In a catastrophic case, the bills already incurred are usually the smallest number in the file. What decides the outcome is whether decades of future cost can be proved, and whether enough insurance coverage exists to pay for it. We have made that case to a St. Charles County jury.
Updated October 2026
This page is attorney advertising. It offers general information about Missouri law and is not legal or medical advice for your situation. Reading this page or contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship, which is formed only by a written agreement signed by both you and the firm. Any case results described are specific to the facts of those cases; past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict a similar outcome in any other matter. Finney Injury Law is licensed to practice law in the State of Missouri. The full disclaimer appears at the bottom of this page.
A catastrophic injury is one that permanently changes what someone can do, or that ends a life: a traumatic brain injury, a spinal cord injury, an amputation, or a wrongful death. The legal problem these cases share is that most of the loss has not been incurred yet. It has to be proved in advance and then paid from whatever insurance coverage exists.
We have made exactly that case in St. Charles County's own courthouse, against a defendant that offered nothing and spent three years disputing responsibility.
A life care plan projects decades of future medical needs, and lost earning capacity projects a working life that has not been lived. Both require expert work started early, not estimated at the end.
The at-fault party's policy is often not the only source of recovery. Underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage, an employer's commercial policy, and additional defendants with their own insurance can all matter, particularly in a trucking or commercial vehicle case.
A St. Charles County jury heard five days of testimony in a case where the defense offered zero dollars and blamed a grieving mother for her son's death. It returned $20,025,000. That is a direct, public demonstration of how this specific courthouse values a fully proven catastrophic claim.
Catastrophic cases carry the largest gap between an opening offer and actual value, because the numbers are large enough to fight over and most of the loss is projected rather than billed. A firm unwilling to try the case has limited leverage on exactly the cases where leverage matters most.
A nineteen-year-old known to his family as “Junior” was riding in the family SUV on Highway 70 when a semi-truck struck the vehicle, causing catastrophic injuries that ultimately took his life. The trucking company denied responsibility, offered zero dollars, and spent three years blaming his mother, who was driving.
The case was tried in a St. Charles County courtroom. Five days of crash reconstruction, expert testimony, and cross-examination followed. The jury returned $20,025,000.
A carrier or insurer deciding what a catastrophic claim is worth is making a prediction about what happens if it does not pay. That prediction is built on public record, and this verdict is part of ours in this county.
Past results do not guarantee a future outcome, and every case depends on its own facts. These are public-record results from catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases.
Defense offered $0 and blamed the mother for her son's death. After five days of trial, a St. Charles County jury delivered $20,025,000. Read full story →
A father of six was killed in a head-on collision after the other driver suffered a medical emergency. We secured this settlement for his widow and children. Read full story →
A professional musician suffered a traumatic brain injury after being struck while crossing the street. The insurer opened at $350,000. Read full story →
A catastrophic case often involves more than one defendant and more than one policy, particularly where a commercial vehicle is involved.
Contact from an insurer comes quickly in a serious case, sometimes with an offer to help with immediate expenses. What you sign to accept that help can end the claim.
Vehicle data, commercial carrier records, and surveillance video are all on retention schedules measured in days or months, far shorter than any filing deadline.
A life care planner, a vocational expert, and an economist are what turn a lifetime of loss into a number a jury or insurer can evaluate. That work takes time to do properly.
Yes. We tried a wrongful death trucking case to verdict in St. Charles County. The defense offered zero dollars and blamed the victim's mother for three years. After a five-day trial, the jury returned $20,025,000 in 2022.
Generally an injury causing permanent impairment or disability: traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, severe burns, or an injury requiring lifelong care, as well as a death caused by another's negligence. The legal significance is that damages must be projected across a lifetime rather than totaled from bills already received.
Generally in the Circuit Court of St. Charles County, the 11th Judicial Circuit. Venue may also be proper where a defendant resides or does business, which is worth evaluating rather than assuming.
It is an itemized, costed projection of a person's future medical and care needs over a lifetime. It matters because most of the loss in a catastrophic case has not happened yet, and a jury cannot award what nobody has proved.
Other sources may include underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage, an employer's commercial policy if the at-fault driver was working, and additional defendants with their own insurance. Finding all of it is investigative work that can determine the actual recovery.
Generally yes. Missouri follows pure comparative fault, so a recovery is reduced by the assigned percentage of fault rather than eliminated. Insurers routinely assert more fault than the evidence supports.
We handle catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases on a contingency fee, so there is no fee unless we recover for you. The case review is free.
No cost, no obligation, and nothing is shared outside our firm. We read every message and respond quickly.
Free case review. An attorney personally reviews every case. English- and Spanish-speaking staff available.