial.

The Boland Aarab Way

We prepare every case for trial. Our attorneys have spent more than 4,000 hours in the courtroom, and the firm has tried more than a dozen jury trials, in Cascade, Phillips, Meagher and Yellowstone Counties.
We defend verdicts. The Montana Supreme Court reinstated a Phillips County jury’s verdict on our appeal (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.
We belong to the trial bar. Both attorneys belong to AAJ and MTLA. Caitlin Boland Aarab serves on the MTLA Board, and Samir Aarab is a member of Public Justice.

Frequently Asked Questions

I wasn’t wearing a seat belt in a US-2 rollover. Can the insurer use that against me? Not to reduce your damages. Montana law makes seat-belt use inadmissible in an injury case. Insurers still raise it, and the statute answers them.

Could the hospital be responsible for making my injury worse? Possibly, if the spine was not protected or a fracture was missed or treated late. That would be a medical malpractice claim, with shorter deadlines and a Medical Legal Panel process.

I fell from a grain bin at work. Can I sue? Usually not your employer, because workers’ comp covers that relationship. You may have a claim against the facility owner, an equipment maker or a contractor whose negligence caused the fall.

How is a lifetime of care calculated? With a life-care plan prepared by medical and rehabilitation experts and priced by an economist. For a Hi-Line client, it should include travel, rural care costs and equipment replacement.

Do I have to travel to Great Falls to meet with you? No. We come to Havre, or to your home, and we use phone and video between visits.

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.