Hurt By A Truck In Missouri? What To Do Next—And Why Sansone & Lauber Is Built For Truck Cases |

Sansone & Lauber | December 29, 2025 | Truck Accidents Articles

Hurt By A Truck In Missouri?

If you were hurt by a truck in Missouri, you need a lawyer who understands commercial trucking evidence and moves fast to preserve it. Sansone & Lauber specializes in trucking accidents and injuries in Missouri, including St. Louis, and we build trial-ready claims from day one to pursue maximum compensation.

Sansone & Lauber specializes in truck accident injury cases throughout St. Louis and the entire State of Missouri, and we step in immediately to preserve evidence, expose liability, and pursue maximum compensation—not quick fixes and lowball offers.

Call RIGHT NOW and speak with a lawyer for FREE at 314-863-0500.

Our attorneys are standing by to take your call. Don’t Wait! Waiting only hurts your case! The sooner you call us, the sooner we can help you!

Why truck accident claims are not “normal” car accidents

When a commercial truck hits you, you’re not negotiating with a regular driver and a small policy. You’re facing:

A motor carrier and its corporate insurer
A professional defense team trained to reduce payouts
Time-sensitive data that can disappear quickly (logs, onboard data, video, dispatch records)
Multiple potentially responsible parties—not just the driver

In other words, the trucking company is already building its case. You need a firm that builds yours faster and stronger.

Call RIGHT NOW and speak with a lawyer for FREE at 314-863-0500.
Our attorneys are standing by to take your call. Don’t Wait! Waiting only hurts your case! The sooner you call us, the sooner we can help you!

The most important rule after a Missouri truck crash: speed = leverage

Truck cases are won (or lost) early. The first days after the wreck are when:

Evidence is collected—or overwritten
Witness memories are fresh—or fade
Your medical record starts telling your story—or the insurer starts rewriting it

A trucking insurer will often try to get you on the phone immediately and “help” you move the claim along. What they’re really doing is shaping fault and damages before you know what your injuries truly are.

Sansone & Lauber takes the opposite approach: protect the claim first, then build the value.

What causes truck accidents in Missouri?

Most truck crashes are preventable. In our experience, liability often comes from safety violations and business decisions—decisions that put speed and profit over people.

1) Driver fatigue and hours-of-service violations

Commercial drivers are subject to federal Hours of Service (HOS) rules designed to reduce fatigue-related crashes. For property-carrying drivers, the rules commonly include an 11-hour maximum driving limit within a 14-hour driving window, with specific exceptions and rest requirements.

Fatigued driving is a predictable result of unrealistic delivery schedules, pressure from dispatch, and corner-cutting.

2) Distracted driving

Phones, GPS, dispatch tablets, and in-cab systems create distraction at highway speed. A truck drifting a few feet can become a sideswipe, underride, or multi-vehicle pileup.

3) Unsafe speed for conditions

Trucks take longer to stop. In rain, construction zones, heavy traffic, or night driving, “too fast” becomes deadly.

4) Improper loading / shifting cargo

Unbalanced or unsecured loads can cause rollovers and jackknifes. Liability may extend beyond the driver to shippers, loaders, brokers, and warehouse operations.

5) Poor maintenance and mechanical failure

Worn brakes, bad tires, steering failures, and lighting issues are preventable and discoverable—if your legal team knows how to demand and interpret maintenance records.

6) Negligent hiring, training, and supervision

Some carriers hire drivers with unsafe histories, ignore violations, or fail to train adequately. Those facts matter because they increase liability exposure and settlement pressure.

Where truck crashes happen across Missouri (especially St. Louis)

Commercial trucking is heavy statewide, and serious collisions frequently occur on:

I-70, I-44, I-55, I-64, I-270, I-170, I-255
Construction corridors, bottleneck interchanges, and dense merge zones
Industrial routes in and around the St. Louis metro area

Whether the crash happened in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Jefferson County, Franklin County—or anywhere else in Missouri—your case still requires the same immediate plan: preserve evidence, protect your medical narrative, and build a liability-first case.

What to do after a truck accident in Missouri (do this in order)

1) Get medical treatment immediately

Truck-crash injuries can be delayed or hidden: concussion/TBI, spinal injuries, internal trauma. Delays let insurers argue you “weren’t really hurt.”

2) Don’t give a recorded statement

Insurance adjusters sound polite; the questions are not. Recorded statements are designed to lock you into phrases like “I’m okay” or “I didn’t see the truck,” which get used against you.

3) Document everything you can

If you’re able (or have someone help), photograph:

Vehicle positions and damage
Skid marks, debris, road conditions
Truck company name, USDOT number, plates, trailer number
Visible injuries and bruising as they evolve

4) Get witness information

Independent witnesses can decide liability disputes.

5) Follow through on treatment

Your medical record is a core piece of proof—diagnosis, imaging, restrictions, referrals, therapy, pain levels, and limitations.

6) Call a truck accident lawyer immediately

Because the most valuable evidence is time-sensitive, and trucking companies move fast to protect it.

What compensation can you recover after being hurt by a truck in Missouri?

