Posted in News on February 18, 2013

A teen driver’s failure to yield the right of way temporarily closed down the southbound lane of North 27th Street in the neighborhood of the Billings Clinic on the first Tuesday of the month. A 29-year-old man was transported to the clinic for treatment of non-life threatening injuries sustained in the car accident that led to the lane closure.

According to reports, a 16-year-old driving a Chevrolet pickup stopped at a stop sign at the intersection of 7th Avenue North and North 27th Street before continuing westbound and ramming into the side of the injured man’s Ford Ranger. The collision pushed the Ford Ranger into a Billings Clinic sign at the northwest corner of the intersection. The teenager said that he looked both ways at the intersection, but didn’t see any oncoming traffic.

Fortunately, the driver of the Ford Ranger appears not have suffered any serious injuries but, unfortunately for him, the teen driver had no proof of insurance. Obtaining compensation for injuries can be challenging enough when a careless driver is covered by a comprehensive insurance policy. Insurance companies regularly try to use Montana’s comparative negligence rules to minimize their liability for compensation. When a driver has no insurance at all, obtaining fair compensation requires a thorough understanding of the remedies available at law.

Even a relatively minor accident can have serious financial consequences to the victim. Not only does the victim need to be compensated for damage to the vehicle, but any visit to the hospital is certain to come with a high price tag. Montana law provides avenues for an accident victim to recover damages including medical expenses from the party at fault, but the legal process can be confusing and technical details can spell the difference between fair compensation and coming up short. An experienced personal injury attorney can help Billings area accident victims navigate the complex system and get the compensation they deserve.

Source: Billings Gazette, “2 vehicle accident downtown sends one man to hospital,” Feb. 5, 2013