Bozeman, MontanaBozeman Workplace Injury
Bozeman Workplace Injury Lawyers: Construction, Ski Resort and Job-Site Injuries in Gallatin County
Boland Aarab PLLP.
If you were hurt on the job in Bozeman, workers’ compensation is usually your only claim against your own employer. But when another company, such as a general contractor, subcontractor, equipment maker or property owner, caused the injury, you can sue it too. You must give your employer notice within 30 days and file the comp claim within 12 months.
Injured at work in Bozeman, Belgrade or Big Sky? Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.
What kinds of work injuries happen in the Bozeman area?
Gallatin County has led Montana in population growth, and its economy shows it. Bozeman passed 50,000 residents at the 2020 Census, and building has not slowed. The injuries we see follow that work:
- Construction. Subdivisions west of Bozeman and around Belgrade and Four Corners, commercial projects along North 19th Avenue, multistory buildings downtown and near MSU, and luxury homes at Big Sky. Falls from roofs, scaffolds and ladders, trench collapses, struck-by injuries from equipment and material, and electrical contact are the common serious injuries. Multi-employer job sites mean several companies share responsibility for safety.
- Road and utility work. State highway projects on 7th Avenue North, I-90 and U.S. 191, and the water, sewer and power extensions that growth requires. Flaggers and roadside crews are hit by drivers.
- Ski resorts. Lift operations, snowmaking, grooming and ski patrol at Big Sky and Bridger Bowl put workers around heavy machinery, snowcats and cable systems in harsh weather.
- Health care and the university. Hospital and clinic staff lift and move patients; campus trades and facilities workers maintain aging and new buildings.
- Hospitality, retail and delivery. Slips on ice, vehicle crashes during work, and warehouse injuries.
Winter conditions on job sites, including ice, short daylight and cold-stressed equipment, add risk from November through March.
What happens after a workplace injury in Bozeman?
Report it and get care. Tell your employer in writing within 30 days (§ 39-71-603, MCA) and make sure a written claim is filed within 12 months (§ 39-71-601, MCA). Serious trauma goes to Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center, which the state lists as an ACS Level 3 / State Area Trauma Hospital; the most critical cases may be flown to a Level 1 center in Billings (DPHHS, Nov. 2025).
The safety investigation. Montana does not run its own OSHA State Plan, so most private-sector job sites in Gallatin County are under federal OSHA (OSHA State Plans). An OSHA inspection, or the lack of one, does not decide a lawsuit, but the records can show what the companies on the site were required to do.
Two tracks. The workers’ compensation claim runs through the insurer and, if disputed, the Montana Workers’ Compensation Court. A third-party lawsuit against another responsible company is a separate case. Filed in Gallatin County, it goes to the Eighteenth Judicial District Court at the Gallatin County Law and Justice Center, 515 South 16th Avenue, Bozeman (§ 3-5-101, MCA). An out-of-state contractor or manufacturer may remove it to the federal court’s Butte Division (D. Mont. L.R. 1.2). An injury on the Madison County side of Big Sky may belong in a different state court.
Montana law that applies
Our Montana workplace injury lawyer page covers the rules in full:
- Workers’ compensation is generally the exclusive remedy against a covered employer (§ 39-71-411, MCA).
- You keep your comp benefits and can sue a negligent third party (§ 39-71-412, MCA).
- An employer or co-worker who intentionally injures you can be sued, but the bar is high (§ 39-71-413, MCA).
- The comp insurer has a lien on a third-party recovery, with limits that protect the worker (§ 39-71-414, MCA).
- Third-party lawsuits generally must be filed within three years (§ 27-2-204, MCA).
Why hire a Great Falls firm for a Bozeman case?
Third-party job-site cases are fought over contracts, safety plans and expert testimony, and the defendants are usually insured contractors with experienced defense counsel. We are based in Great Falls, take cases throughout Montana, and our attorneys come to Bozeman and Big Sky for site inspections, depositions, hearings and trial. We do not have a Bozeman office. We coordinate with your workers’ comp counsel so the two tracks help, rather than hurt, each other.
The Boland Aarab Way
- More than 4,000 hours in the courtroom and more than a dozen jury trials in Cascade, Phillips, Meagher and Yellowstone Counties.
- Federal court experience in more than 40 cases in Montana’s U.S. District Court over nine years, useful when an out-of-state contractor removes the case.
- Trial bar involvement. Both attorneys belong to AAJ and MTLA; Caitlin Boland Aarab is an AAJ Governor and on the MTLA Board.
- The attorneys handle your case from the first call.
We also handle catastrophic injury cases in Bozeman and spinal cord injury cases in Bozeman. See our Bozeman personal injury page.
Frequently Asked Questions
I fell on a Bozeman construction site. Can I sue anyone besides my employer? Often yes. On multi-employer sites, a general contractor, another subcontractor, the property owner or an equipment maker may have caused or failed to prevent the fall. That claim is separate from workers’ comp.
I work at a Big Sky ski area and was hurt by a snowcat. What are my options? Workers’ comp against your employer, and possibly a claim against the maker of a defective machine or another company involved. Big Sky straddles two counties, so where you were hurt affects which state court would hear the case.
Does OSHA investigate job-site injuries in Gallatin County? Federal OSHA covers most private employers in Montana. It investigates certain serious injuries and deaths. Its findings can be useful evidence but do not decide your case.
What deadlines apply after a Bozeman work injury? Notice to your employer within 30 days, a written comp claim within 12 months, and generally three years for a lawsuit against a third party.
Will a third-party lawsuit affect my workers’ comp benefits? You keep your benefits. The comp insurer has a lien on a third-party recovery, but Montana law limits that lien in ways that protect injured workers.
Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
