Few things feel more out of your control than seeing another vehicle cross into your lane. In a head-on collision, you may have only a second, or no real opportunity at all, to avoid an impact. Afterward, one of the first questions is often the same: Why was that vehicle in your lane, and who is responsible for what happened?
Around Billings, that danger is especially easy to picture on two-lane routes such as U.S. 87 north of the Heights, Montana Highway 3 near the airport, and Old Highway 312 toward Shepherd and Huntley, where opposing traffic may be separated only by a painted centerline.
A Billings head-on collision lawyer from our firm can investigate the crash, preserve evidence, deal with the insurers, and pursue compensation for the losses the collision caused you. We represent injured people in Billings and throughout Yellowstone County from our office at 310 Grand Avenue.
Call us at 406-259-9986 or contact us online for a free consultation.
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Who Is at Fault in a Head-On Collision in Montana?
The driver who crossed into oncoming traffic is often responsible for a head-on collision, but the evidence has to show what actually happened. A centerline crossing can result from unsafe passing, distraction, impairment, fatigue, excessive speed, loss of control, or another driving error.
Montana law requires drivers to operate on the right half of the roadway, with some exceptions. Marked no-passing zones also restrict driving to the left of the centerline where passing would be especially dangerous.
That does not mean fault should be assumed from the final resting positions of the vehicles. We look at the physical evidence, witness accounts, vehicle data, roadway layout, and each driver's actions before impact.
| Evidence | What It May Show | Why It Matters |
| Vehicle damage | Angle and point of impact | Helps reconstruct vehicle position and direction |
| Debris, gouge marks, and tire marks | Where the collision began | Supports the centerline and point-of-impact analysis |
| Event data recorder | Driver inputs and vehicle movement | Speed, braking, and steering before impact |
| Video or witness accounts | What happened before impact | Independent account of lane position or passing |
| Phone or toxicology evidence | Possible distraction or impairment | May explain why a vehicle entered the wrong lane |
Head-on crashes on two-lane roads can be especially difficult to reconstruct when the impact moves both vehicles far from the point of collision. We may examine centerline and no-passing markings, shoulder edges, tire marks, debris, gouge marks, photographs, sight distance, and electronic data to determine where each vehicle was traveling before impact.
Why Do I Need a Lawyer After a Serious Head-On Crash?
A lawyer can be especially important after a head-on collision because the injuries are often serious and the dispute over fault can begin immediately. The insurance company may accept that the crash occurred while still challenging who crossed the centerline, how badly you were injured, or how much of your future care is related to the collision.
We handle those issues while you focus on treatment and recovery.
Preserving Crash Evidence
We may obtain police reports, photographs, video, witness statements, vehicle event data, phone records when legally available, and other evidence that helps show how the collision occurred.
Investigating the Driver's Conduct
We look for evidence of distraction, unsafe passing, fatigue, alcohol or drug impairment, excessive speed, or another act that caused the vehicle to enter the wrong lane.
Documenting the Full Impact of Your Injuries
Medical bills tell only part of the story. We also examine future treatment, time away from work, reduced earning capacity, physical limitations, and how your injuries affect daily life.
Handling Insurance Disputes
We deal directly with the insurers, respond to fault arguments, and evaluate settlement offers against the evidence supporting your claim.
A head-on collision is still a car accident claim, but the severity of the impact and the need to reconstruct the vehicle paths often require more focused investigation than many other collision types. Our Billings car accident lawyers handle serious crashes of all types throughout Yellowstone County.
What Causes Head-On Collisions Around Billings?
Head-on crashes can happen when a driver enters the wrong lane for only a few seconds. On roads leading into and out of Billings, that can occur during an unsafe pass, a distraction, a loss of control, or an impaired-driving event.
Common causes include:
- Unsafe passing on a two-lane road
- Crossing the centerline while distracted
- Driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs
- Falling asleep or driving while dangerously fatigued
- Taking a curve too fast and drifting into the opposite lane
- Losing control on snow, ice, gravel, or another difficult road surface
- Overcorrecting after leaving the lane or shoulder
Our investigation focuses on the specific evidence in your crash rather than assuming that one of these causes applies. A driver who crossed the centerline may have done so because of an avoidable driving decision, a medical event, a vehicle problem, or another circumstance that changes the liability analysis.
When distraction appears to have played a role, our Billings distracted driving accident lawyers can examine phone use, witness accounts, and other evidence tied to the driver's attention before impact. If alcohol or drugs are involved, our Billings drunk driving accident lawyers can evaluate how the criminal investigation affects the civil claim.
