St. Louis USPS Truck Accident Attorney

How We Can Help With Your USPS Truck Accident Claim in St. Louis

USPS truck accidents are different from regular car crashes because they involve federal law, not just Missouri state law. We handle every aspect of your claim while you focus on getting better.

When you hire us, we take over the legal fight so you don’t have to worry about making mistakes that could hurt your case. Here’s precisely what we do for you:

Investigate the crash:

We examine the scene, get traffic camera footage, and work with experts to prove the USPS driver caused your accident.

Gather critical evidence:

We obtain police reports, the truck’s electronic data, driver logs, and maintenance records that you can’t get on your own.

Handle federal paperwork:

The Federal Tort Claims Act has specific forms and a strict SF-95 deadline. One mistake can destroy your claim.

Calculate your full damages:

We add up all medical bills, lost wages, future care costs, and pain and suffering to demand what you actually deserve.

Deal with federal adjusters:

We handle all phone calls and negotiations with government claims handlers who are trained to pay as little as possible.

Take your case to court:

If the government won’t offer a fair settlement, we file a lawsuit in federal court, which is entirely different from state court.

The government has teams of lawyers working to deny or reduce your claim. You need someone on your side who knows how to fight back and win.

What To Do After a USPS Truck Crash in St. Louis

Your safety comes first after any accident. Get medical care right away, even if you think you’re okay. Some serious injuries like brain trauma or internal bleeding don’t show symptoms immediately.

Getting treated creates an official record that links your injuries to the crash. This documentation becomes crucial evidence for your claim later.

Call 911 so the police can create an accident report. Missouri law requires you to report over $500 when a crash causes injury or property damage. The police report becomes a key piece of evidence.

If you’re able to do it safely, document everything at the scene:

• Take photos of all vehicle damage from multiple angles
• Get pictures of your visible injuries, road conditions, and traffic signals
• Write down the USPS truck number (usually on the bumper or sides)
• Collect names and phone numbers of any witnesses

Don’t give a recorded statement to USPS representatives who contact you after the crash. They will try to get you to say something that reduces your claim’s value. Tell them to call your lawyer instead.

The sooner you contact us, the better we can protect your rights and preserve evidence before it disappears.

What Happens When a USPS Truck Causes a Crash in Missouri

The Federal Tort Claims Act governs all accidents involving USPS vehicles. This federal law allows you to file claims against the U.S. government for injuries caused by postal workers.

You’re not suing the individual mail carrier. You’re pursuing compensation from the United States government itself. This makes the process completely different from typical car accident claims.

Missouri’s fault and damage laws still apply to determine who caused the crash and calculate compensation. The USPS driver must have acted negligently, just like any other driver. However, you must follow federal procedures to pursue your claim.

Is USPS Self-Insured For Crashes

The U.S. Postal Service doesn’t buy insurance from companies like State Farm or Allstate. Instead, the federal government is self-insured, meaning it pays claims directly from tax dollars.

You won’t deal with typical insurance adjusters. Federal claims handlers follow strict government procedures and often take much longer to process claims than private insurers.

What If The Letter Carrier Used a Personal Vehicle

Many rural mail carriers use their own cars for deliveries, unlike other delivery services like UPS which primarily use company-owned vehicles. If they’re on duty delivering mail when the crash happens, USPS remains liable for your injuries.

Contract routes create complications because some drivers are independent contractors, not direct employees. Our experienced St. Louis truck accident attorneys investigate employment status immediately to identify all potentially responsible parties.

How The USPS Claim Process Works

You must file an administrative claim before you can sue in court. This isn’t optional under federal law.

The process starts with Standard Form 95, which officially notifies the government of your claim. This form requires specific information and must be filed within two years of your accident.

File SF 95 With a Complete Basis and a Sum Certain

Sum certain means the exact dollar amount you’re claiming for all damages. You must state this number on your form, and you generally cannot increase it later, even if your injuries get worse.

Your SF-95 form must include:

• The exact date, time, and location of your accident
• A detailed description of how the USPS driver caused the crash
• An itemized list of all your damages with supporting documentation
• The total compensation amount you’re requesting

Getting this number right is critical. If you ask for too little, you’re stuck with that amount forever. If you ask for too much without proper evidence, your claim gets denied.

Include Evidence For Injuries, Property Damage, and Witnesses

The claim form alone won’t win your case. You need documentation proving every element of your claim.

Essential evidence includes:

• All medical records showing your treatment and diagnosis
• Hospital bills, prescription receipts, and therapy costs
• Pay stubs proving lost income from missed work
• Repair estimates or total loss statements for your vehicle
• Written witness statements with contact information
• Photos of your injuries as they heal over time

Gather this evidence quickly. Surveillance footage gets deleted, witnesses forget details, and physical evidence disappears.