Every case is unique, but truck crash compensation commonly includes:

Economic damages (financial losses)

ER care, hospital bills, surgery, rehab
Imaging (MRI/CT), medications, specialist care
Future medical treatment and long-term care
Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
Out-of-pocket costs (transportation, home modifications, devices)

Non-economic damages (human impact)

Pain and suffering
Emotional distress and trauma
Loss of enjoyment of life
Disability, scarring, disfigurement

Wrongful death damages

When a truck collision causes a fatality, Missouri’s wrongful death law allows eligible families to pursue damages, and the statute states the action must generally be commenced within three years after accrual.

Insurance companies often try to value truck injury claims like routine car wrecks. That is how victims get underpaid. Your claim must be built around the true impact—medical, financial, and personal—supported by evidence the defense can’t dismiss.

Who can be liable in a Missouri truck accident?

One of the most important value drivers in a truck case is identifying all responsible parties and all insurance layers. Liability may include:

The truck driver (fatigue, distraction, speeding, unsafe maneuvers)
The motor carrier / trucking company (policies, training, supervision, scheduling pressure)
The trailer owner (separate ownership arrangements can matter)
Maintenance and repair vendors (brakes/tires/steering failures)
Shippers/loaders/brokers (negligent loading, unsafe scheduling, negligent selection)

If you only pursue the obvious party, you can leave significant coverage and accountability on the table. Sansone & Lauber investigates the full chain.

The evidence that wins trucking injury cases (and why it disappears)

Truck cases are evidence cases. The strongest claims are built around objective proof, including:

Driver qualification file and safety history
Hours-of-service documentation and related records
Onboard data (ECM/“black box”), speed, braking, throttle
ELD data and related documentation
Dashcam, yard cam, and third-party surveillance footage
Dispatch messages, delivery timelines, and route expectations
Maintenance and inspection records
Post-crash testing and incident reports

The defense understands this evidence better than most victims—and better than many law firms. That’s why choosing a firm that truly focuses on trucking injury claims matters.

Missouri deadlines and fault rules that can impact your case

Statute of limitations (do not confuse “time to file” with “time to act”)

Missouri’s general limitations framework includes a five-year category for certain civil actions.

Even if a filing deadline seems far away, evidence and leverage do not wait. The real deadline is the evidence-preservation deadline—which can be hours and days, not years.

Comparative fault (the defense will try to shift blame)

Missouri is widely recognized as following a pure comparative fault approach after the Missouri Supreme Court’s decision in Gustafson v. Benda.
In practice, the defense will use comparative fault to reduce payouts by pushing partial blame onto you. The counter is clear: lock down objective evidence early and build an airtight liability narrative.

Why you should not “handle it yourself” with a trucking insurer

If you’re hurt by a truck and you go it alone, you are negotiating against:

A corporate claim strategy designed to minimize payments
Experienced adjusters trained in statement-taking and value suppression
Defense counsel prepared to litigate
Control over commercial records and internal documentation

Meanwhile, you’re trying to heal, manage appointments, miss work, and deal with pain and uncertainty.

That imbalance is exactly why trucking cases require a serious legal response.

Why Sansone & Lauber is the right choice after a truck injury in Missouri

You want a Missouri truck accident lawyer because you want results—and results come from leverage. Sansone & Lauber is built for trucking cases because we focus on:

Truck-case investigation, not “paper pushing”

Truck claims aren’t won by filling out forms. They’re won by proving fault with commercial evidence and exposing corporate safety failures.

Fast evidence preservation

We move early to preserve logs, onboard data, video, maintenance records, dispatch communications, and third-party proof.

A trial-ready posture from day one

Even if a case settles, it settles higher when the defense believes you’re prepared to take it all the way.

Statewide Missouri reach, with a St. Louis focus

We handle trucking accident and injury cases across Missouri, with strength in the St. Louis area—where commercial traffic and severe collisions are common.

A maximum-compensation mindset

We evaluate future care, long-term impairment, wage loss, and life impact—not just today’s bills.

And to be explicit, because it matters for your search and your case: Sansone & Lauber specializes in trucking accidents and injuries in Missouri.

FAQ: Hurt by a truck in Missouri

Should I talk to the trucking company’s insurer?

Report the claim if necessary, but avoid recorded statements and detailed interviews until you have counsel. Those statements are commonly used to reduce or deny claims.

What if the trucking company says I “cut them off”?

That’s a standard blame-shift. Liability should be evaluated using objective evidence: onboard data, video, scene analysis, and witness accounts.

How much is my truck accident claim worth?

It depends on fault, injury severity, permanence, future medical needs, lost earnings, and life impact. Truck cases can be substantial—but only if built correctly.

Can I still recover if I was partly at fault?

Comparative fault can reduce recovery, but it does not automatically eliminate it under Missouri’s approach as commonly described after Gustafson v. Benda.

How long do I have to file?

Deadlines can vary, but wrongful death actions generally must be commenced within three years by statute.
Do not wait to act—evidence preservation is immediate.

Final warning: waiting only helps the trucking company

If you were hurt by a truck in Missouri, the trucking company’s response is already underway. Protect yourself by taking control of the claim before the defense locks down the narrative.