The one thing your employer is hoping you never find out is this: Montana law lets you claim PTSD, anxiety, and depression after a crash even if you do not have an obvious physical wound. The key is proof that ties the mental injury to the wreck and shows what it has cost you in real life.

Here is what that proof usually looks like in Montana:

• A diagnosis from a psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor, or primary care doctor
• Treatment records showing symptoms, referrals, therapy, medication, and follow-up visits
• Bills and mileage for treatment, including care at places like Billings Clinic
• Work records showing missed shifts, reduced hours, write-ups, or trouble doing the job
• Statements from family, coworkers, or friends describing how you changed after the crash
• Your own timeline or journal documenting nightmares, panic, driving fear, sleep loss, irritability, or avoiding I-90, Main Street, or other crash triggers

A concrete example: say you spin out on black ice on I-90 near Billings after a pickup swerves around slow farm equipment in reduced visibility. Your CT scan is normal, so the insurer acts like you are fine. But two weeks later you cannot drive past semis, wake up sweating, and start missing shifts because you panic on the way to work before dawn. If your doctor notes those symptoms, refers you for therapy, and your counselor diagnoses PTSD, that matters. If your supervisor's attendance log shows you lost 18 hours in one pay period and your spouse can explain that you now sleep three hours a night and avoid winter roads entirely, that matters too.

Montana juries do not require a cast or stitches to take psychological harm seriously. They usually want consistent medical records, consistent behavior changes, and a clear before-and-after story. If treatment started months later, be ready to explain why - many hourly workers in Billings wait because they cannot afford to miss another shift.