Personal Injury

Under Montana law, if a wrongful act or negligence causes someone’s death, the decedent’s estate and surviving family members can pursue legal action against the person responsible. We can help you fight for recovery of medical costs, funeral and burial expenses, lost wages and benefits, pain and suffering endured by the victim, and loss of care and companionship for survivors. We handle wrongful death cases involving defective products and a wide range of other incidents, including these results for our clients:

• A $10.5 million verdict from a federal jury against Kerr-McGee in a lawsuit involving radioactive contamination
• One of the largest settlements in the state for a pileup on I-40 in New Mexico
• Settlements against electrical utility companies for cases of electric shock

The defendant will quickly retain legal counsel, so it is critical to immediately start working with your own lawyer.

Motor vehicle accidents are often the result of negligent behavior, such as distracted driving, following too closely, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. We can help you pursue compensation if such an accident caused you injury. Montana’s fault-based recovery law allows you to pursue compensation for damages you sustain, including medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, and pain and suffering, because of another driver’s negligence, but only if you are not more than 50 percent responsible for the accident. In addition, your recovery will be reduced by the percentage of your own negligence. Our firm also handles cases involving aviation accidents.

Medical malpractice occurs when medical providers’ care falls below the accepted professional standard for their specialty and location. These highly complicated cases rely on persuasive medical expert testimony. Our successes include a $4 million jury verdict that established a new standard for nursing care in New Mexico and a confidential settlement against a hospital that negligently collected blood contaminated with HIV and gave it to a patient, which eventually led to the patient’s death. If you believe you experienced medical malpractice, our team can explore the circumstances to see if you have a case.

Our firm handles slip and fall and other types of premises liability cases, as well as cases involving people being bitten by someone’s dog. Montana law provides for modified strict liability in dog bite cases with the following requirements:

• A dog bit a person and caused injury or death.
• The injury or death occurred within city or town limits.
• The victim was lawfully on the property and did not provoke the dog.

Unlike some other states, Montana does not require demonstrating a dog’s dangerous nature or past history of attacks to hold its owner liable.

Shandor Badaruddin in Missoula, Montana can help with your personal injury case. Call 406-203-0569 or contact us online for a free consultation.