Two-Lane Roads Around Billings Can Create Serious Head-On Risks
Two-lane highways leave little physical separation between opposing vehicles. Montana generally allows daytime speeds up to 70 mph on two-lane highways unless a lower limit is posted, so a centerline crossing can develop into a severe crash very quickly.
- U.S. 87 north of the Old Highway 312 junction toward Roundup is a two-lane highway after it leaves the Billings Heights area.
- Montana Highway 3 has a two-lane section between Rod and Gun Club Road and the East Airport Road/North 27th Street roundabout near Billings Logan International Airport.
- Old Highway 312 runs east from the U.S. 87 area through Shepherd, Huntley, and Worden toward I-94. Montana Department of Transportation studies analyze substantial portions of the corridor as a two-lane highway, and current Huntley-area improvements include wider shoulders and rumble strips.
These roads are not automatically dangerous simply because they have two lanes. But an unsafe pass, drift across the centerline, fatigue, impairment, or loss of control leaves less room for recovery when traffic is approaching from the opposite direction.
For a crash on a route such as these, we may examine centerline and no-passing markings, shoulder width, curves, sight distance, grade, weather, and the exact point of impact. Those details can help show whether the other driver entered your lane and why.
If you were taken to Billings Clinic, Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital, or another medical facility after the crash, those treatment records may also become important evidence of your injuries and the care you required.
What Compensation Can You Seek After a Head-On Collision?
A head-on collision claim can seek compensation for the financial losses and personal harm caused by the crash. The amount depends on the injuries, the medical evidence, the effect on your work and daily life, available insurance, and the strength of the liability evidence.
Economic damages may include:
- Emergency treatment and hospital bills
- Surgery, rehabilitation, medication, and follow-up care
- Future medical care related to the crash
- Lost wages and other lost income
- Reduced future earning capacity
- Vehicle damage and other property losses
Non-economic damages may address:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Disability
- Loss of enjoyment of life and other ways the injuries change your day-to-day life
We do not value a claim from medical bills alone. A serious head-on crash can affect your mobility, work, independence, family responsibilities, and future medical needs long after the vehicle damage has been repaired.
Don’t let the insurance companies tell you what your case is worth. Call Yellowstone Law at 406-259-9986, contact us online, or visit us at 310 Grand Ave., Billings, MT 59101 for a free consultation today.
Can an Insurance Company Blame Me for Part of the Crash?
Yes. An insurer can argue that you share responsibility for a head-on collision, even when the other vehicle crossed into your lane. It might claim that you were speeding, distracted, passing improperly, or had enough time to avoid the collision.
Montana follows a modified comparative negligence rule that ties your recovery to your share of fault. You may generally recover damages if your share of fault is 50% or less, but the amount you recover is reduced by your percentage of fault. If your share of fault is greater than 50%, the rule generally bars recovery.
For example, if a jury found that you were 20% responsible and the other driver was 80% responsible, your damages would generally be reduced by 20%.
We test an insurer's fault argument against the physical evidence. Vehicle positions, impact points, roadway markings, witness accounts, speed evidence, and electronic data can matter more than an adjuster's early assumptions.
Fatal Head-On Collisions Can Lead to a Montana Wrongful Death Claim
Losing someone you love in a head-on collision changes far more than a legal claim can ever measure. Families are left grieving while also facing practical questions about what happened, who was responsible, and how to protect their future.
Montana law allows the personal representative of the person's estate to bring a wrongful death action when another person's wrongful act or negligence caused the death. After a fatal head-on crash, a wrongful death claim under Montana law can address both how the collision happened and the financial and personal losses the family has suffered.
We investigate:
- Which vehicle crossed the centerline and why
- Whether distraction, impairment, fatigue, or unsafe passing contributed
- Whether a commercial driver's employer or another party may share responsibility
- Available auto, commercial, umbrella, or other insurance coverage
- The financial and personal losses recoverable under Montana wrongful death law
Families should not have to sort through these questions alone while they are grieving. Our role is to handle the investigation and legal process with care, keep the family informed, and give them the space to focus on one another.
A fatal crash may also lead to a separate criminal investigation when the facts support charges. That process is different from a civil wrongful death claim and does not replace the family's right to pursue accountability and compensation through the civil justice system.
How Long Do You Have to File a Head-On Collision Lawsuit in Montana?
Montana generally gives you three years to file a personal injury lawsuit based on negligence. The same statute generally provides a three-year period for wrongful death actions, with a longer period when the wrongful death results from a homicide.
