In Missouri, after a motorcycle crash, you can pursue three main types of compensation. One covers your financial losses—ER bills, follow-up care, rehab, lost wages, and repairing or replacing your motorcycle.
Another addresses the personal toll: pain, anxiety, sleep disruption, and limits on daily life. And in rare cases, the law allows punitive damages when the other driver’s conduct was extreme, such as drunk driving.
Because Missouri is a fault state, the driver who caused the crash is responsible for your losses. That obligation extends to today’s bills and future treatment, property damage, and the ways your injuries affect your ability to work and live your life.
What you recover depends on how badly you were hurt and how the crash changed your routine and earning capacity. If you share some of the blame, you can still recover under Missouri’s comparative fault rule; however, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault.
The 3 Types of Damages
The damages you can recover after a Missouri motorcycle crash will be unique to your specific situation. Two riders can be involved in similar accidents yet face entirely different injuries and financial consequences.
After a crash, our experienced Missouri motorcycle attorneys thoroughly examine all aspects of your case—including your medical treatment needs, ability to return to work, and the long-term limitations caused by your injuries.
Our detailed investigation typically reveals you’re entitled to recover several types of compensation:
Non-Economic Damages
Missouri motorcyclists lack the protective shell that car drivers enjoy, leaving them vulnerable to catastrophic injuries in collisions, including:
- Road rash and severe skin abrasions
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Burns from engine contact or road friction
- Multiple fractures and broken bones
- Spinal cord damage and paralysis
- Internal organ injuries
- Chest and thoracic trauma
- Biker’s arm (nerve damage from instinctive protection)
Motorcycle injuries in Missouri frequently lead to intense physical suffering, significant emotional distress, and lasting impairment that can impact your quality of life for many years.
Although these damages aren’t linked to specific bills, our attorneys follow established methods to accurately assess them, guaranteeing that you receive fair reimbursement for these significant impacts on your life.
Pain and Suffering and Emotional Distress
Non-economic damages compensate you for physical pain and emotional trauma from your accident. This includes the daily discomfort from your injuries and the mental anguish of dealing with a serious crash.
Missouri doesn’t cap pain and suffering damages in most motorcycle accident cases. Insurance companies often use multipliers based on your medical bills to calculate these amounts, but every case is different.
Emotional distress can include anxiety, depression, or PTSD from your accident. Many riders develop a fear of motorcycles or driving after a serious crash. These psychological impacts are real damages that deserve compensation.
Loss of Enjoyment and Consortium
Loss of enjoyment covers your inability to participate in activities you once loved. If your injuries prevent you from riding, playing sports, or enjoying hobbies, this represents a real loss that should be compensated.
Loss of consortium affects your relationships with family members. This includes the impact on your marriage or the inability to be as present for your children because of your injuries.
These damages recognize that motorcycle accidents causing serious injuries change more than just your physical health. They affect every aspect of your life and relationships.
Medical Care Expenses and Future Care Costs
Medical care is often the largest part of a motorcycle accident claim—especially after a catastrophic injury. It includes everything you’ve already been billed for and the care you’ll need going forward because of the crash.
Because those past bills tell only part of the story, the future matters just as much. Serious injuries rarely resolve in a few weeks; they can require months or years of treatment.
We work with your providers and independent medical experts to project the care you’ll need and what it will cost, so you’re not left paying out of pocket later.
Your medical damages can include:
- Emergency room visits and ambulance transport
- Hospital stays and surgical procedures
- Doctor visits and specialist appointments
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation services
- Prescription pain management
- Home modifications for permanent disabilities
- Emergency and reconstructive surgeries
- MRIs, CT scans and specialized diagnostics
- Extended physical and occupational therapy
- Emergency ambulance or airlift transportation
- Specialized trauma center treatment
- Mobility aids and adaptive equipment
- Ongoing specialist appointments and rehabilitation
At Beck & Beck Missouri Car Accident Lawyers, we work directly with your Missouri healthcare providers to document all past, current, and anticipated medical expenses, ensuring your settlement accounts for the full lifetime cost of your injuries.
