Can You Go To Jail For Accidentally Killing Someone In A Car Accident?

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Courts differentiate between first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and manslaughter. Manslaughter is divided into voluntary and involuntary manslaughter.  If you fatally injured someone in a car accident in Missouri, you may be charged with vehicular manslaughter.

Vehicular manslaughter penalties are uniform across all states. If you face a vehicular manslaughter charge in Missouri, you may face several different punishments depending on the circumstances of the automobile accident.

Vehicular manslaughter charges in Missouri may give rise to different types of felonies. A Class A felony usually involves specific circumstances, such as two or more individuals dying during an automobile accident.

If a non-passenger dies during an automobile accident, then this may give rise to a Class B felony charge. Also, if the driver responsible for the automobile accident had a blood-alcohol level above 0.18, then he or she may be charged with a Class B felony in Missouri.

If you are charged with vehicular manslaughter in Missouri, then you may also face a Class C felony charge if any person dies during an automobile accident. The individual charged with a Class C felony may possibly be incarcerated for seven years or less.

Both the Class C felony charge and the Class B felony charge may include a $5,000 fine.

If You Lost a Loved One in an Accident, You May Be Entitled to Compensation

Every state has different laws regarding wrongful death suits. A wrongful death claim in Missouri is available when a wrongful act results in someone’s death, but if that someone had lived, they would have had a claim for damages.

Three groups of people can bring a wrongful death suit in Missouri. A plaintiff can sue only if they do not qualify for the higher category. The first category includes the parents, spouse, and children (adopted and natural), or if the children are deceased, the child’s descendants.

The second category includes the decedent’s siblings or the descendants of those siblings. The third category only applies when the court appoints a “plaintiff ad litem” because no members of the first two categories exist.

You can recover the following damages in wrongful death suits in Missouri:

  • Funeral expenses
  • Damages suffered by the decedent between the time of the injury and the time of death
  • Loss of consortium
  • Loss of companionship
  • Loss of support

These are just a few of the damages available to plaintiffs in wrongful death suits in Missouri.

Call Us Today to Speak to a Kansas City Personal Injury Lawyer

If you have been injured in an accident, call the Krause & Kinsman Law Firm today or contact us online.

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FAQs

Where do the laws related to wrongful death suits come from?

States have statutes that specify the requirements and boundaries of wrongful death suits.

Will I have to pay my attorney fees before I receive representation?

No, most wrongful death attorneys will take a percentage of the financial award you receive.

Is there a time limitation for me to bring a wrongful death claim in Missouri?

The statute of limitations for Missouri wrongful death claims is three years.

 

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The Krause & Kinsman Law Firm is made up of some of the nation’s foremost legal minds in the mass-tort field. That’s why our clients & co-counsel partners choose us.

Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, and Co-Chair of the Law & Briefing Committee in MDL 2846:

In Re: Davol, Inc./C.R. Bard, Inc., Polypropylene Hernia Mesh Products Liability Litigation

Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in MDL 2974:

In Re: Paragard IUD Products Liability Litigation

Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in MDL 2924:

In Re: Zantac (Ranitidine) Products Liability Litigation

Along with the aforementioned MDLs,

Plaintiff’s Counsel has prosecuted thousands of cases across other Multi-District Litigations and Mass-Torts, including:

MDL No. 3043:

Acetaminophen ASD/ADHD Product Liability Litigation

MDL No. 2753:

Atrium Medical Corp. C-Qur Mesh Products Liability Litigation

MDL No. 2782:

Ethicon Physiomesh Flexible Composite Hernia Mesh Products Liability Litigation

MCL No. 627:

In Re: Physiomesh Litigation, MCL

MCL No. 633:

In Re: Prolene Hernia System Mesh Litigation

MDL No. 2750:

Cook Medical, Inc., IVC Filters Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation

MDL No. 2641:

Bard IVC Filters Products Liability Litigation

MDL No. 2326:

In Re: Boston Scientific Corp. Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation

MDL No. 2606:

Benicar (Olmesartan) Product Liability Litigation

MDL No. 2666:

In Re: Forced Air Warming Devices Products Liability Litigation

MDL No. 2591:

Syngenta AG MIR162 Corn Litigation

MDL No. 2936:

In Re: Smity’s/CAM2303 Tractor Hydraulic Fluid Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation

MCL No. 630:

In Re: Proceed Mesh Litigation

MDL No. 2543:

In Re: General Motors LLC Ignition Switch Litigation

MDL No. 2004:

In Re: Mentor Corp. ObTape Transobturator Sling Products Liability Litigation

MDL No. 2187:

In Re: C. R. Bard, Inc. Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation

MDL No. 2325:

In Re: American Medical Systems, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation

MDL No. 2327:

In Re: Ethicon, Inc., Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation

MDL No. 2387:

In Re: Coloplast Corp. Pelvic Support Systems Products Liability Litigation

MDL No. 251:

In Re: Neomedic Pelvic Repair System Products Liability Litigation

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