Start Here
You do not need to understand the insurance system before using this site. Start with what happened, preserve the record, identify the insurance and then move into the state law that controls your claim.
The first five questions
A serious crash creates several systems at once. Do not let the insurance claim become the only record of what happened.
What happened?
Preserve the scene, vehicles, electronic data, witnesses, medical history and law-enforcement record.
Who may be responsible?
Driver, owner, employer, business, contractor, government entity, rideshare company or another responsible person may matter.
What insurance exists?
Do not stop at the insurance card. Find owner, driver, commercial, umbrella, excess, UM/UIM, MedPay and other potentially applicable coverage.
What has the crash actually cost?
Medical treatment, income loss, future care, property loss, reimbursement claims and human consequences require their own evidence.
Is the claim actually ready to become final?
Before settlement or release, understand coverage, future losses, reimbursement, UM/UIM and all parties being released.
Choose the problem you are facing
I was just in a crash
Begin with safety, evidence preservation, medical care, vehicles, witnesses, law enforcement and records.
I need to find all available insurance
Use the law of the applicable state to identify the driver, owner, employer, commercial, umbrella, excess and first-party coverage layers.
The insurer denied or limited coverage
Determine who is an insured, what the coverage grant says, which exclusions apply and whether statute or public policy changes the result.
Medical bills or liens are accumulating
Separate provider billing, health insurance, MedPay, reimbursement, liens and tort medical damages.
The insurer wants a settlement or release
Before finality, check every policy, future loss, reimbursement interest, UIM issue and released party.
Someone died in the crash
Fatal crashes can involve wrongful-death claims, estate claims, multiple survivors, insurance layers and special deadlines.
Research the law in the applicable state
Insurance rules, crash liability, damages, disclosure rights, UM/UIM, insurer duties and deadlines can differ materially from one state to another.
Open the full Western States Law Library →
Colorado resources
Colorado was the original VictimsGuide research jurisdiction. Those materials remain available while they are reorganized into the same standardized state-library structure now used for Montana.
Crash Victim Workflow Practical process after a serious collision. Open →
Crash Victim Workflow
Practical process after a serious collision.
Policy Disclosure Guide Colorado policy-information and disclosure research. Open →
Policy Disclosure Guide
Colorado policy-information and disclosure research.
Colorado MedPay First-party medical-payments coverage. Open →
Colorado MedPay
First-party medical-payments coverage.
Colorado UM/UIM Uninsured and underinsured motorist protection. Open →
Colorado UM/UIM
Uninsured and underinsured motorist protection.
Hospital Bills & Liens Medical billing, liens and reimbursement. Open →
Hospital Bills & Liens
Medical billing, liens and reimbursement.
Stories & Reform Systemic patterns, public-interest analysis and reform work. Open →
Stories & Reform
Systemic patterns, public-interest analysis and reform work.
Montana: complete 23-guide state library
Open Montana Auto Insurance & Crash Law →
Choose how deeply you need to research
Citizen Guide
Plain-language explanation of the rule, why it matters and what evidence or workflow should follow.
Primary Authority
Current statutes, regulations and controlling appellate decisions behind the citizen guide.
Case Authority Library
Searchable doctrinal index to the principal cases supporting a completed state law library.
Public education, reform and language access
Stories & Reform
Study recurring insurance and crash-system problems and proposals for greater transparency and accountability.
About VictimsGuide
Learn why VictimsGuide exists and how the public-interest library is built.
The order matters.
Preserve first. Investigate next. Identify all insurance. Understand the controlling state law. Develop damages. Resolve reimbursement. Then decide whether the claim is ready for settlement and release.
Public-interest education only. No legal services offered or accepted. No attorney-client relationship created.
Migration source: https://www.victimsguide.com/start-here. Verify current primary authority before reliance.
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