Blog Posts in March, 2022

Direct Victims Versus Bystanders for Emotional Distress Claims

In a couple of our blog posts about car accidents in Missouri, we have delved into when victims and bystanders can recover compensation for their emotional distress. Most recently, we looked at a baseball player’s serious car crash, which was witnessed by his wife. That accident touched on an important issue in Missouri’s personal injury law : When someone is a bystander or a direct victim. ...

Baseball Player’s Car Accident Shows How Emotional Distress Claims Can Work

A recent car accident involving a baseball player highlights an important issue in how Missouri’s personal injury law handles claims for emotional distress. Mets First Baseman Involved in Serious Car Accident The accident happened on March 13. Pete Alonso, the first baseman for the New York Mets, was going to spring training in Florida when another driver ran a red light and t-boned his pickup ...

The LIRC’s Streak of Losses in Court Continues

The Labor and Industrial Relations Commission (LIRC) is on a very bad streak, as yet another Missouri Court of Appeals overturned its poorly-reasoned denial of workers’ compensation. The newest case is just the latest in a disturbing trend that suggests that the LIRC is less interested in doing justice than it is in throwing out legitimate claims for workers’ compensation. LIRC Muddles Its Way ...

If a Medical Condition Causes a Car Crash, Who is Liable?

A woman was seriously hurt when she fell asleep at the wheel and caused a single-vehicle car accident in northern Missouri. While falling asleep at the wheel due to fatigue is a strong sign of negligence, what if a driver becomes incapacitated because of a medical condition, like a seizure? The personal injury lawyers at the Smith Law Office in St. Joseph, Missouri, explain what can happen. Driver ...

Missouri Appeals Court Roasts LIRC, Again

The Missouri Court of Appeals issued another workers’ compensation decision last week, overturning a ruling by the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission (LIRC). Both the content and the style of the appellate court’s ruling give a sense of frustration with the LIRC’s new, disturbing trend of denying coverage to hurt workers. A “Legal Odyssey” of a Case Returns to the Court of Appeals The case, ...