Havre, MontanaHavre Workplace Injury
Havre Workplace Injury Lawyers: Grain Elevator Accidents, Farm and Construction Injuries, and Third-Party Claims in Hill County
Boland Aarab PLLP.
Much of the work around Havre is hands-on: grain handling, farming, construction, hospital and care work, diesel repair and rail. If you are hurt on the job in Montana, workers’ compensation usually covers you, and you generally cannot sue your own employer. But you can sue a different company whose negligence caused the injury. That third-party claim is where full damages are recovered. Railroad workers are covered by FELA instead.
Hurt on the job in Havre or on the Hi-Line? Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.
What jobs put Havre workers at risk?
Grain elevators and bins. Havre is at the northern tip of the Golden Triangle wheat region, and grain facilities line the Hi-Line along the rail line, including the CHS Big Sky facility in Havre. Grain handling carries some of the worst hazards in any industry: engulfment in bins, falls from heights, augers and conveyors that catch clothing and limbs, and grain-dust explosions. OSHA has a dedicated standard for grain handling facilities (29 C.F.R. § 1910.272). When the injured worker is employed by one company and the equipment, the contracting or the site belongs to another, that other company is a third party.
Farm and ranch work. Seasonal harvest workers, custom cutters and ranch hands run combines, trucks, augers and power take-off shafts. Equipment that was defectively designed, or that is missing its guards, can support a product-liability claim against the manufacturer.
Construction and road work. MDT’s projects on US-2 through Havre and on Hi-Line highways put flaggers and crews next to live traffic. Multi-employer job sites mean a general contractor or subcontractor other than your employer may be responsible for the hazard.
Health care and long-term care. Northern Montana Hospital and the 135-room Northern Montana Care Center are among Havre’s larger workplaces. Lifting injuries and violence by patients are common. The third-party question there is often about equipment or staffing contractors.
Diesel and shop work. Havre trains diesel technicians at Montana State University–Northern and relies on them at dealerships, farm-equipment shops and fleets. Crushing injuries, falls from equipment, and burns from pressurized or hot systems are the common harms.
The railroad. If you work for BNSF, including at the Havre Locomotive Shop or in the yard, your claim is generally under FELA, not workers’ compensation. See our Havre FELA page.
Winter work. Much of this work is done outdoors in Hi-Line winters. Icy walkways and ladders, and equipment worked in the cold, are hazards a property owner or contractor must manage.
What happens after a workplace injury in Havre?
Report it in writing. For a non-fatal injury, notify your employer within 30 days (§ 39-71-603, MCA). Get medical care. Most people are seen first at Northern Montana Hospital, which is not a designated trauma facility on the state’s November 2025 list (DPHHS). Severe injuries are often transferred to Benefis in Great Falls, an ACS Level 2 center.
Safety agencies. Montana has no OSHA-approved State Plan, so federal OSHA covers most private-sector employers here (OSHA). An OSHA inspection file can be powerful evidence, but it doesn’t decide the case.
Courts. A third-party lawsuit over an injury in Hill County can be filed in the Twelfth Judicial District Court at the Hill County Courthouse, 315 4th Street, Havre (§ 3-5-101, MCA). Out-of-state manufacturers and contractors often remove cases to the federal Great Falls Division (D. Mont. L.R. 1.2(c)(3)). Workers’ compensation disputes go through a separate system.
Montana law that applies
Our Montana workplace injury lawyer page explains these rules in depth:
- Workers’ comp is generally the exclusive remedy against a covered employer (§ 39-71-411, MCA).
- You keep your benefits and can sue a negligent third party (§ 39-71-412, MCA).
- An employer who acts with specific and actual intent to injure can be sued, but that requires clear and convincing evidence (§ 39-71-413, MCA).
- The workers’ comp insurer has a lien on a third-party recovery, with limits that protect the worker (§ 39-71-414, MCA).
- Third-party claims generally must be filed within 3 years (§ 27-2-204, MCA).
Why hire a Great Falls firm for a Havre case?
We are based in Great Falls, and we handle cases statewide. For a Havre injury, we come to the site, meet the worker and family, and take depositions and attend hearings wherever they are held. Many third-party cases against out-of-state companies are heard in the federal court in Great Falls. We have no Havre office.
The Boland Aarab Way
- We try cases. The firm has tried more than a dozen jury trials, in Cascade, Phillips, Meagher and Yellowstone Counties. Our attorneys have spent more than 4,000 hours in the courtroom.
- 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 protect results on appeal. The Boland Aarab appellate record reaches back to 1977 (appellate results).
- We belong to the trial bar. Both attorneys belong to AAJ and MTLA, and Caitlin Boland Aarab serves on the MTLA Board.
Related Havre pages: oil field accidents · burn injuries · Havre and Hill County injury lawyers.
Frequently Asked Questions
I was hurt in a grain bin in Hill County. Can I sue? Usually not your employer. But if another company owned the facility, supplied the equipment or controlled the work, that company may be a third party you can sue. We identify every company on the site.
I’m a seasonal harvest worker. Am I covered? Coverage depends on the employer and how the work was set up. Report the injury within 30 days either way. A negligent third party, such as an equipment maker or another operator, can be liable no matter what your employer’s status is.
I work for BNSF in Havre. Is this page for me? Railroad employees are covered by FELA, not workers’ compensation, and FELA allows full damages based on the railroad’s negligence. See our Havre FELA page.
Will filing a third-party case cost me my workers’ comp benefits? No. You keep your benefits and bring the third-party case alongside them. The workers’ comp insurer may have a lien on the recovery, subject to limits in Montana law.
Does OSHA have to find a violation for me to win? No. An OSHA citation helps, but it isn’t required. OSHA standards often show what a safe workplace required, whether or not OSHA ever inspected.
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.
