In Missouri, the driver who causes a crash is responsible for paying for the damages and injuries of the other parties involved. What happens if you were hurt in a crash but you were also partly at fault for what happened? Will it affect your right to compensation for the harm and losses you’ve suffered?
The good news is that your contribution to the crash will not bar you from recovering damages under Missouri’s pure comparative negligence rule. You are still entitled to compensation even if you bear most of the fault, provided that others can be held liable for their contributions to the collision at issue.
Your contribution to the crash will diminish your compensation
While you can recover damages despite your degree of responsibility for the accident, your percentage of fault will reduce the compensation you’ll be awarded. For example, suppose you were 30% at fault for a crash that caused you $10,000 in damages. In such a case, you would only be able to recover $7,000 from the other driver, who was 70% at fault.
The importance of legal guidance
Sometimes, the percentage of fault assigned to a crash victim may not be accurate due to errors or misrepresentation of evidence. If you are not careful, you may be assigned more blame than necessary, negatively affecting your potential settlement.
In such situations, seeking legal guidance becomes crucial. An informed evaluation of the facts of your case can help challenge any inaccuracies and help you to present a solid argument that will maximize the compensation due to you.