Lost Income and Diminished Earning Capacity
Missouri motorcycle crash victims often face extended time away from work during recovery. Your injuries might temporarily prevent you from earning your normal wages and benefits, or they may permanently limit your ability to perform your previous job, forcing you to accept lower-paying work.
There’s a difference between lost wages and loss of earning capacity. Lost wages cover the income and benefits you miss while you’re out recovering. Loss of earning capacity looks forward. It’s the future income you’ll lose if your injuries permanently limit what you can do.
For example, if you can’t return to your prior job or must take a position that pays less because of lifting, standing, or concentration limits.
We calculate both. On the short-term side, we total your missed pay, overtime, and benefits. For the long term, we measure how your injuries change your career path—pay rate, hours, promotions, bonuses, and benefits—then project those losses over time.
When future losses are at issue, we work with vocational experts (and, when needed, economists) to explain how your medical restrictions affect your earning capacity and to put reliable numbers to those losses. Our goal is straightforward: recover the income you should have had but for the crash.
Property Damage, Gear, and Diminished Value
You’re entitled to compensation for damage to your motorcycle and protective gear. This includes repair costs or replacement value if your bike is totaled.
Your protective equipment matters too. Helmets, jackets, boots, and gloves damaged in the crash should be replaced at the insurance company’s expense.
Diminished value is another type of property damage. This is the difference between your motorcycle’s value before the accident and after repairs. Even with proper repairs, your bike may be worth less than before the crash.
Punitive Damages in Missouri Motorcycle Cases
Punitive damages do not provide compensation for losses. Rather, they impose consequences on the party responsible for highly irresponsible actions. Such damages are uncommon and granted solely when an individual has shown total indifference to the safety of others.
Examples might include drunk driving, street racing, or intentionally trying to harm you. The defendant’s conduct must be more than just careless or negligent.
Missouri caps punitive damages at $500,000 or five times your other damages, whichever is greater. Your attorney must prove by clear and convincing evidence that punitive damages are warranted.
Wrongful Death Claims
In the most devastating cases, Missouri families lose loved ones to fatal motorcycle accidents. If your family member died from crash injuries, we extend our heartfelt sympathies.
While nothing can truly compensate for such a profound loss, our Missouri wrongful death attorneys can help surviving family members secure financial support during this difficult time.
Recoverable damages in Missouri wrongful death cases typically include:
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Medical costs incurred before death
- Pain and suffering the victim experienced
- Loss of companionship, guidance, and support
- Lost future income and benefits
If you lost a family member in a motorcycle accident, you may be able to file a wrongful death claim. Only certain relatives may bring the claim. Missouri gives priority to the spouse, children (including lineal descendants), and parents.
If none are available, siblings (or their descendants) may file; if no eligible family member exists, the court can appoint a plaintiff ad litem to proceed.
Unlike personal injury cases, wrongful death claims have a shorter deadline—generally three years from the date of death—so it’s important to evaluate the timeline early.
| Claim Type | Who Can File | Time Limit | Main Damages |
| Personal Injury | Injured rider | 5 years | Medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering |
| Wrongful Death | Family members | 3 years | Funeral costs, lost support, loss of companionship |
Consult With Our Missouri Motorcycle Accident Law Firm Today
In Missouri, you generally have five years from the day of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit. That sounds like plenty of time, but delay hurts cases. Within days, skid marks fade, debris is cleared, security cameras overwrite footage, and memories slip.
So the sooner we start, the more we can preserve—and the stronger your claim becomes.
Meanwhile, insurers move fast. They dispatch investigators, collect statements, and look for ways to limit what they pay. You need someone moving just as quickly for you—gathering photos and videos before they’re gone, handling adjusters, and documenting your injuries and losses from day one.
There are exceptions to the five-year rule. For example, claims against a city or state agency often require prompt notice. And if a defective part played a role, product liability deadlines may apply. The safest step is to let us review your timeline now so nothing is missed.
You can reach us anytime. Consultations are free, and you owe no attorney fees unless we recover for you.
Contact Beck & Beck Missouri Car Accident Lawyers today. We’ll review your case, explain your options, and get to work protecting your claim and pursuing the full value of your case.
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