No publicly reported settlement amount exists for Loren Schauers. Despite widespread interest in what the Montana forklift accident survivor may have received, the public legal record shows no verdict, no confirmed settlement, and one significant loss: an insurance company won a court ruling that its policy did not cover him at all.
What Happened in the Accident
On September 27, 2019, Schauers was 18 and working for Sletten Construction on a bridge rehabilitation project along Highway 89 in Park County, Montana. A motorist drove a truck through the active construction zone. Schauers steered his forklift toward the shoulder to avoid being hit, the embankment gave way, and the forklift rolled roughly 50 feet down the slope and landed on top of him. He was pinned for about 30 minutes before rescuers reached him.1CaseMine. Liberty Mut. Fire Ins. Co. v. Schauers, CV 22-04-BLG-SPW2New York Post. Teen Went From 6 to 28 After Amputation Below the Waist
To save his life, surgeons performed a hemicorporectomy, removing everything below his lumbar spine. His lower right arm was also amputated.2New York Post. Teen Went From 6 to 28 After Amputation Below the Waist
The Insurance Case He Lost
The only fully litigated matter in the record is one Schauers did not start. In early 2022, Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Company sued him in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, asking a judge to declare that its commercial Business Auto Policy issued to Sletten Construction did not cover his accident. The policy defined a covered “auto” as a vehicle designed for public roads and specifically excluded “mobile equipment,” a category that listed forklifts by name.1CaseMine. Liberty Mut. Fire Ins. Co. v. Schauers, CV 22-04-BLG-SPW
On September 27, 2022, three years to the day after the accident, U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters granted Liberty Mutual summary judgment. She held that the policy language was clear, that forklifts were excluded, and that expecting forklift coverage under a commercial auto policy was not “objectively reasonable” under Montana law. The research contains no indication that Schauers appealed.1CaseMine. Liberty Mut. Fire Ins. Co. v. Schauers, CV 22-04-BLG-SPW3Justia. Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Company v. Schauers
The Claim Against Montana That Never Became a Lawsuit
A September 2022 Montana Department of Transportation claims report lists Schauers under “Pre-Litigation Claims.” The entry, dated September 23, 2022, describes a “personal injury, negligence/no safeguards” claim with damages expected to exceed $10,000, filed through the state’s Risk Management and Tort Defense Division.4Montana State Legislature. MDT Claims Report, September 2022
Nothing in the available research shows the claim moving forward, settling, or being dismissed. A pre-litigation claim is a formal notice, not a filed lawsuit, and the record stops there.
No Suit Against the Driver
The motorist whose truck came through the construction zone has not been publicly identified. No lawsuit against that person appears anywhere in the research.
How the Medical Bills Have Been Paid
Schauers has said his medical expenses, which he estimates run into the millions, have been covered by workers’ compensation through his employer. “Luckily all my medical bills and whatnot are taking care of through workman’s comp, and so it’s no bother on our pocket,” he told LADbible in a 2025 interview. His wife, Sabia Reiche, added that “because of that we don’t need help with medical stuff.”5LADbible. Loren Schauers Forklift Accident Update Medical Bills
Workers’ compensation in Montana operates separately from civil litigation and does not produce a settlement in the traditional sense. For daily expenses and prosthetics, the couple has drawn on a GoFundMe titled “Loren S. New Life,” which was reported to have raised about $85,000 against an original $50,000 goal.6GoFundMe. Loren S. New Life7LADbible. Loren Schauers Hits Out at Fake Instagram Account
Could a Confidential Settlement Exist?
It is possible. Personal injury settlements frequently include nondisclosure terms, so a private resolution would not necessarily appear in public records. But based on everything publicly available through 2026, no settlement amount involving Loren Schauers has been reported or confirmed. Liberty Mutual’s win closed off the auto policy, the state claim has not advanced in the record, and the motorist who set the chain of events in motion has not been sued in any filing the research captures.