Motor Vehicle Accident Economic Damages Expert in Missouri

By Christopher Skerritt, M.Ed., MBA, Chief of Economic Services · Published · Reviewed

KW Economics prepares economic damages analyses for motor vehicle accident cases venued in Missouri: the components the loss claim consists of, the records that drive them, and a present value built to Missouri's damages rules and venues. Plaintiff and defense.

A motor vehicle accident economic claim ranges from a documented period of lost pay to lifetime earnings, household services, and care losses after a catastrophic crash, and the analysis is scaled to the injury the record describes. Read the full motor vehicle accident analysis guide.

Missouri courts and expert standards

Missouri courts screen expert testimony for reliability: the judge asks whether the economist is qualified, whether the opinion rests on sufficient facts and reliable principles and methods, and whether those methods were reliably applied to the case. A damages report meets that inquiry by stating its assumptions and naming the source of every rate and table.

Where these cases are heard

Highest court: Missouri Supreme Court. Federal venues: E.D. Mo., W.D. Mo. Court system: courts.mo.gov.

Outside the civil courts, wage-loss disputes in workers' compensation matters proceed before the Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation.

Damages framework

Missouri pairs a wrongful death action for the survivors' pecuniary losses, services, companionship, and the decedent's pre-death suffering with a survival action where death resulted from another cause, and the value of medical treatment is proved by the amounts actually paid or still owed rather than the amounts billed. Pure comparative fault reduces the award in proportion, the common-law collateral source rule otherwise applies, and prejudgment interest in tort turns on a written settlement offer that the judgment then exceeds.

How the analysis is built

The same four steps apply to a motor vehicle accident case venued in Missouri; the damages framework above decides which components enter the total.

  1. Document the earnings history, the date the person left work, and any return to work at full or reduced capacity.
  2. Project the but-for earnings over a worklife expectancy with a stated wage growth rate and compare it with the post-injury path.
  3. Value fringe benefits from plan documents or published employer cost data, household services from time-use data, and future care from the life care plan.
  4. Discount each stream to present value at a stated rate and present the alternative scenarios where the return-to-work date or capacity is disputed.

Attorney guides for motor vehicle accident cases

Other case types in Missouri

Frequently asked: motor vehicle accident cases in Missouri

Which Missouri courts hear motor vehicle accident cases?

Motor Vehicle Accident cases venued in Missouri are heard in the Circuit Court (General jurisdiction; 46 judicial circuits; all civil, criminal, domestic, and probate matters). Final appeals run to the Missouri Supreme Court. Matters within federal jurisdiction proceed in the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Missouri and Western District of Missouri.

How does Missouri's damages framework shape the economic analysis?

Missouri pairs a wrongful death action for the survivors' pecuniary losses, services, companionship, and the decedent's pre-death suffering with a survival action where death resulted from another cause, and the value of medical treatment is proved by the amounts actually paid or still owed rather than the amounts billed. Pure comparative fault reduces the award in proportion, the common-law collateral source rule otherwise applies, and prejudgment interest in tort turns on a written settlement offer that the judgment then exceeds. Missouri courts screen expert testimony for reliability: the judge asks whether the economist is qualified, whether the opinion rests on sufficient facts and reliable principles and methods, and whether those methods were reliably applied to the case. A damages report meets that inquiry by stating its assumptions and naming the source of every rate and table.

More questions about motor vehicle accident analysis

References

Request a consultation on motor vehicle accident cases in Missouri or call (201) 343-0700. Plaintiff and defense counsel.