A deadline should never be treated as a reason to delay the investigation. Important evidence can disappear long before the filing period ends.
Video may be overwritten. Vehicles may be repaired or destroyed. Witnesses may become harder to find. Electronic data may be lost. Road conditions can change.
The sooner we can evaluate a serious head-on crash, the more opportunities we have to identify and preserve evidence before it is gone.
Why Choose Our Billings Lawyers After a Head-On Collision?
A serious head-on crash calls for a law firm that can investigate complex fault issues, understand how insurers evaluate high-value claims, and prepare the case for litigation when necessary. We bring that combination to injured people and families in Billings.
More than 81 years of combined legal experience
Our attorneys have spent decades handling personal injury, motor vehicle, and wrongful death litigation in Montana.
More than $250 million in verdicts
Our case results include a $35 million car accident verdict and a $16 million wrongful death result. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome, but they show the dedication and fight we bring to pursuing the outcomes our clients need.
More than 2,000 cases resolved
That experience gives us a broad base for evaluating liability evidence, medical proof, insurance issues, and the practical choices that arise during a claim.
Deep Montana roots
Shane Colton is a fifth-generation Montanan who has represented injured people against insurance companies for more than two decades. Our office is in Billings, and our practice is built around Montana clients.
17 years of insurance defense experience
Before representing injured people, Tanis Holm spent 17 years defending insurance companies and corporations. She understands how insurers evaluate claims and the arguments they use to reduce or deny payment.
Direct communication and client care
Our clients repeatedly mention responsiveness, returned calls, clear answers, and feeling like a priority. As one client put it, “They really do take care of your best interests and make you feel like you are a priority.”
Trial-ready representation
We prepare serious injury claims with litigation in mind from the beginning, preserving evidence and building the case so we are ready to take it to court if the insurance company refuses to offer you a fair deal.
Contingency fee representation
We handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. Our fee represents a percentage of the recovery we obtain for you, and we explain that in a consultation.
Billings Head-On Collision Lawyer FAQs
Can I bring a claim if I do not remember how the head-on crash happened?
You may still have a claim even if your injuries prevent you from remembering the collision. Police evidence, witnesses, vehicle damage, event data, video, roadway marks, and other physical evidence can help reconstruct what happened without relying entirely on your memory.
What if both drivers say the other crossed the centerline?
A disputed centerline case requires evidence beyond the drivers' statements. We may examine impact locations, debris, tire marks, vehicle damage, photographs, electronic data, witnesses, and roadway geometry to determine which version of the crash is better supported.
What if the other driver crossed the centerline while trying to pass?
Unsafe passing can support a negligence claim when a driver enters oncoming traffic without enough distance or ignores a marked no-passing zone. The investigation should establish the road markings, sight distance, traffic conditions, vehicle speeds, and where the passing maneuver began.
Can I recover if bad weather contributed to the head-on crash?
Bad weather does not automatically excuse a driver from responsibility. Drivers still must adjust their speed and control to the conditions. We examine whether snow, ice, rain, visibility, road design, speed, and driver decisions each contributed to the collision.
What if a commercial truck caused the head-on collision?
A truck crash may involve the driver, the motor carrier, and other responsible parties depending on why the truck entered the wrong lane. Driver logs, electronic data, maintenance records, company policies, and federal safety records may become important evidence.
What if the head-on collision involved a drunk or distracted driver?
Evidence of impairment or distraction can become important to proving why a driver entered the wrong lane. We can coordinate the civil investigation with available police evidence while separately evaluating phone use, witnesses, video, toxicology evidence, and applicable insurance coverage.
How much does it cost to talk with a Billings head-on collision lawyer?
Your initial consultation with us is free. We can review the crash, your injuries, the available insurance, and the evidence that may need to be preserved before you decide whether to hire us. Call 406-259-9986 to speak with our Billings team.
Talk With a Billings Head-On Collision Lawyer
A head-on collision can leave you dealing with serious injuries while an insurer is already evaluating fault and the value of your claim. You should have someone protecting your best interests just as early.
Our head-on car accident attorneys in Billings, MT can investigate your collision, handle the insurance companies, document your losses, and prepare your case for litigation if the insurance company refuses to settle your claim fairly.
Call 406-259-9986 or contact us online for a free consultation with one of our Montana head-on collision lawyers. We are available 24/7.
Yellowstone Law
310 Grand Avenue
Billings, MT 59101
Rooted in Montana. Committed to you.