Where To Send Your USPS Claim

Send your completed SF-95 and all supporting documents to the USPS National Tort Center in St. Louis. Don’t file at local post offices.

Use certified mail with a return receipt requested. This proves USPS received your claim and documents when you filed it, which matters for strict deadlines.

Deadlines and USPS Response Timeline

The Federal Tort Claims Act has firm deadlines you cannot miss. You have exactly two years from your accident date to file your administrative claim. Missing this deadline eliminates all rights to compensation.

After filing, USPS has six months to investigate and respond. They can approve your claim, deny it, or make a settlement offer. No response within six months counts as a denial.

Once denied or after six months of silence, you have exactly six months to file a lawsuit in federal court. Missing this second deadline also destroys your case permanently.

USPS Vehicles, Cameras, and Evidence

Newer USPS trucks have 360-degree cameras and electronic systems recording speed, braking, and driver behavior. This technology can prove that the mail carrier caused your accident.

USPS won’t share this evidence voluntarily. Our experienced St. Louis USPS truck accident lawyers send preservation letters immediately, demanding that they preserve critical evidence, including all electronic data and video footage, before it gets deleted or overwritten.

Electronic evidence often provides the most evident proof of what really happened. Without legal action to preserve it, this crucial evidence disappears forever.

How To Report an Unsafe USPS Driver

Call the USPS hotline at 1-800-ASK-USPS to report dangerous driving. Provide the vehicle number, date, time, and specific location of the unsafe behavior.

Creating this record helps establish a pattern if the same driver causes future accidents. However, reporting alone doesn’t make a personal injury claim. You need an actual accident with damages to pursue compensation.

Compensation After a USPS Truck Accident

You can recover the same types of damages as in regular Missouri car accidents, though truck and car accident damages involve important federal law exceptions.

Economic Damages: Your Financial Losses

Economic damages are designed to cover all of your verifiable financial losses resulting from the accident.

Medical Expenses

This includes all costs related to your treatment, such as hospital bills, surgery costs, prescription medications, and necessary medical equipment.

Lost Income

This encompasses wages missed during your recovery, as well as any reduced future earning capacity if your injuries prevent you from working at your prior level.

Property Damage

This covers the costs for vehicle repairs or replacement, and any other property destroyed in the accident.

Out-of-Pocket Costs

This includes miscellaneous accident-related expenses, such as transportation to appointments, temporary housing, or necessary home modifications.

Non-Economic Damages: Personal Suffering

Non-economic damages compensate you for the personal suffering and reduced quality of life caused by the accident.

Pain and Suffering

This covers your physical discomfort, chronic pain, and the overall physical and emotional anguish affecting your daily life.

Emotional Distress

This includes compensation for psychological injuries such as anxiety, depression, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) resulting from the traumatic experience.

Loss of Enjoyment

This compensates you for the inability to participate in hobbies, recreational activities, and other aspects of life you previously enjoyed.

Permanent Impairment

This covers damages for lasting physical issues like scarring, disfigurement, or disability that permanently affect your independence and function.

Federal Law Limitations

It is critical to note that the Federal Tort Claims Act prohibits the recovery of punitive damages against the government. Additionally, you cannot collect prejudgment interest, which can represent a significant financial loss in complex cases that take years to resolve.

How We Prove Liability Under Missouri Law

Proving the USPS driver caused your accident requires showing they violated traffic laws or drove carelessly. Missouri uses pure comparative fault rules, meaning your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault.

We collect evidence to establish the mail carrier’s negligence:

• Police reports: Official documentation citing the USPS driver for traffic violations
• Surveillance footage: Video from nearby businesses showing exactly how the crash happened
• Electronic data: Information from both vehicles about speed, braking, and steering before impact
• Witness testimony: Statements from people who saw the accident occur
• Expert analysis: Professional reconstruction of the crash based on physical evidence

For example, if you’re 35% at fault for minor speeding and the USPS driver is 65% at fault for running a red light, you would recover 65% of your total damages under 35% and 80% fault.

Even partial fault doesn’t prevent recovery in Missouri. We fight to minimize your blame while maximizing the government’s responsibility.

Consult With Our Knowledgeable Truck Accident Law Firm in St. Louis, Missouri

At Beck & Beck Missouri Car Accident Lawyers, we have 35 years of experience exclusively handling Missouri auto accidents. We have extensive experience handling complex federal claims and securing favorable results for our clients.

We work on contingency, meaning you pay no fees unless we win your case. We advance all costs for investigations, expert witnesses, and court filings, so you don’t pay anything upfront.

Our team is ready to answer your questions and provide prompt guidance. We handle everything so you can focus on healing while we fight for the compensation you deserve.

In addition to USPS accident claims we also handle claims involving FedEx, DHL, UPS, Amazon, and other delivery trucks.

Contact Beck & Beck Missouri Car Accident Lawyers today  for a free consultation.