Montana Code Annotated
Part 1. General Provisions
39-71-119. Injury and accident defined

39-71-119. Injury and accident defined. (1) "Injury" or "injured" means:
(a) internal or external physical harm to the body that is established by objective medical findings;
(b) damage to prosthetic devices;
(c) damage to appliances, except for damage to eyeglasses, contact lenses, dentures, or hearing aids; or
(d) death.
(2) An injury is caused by an accident. An accident is:
(a) an unexpected traumatic incident or unusual strain;
(b) identifiable by time and place of occurrence;
(c) identifiable by member or part of the body affected; and
(d) caused by a specific event on a single day or during a single work shift.
(3) "Injury" or "injured" does not mean a physical or mental condition arising from:
(a) emotional or mental stress; or
(b) a nonphysical stimulus or activity.
(4) "Injury" or "injured" does not include a disease that is not caused by an accident.
(5) (a) A cardiovascular, pulmonary, respiratory, or other disease, cerebrovascular accident, or myocardial infarction suffered by a worker is an injury only if the accident is the primary cause of the physical condition in relation to other factors contributing to the physical condition.
(b) "Primary cause", as used in subsection (5)(a), means a cause that, with a reasonable degree of medical certainty, is responsible for more than 50% of the physical condition.
History: Ap. p. Sec. 6, Ch. 96, L. 1915; re-en. Sec. 2870, R.C.M. 1921; re-en. Sec. 2870, R.C.M. 1935; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 162, L. 1961; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 149, L. 1965; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 270, L. 1967; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 488, L. 1973; Sec. 92-418, R.C.M. 1947; Ap. p. Sec. 2, Ch. 488, L. 1973; Sec. 92-418.1, R.C.M. 1947; (3)En. Sec. 6, Ch. 96, L. 1915; re-en. Sec. 2864, R.C.M. 1921; re-en. Sec. 2864, R.C.M. 1935; Sec. 92-412, R.C.M. 1947; R.C.M. 1947, 92-412, 92-418, 92-418.1; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 464, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 243, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 197, L. 2021.