Accidents involving semi-trucks and other commercial vehicles can be life-changing. Aside from having to pay out of pocket for expensive car repairs, you may be saddled with medical debt, unable to work, and facing a long road to recovery. While it is easy to get discouraged, you should never have to pay for the aftermath of an accident that was not your fault.
Missouri Semi-Truck Lawsuits and Outcomes
If you or a loved one was injured in a semi-truck-related accident, you might be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against the driver, their employer, and even the manufacturer of any failed vehicle parts that contributed to the crash.
When your case goes to negotiation or moves to court, you will be able to request a certain amount of money—or damages—to make you whole. In Missouri, there are two different types of damages:
- Economic damages, which are objective and associated with a set amount of money; and
- Non-economic damages, which are more subjective and associated with the loss of capability or impairment of quality of life.
Depending on the extent of your injury, you may be able to claim economic damages for expenses such as:
- Medical bills
- Property damage
- Car repairs
- The cost of renting a car while yours is in the shop
- Lost income
- Lost future wages
- Physical rehabilitation
- Continuing treatment
If you were seriously injured or experienced significant emotional shock, you might be able to able to claim non-economic damages for:
- Emotional trauma
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement
- Paralysis
- Loss of a limb or organ
- Loss of companionship
Missouri does not have an upper limit for the amount of damages that may be awarded in most truck-related accident lawsuits. People who have been seriously injured by negligent drivers or rule-breaking logistics companies can receive hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in damages.
However, getting a trucking company to pay for its negligence can be difficult. These companies often have six-figure bonds, aggressive insurers, and well-paid lawyers, all of whom will work to keep the business’s liability as low as possible. You may have to spend months gathering evidence and preparing a case before you are ready to fight your claim in court.
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