The truck accident statute of limitations in Missouri appears to be 5 years from the date of the crash (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.120). Wrongful death generally runs 3 years from the date of death. If a government vehicle or entity was involved, formal written notice is generally required first, on its own clock: 90 days (cities). The evidence clock is shorter than all of them.
Before you rely on these numbers
The statutory figures on this page have not yet been verified against current statute text by a licensed attorney. They are published with their citations so they can be checked, and they should be treated as a starting point for a conversation with a Missouri lawyer — not as a legal conclusion. Statutes change: Florida cut its personal injury period in half in 2023 and Louisiana doubled its own in 2024.
Your deadlines in Missouri, calculated
Enter the date of your crash and the tool below will work out both clocks — the legal filing deadline and the much shorter window before the proof can be destroyed. Missouri is already selected. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
What makes Missouri different
Missouri's five-year personal injury deadline is the longest of any state covered here — and that length is exactly what makes the evidence clock so dangerous. A Missouri claimant can be four years from their filing deadline and four and a half years past the day the driver's logs could lawfully be shredded. Wrongful death is three years, and a claim against a city for a defective street can require notice to the mayor within 90 days.
The four Missouri deadlines that matter
| Deadline | Period | Runs from | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal injury lawsuit | 5 years | the date of the crash | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.120 |
| Wrongful death claim | 3 years | the date of death | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 537.100 |
| Notice — state entity | Sovereign immunity with statutory exceptions | the date of the crash | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 537.600 |
| Notice — city, county or district | 90 days (cities) | the date of the crash | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 82.210 |
On the wrongful death period: Two full years shorter than the injury period.
Claims against a government entity in Missouri
The shortest government notice window found for Missouri — 90 days (cities) (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 82.210). This is the deadline that quietly ends claims: it comes due long before the ordinary filing deadline, it is a precondition to suing rather than a suggestion, and missing it usually bars the claim entirely no matter how strong the case is.
Missouri waives immunity for motor vehicle operation by public employees and for dangerous property conditions. Written notice to the mayor of a city within 90 days for injuries from defective streets or sidewalks.
Public fleets you could realistically be hit by in Missouri: MoDOT maintenance trucks, county road district equipment, Metro Transit and KCATA buses, City of St. Louis and Kansas City fleets, and school district buses. If you are not certain whether the vehicle that hit you was one of these, work to the shorter deadline until somebody confirms otherwise. The downside is not symmetrical.
If the injured person was a minor
Tolled to age 18 in Missouri under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.170 — the clock generally does not start until the injured person turns 18.
That pause applies to the court deadline. It does not apply to the evidence. A carrier is entitled to destroy a driver's logs six months after the crash whether the injured person is 8 or 38, and in many states a government notice deadline is not tolled for a child either. A tolled filing deadline and an untouched evidence deadline is the most dangerous combination on this page.
When the Missouri clock starts
Damages-capable-of-ascertainment. Missouri runs the clock from when the damage is sustained and capable of ascertainment.
Why the evidence clock in Missouri is much shorter
Missouri's filing deadline is 5 years. The federal retention rules that govern the trucking company are measured in weeks and months:
- Dashcam and telematics video — often 30 days or less. No federal retention requirement — vendor and carrier policy only.
- ECM / black box data — overwritten as the tractor keeps running, and routinely lost when it is repaired or resold.
- Driver logs and records of duty status — six months (49 CFR § 395.8(k)(1)).
- Maintenance and repair records — one year while the vehicle is in the carrier's control (49 CFR § 396.3(c)).
- Annual inspection report — 14 months (49 CFR § 396.21(b)(1)).
The way to stop those clocks is a preservation letter to the carrier — a written demand that specific evidence be kept. Until it arrives, destroying records at the end of a retention period is routine and lawful. Our FMCSA regulations and evidence guide explains what each of these records contains.
Truck traffic in Missouri
St. Louis and Kansas City are both major rail-truck interchange points, and I-70 between them is one of the oldest and most heavily used freight corridors in the interstate system. Springfield adds a substantial truckload carrier presence.
The corridors where these crashes concentrate: I-70 (Kansas City–Columbia–St. Louis), I-44 (Springfield–St. Louis), I-55 and I-57 south of St. Louis, I-29 and I-35 out of Kansas City and US-60 and US-63.
For Missouri's comparative fault rules, damages caps and a deeper look at these corridors, see our Missouri truck accident lawyer page.
Neighbouring states have different clocks
A crash a few miles across a state line can be governed by a completely different deadline. If you are not certain which state your crash happened in — near a border, on a bridge, or on an interstate you were travelling at speed — check both.
| State | Injury deadline | Wrongful death |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 2 years | 2 years |
| Illinois | 2 years | 2 years |
| Kentucky | 1 year | 1 year |
| Tennessee | 1 year | 1 year |
| Arkansas | 3 years | 3 years |
| Oklahoma | 2 years | 2 years |
| Kansas | 2 years | 2 years |
| Nebraska | 4 years | 2 years |
Or use the filing deadline calculator to compare any state, and the full state index for all 50 states and D.C.
What to do next in Missouri
- Get a preservation letter to the carrier. This is the most time-critical step and the one almost nobody hears about.
- Confirm whether a government entity was involved. That answer can replace your 5 years deadline with a far shorter notice window — 90 days (cities).
- Do not give a recorded statement to the trucking company's insurer.
- Request the Missouri crash report, which identifies the carrier, the DOT number and the insurer.
- Have a lawyer licensed in Missouri confirm the dates above against the current statute.
Sources
- Hours of Service — records of duty status retention — 49 CFR § 395.8 (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
- Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance — record retention — 49 CFR Part 396 (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
- Accident register requirements — 49 CFR § 390.15 (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
- Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Federal regulations and crash statistics are updated periodically. Figures cited on this page reflect the referenced publications at the time of writing; check the source for the current edition.