Loren Schauers Settlement Amount 2026: What the Court Record Actually Shows
Quick Answer
- Loren Schauers was cut in half by a forklift in 2019. The settlement amount is not publicly confirmed.
- Liberty Mutual won a 2022 court ruling that its policy did not cover the forklift accident.
- Schauers raised over $85,000 through crowdfunding for prosthetics and medical care.
If you’re searching for the Loren Schauers settlement amount, here’s the honest answer: nobody outside the case knows. No court filing, news report, or official statement has disclosed a settlement figure. What we do have is a federal court record that shows his employer’s insurance company fought coverage and won.
Loren Schauers was 18 years old when a forklift he was operating plunged 50 feet off a Montana bridge on September 27, 2019. The machine pinned him underneath, crushing his lower body and severing his right forearm .
He survived after undergoing a hemicorporectomy, a rare surgery that amputates everything below the waist. Now 24, he lives in Montana with his wife Sabia, who serves as his full-time caregiver .
This article breaks down what the court record actually shows about insurance coverage, what crowdfunding raised, and what happens when a catastrophic workplace injury meets an insurance policy exclusion.
The Facts
| Case | Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Company v. Loren Schauers |
| Status | Summary judgment granted to Liberty Mutual on September 27, 2022 |
| Fund Size | No public settlement disclosed; GoFundMe raised over $85,000 |
| Est. Per Person | Not applicable |
| Claim Deadline | Not applicable |
| Administrator | Not applicable |
| Proof Needed | Not applicable |
Is there a confirmed Loren Schauers settlement amount?
No confirmed Loren Schauers settlement amount exists in any public record as of October 2026. The only federal court case directly involving Schauers is an insurance coverage dispute, not a personal injury settlement.
The case, Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Company v. Schauers, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana in January 2022 . Liberty Mutual asked the court to declare that its commercial auto policy issued to Schauers’ employer, Sletten Construction, did not provide Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist coverage for the forklift accident.
Judge Susan P. Watters granted Liberty Mutual’s motion for summary judgment on September 27, 2022, exactly three years after the accident .
That ruling meant no UM or UIM coverage was available under that policy. It does not mean Schauers received nothing from other sources, but no other settlement document has surfaced publicly.
Some websites claim the settlement “has never been publicly disclosed” and stop there . That’s accurate as far as it goes, but it misses the bigger story: the insurance company went to court specifically to deny coverage, and it won.
Key Takeaway: The only verified court outcome in the Loren Schauers case is a 2022 ruling that his employer’s commercial auto policy did not cover the forklift accident.
How much did Loren Schauers receive from GoFundMe and donations?
Loren Schauers received at least $85,000 through GoFundMe donations as of 2022, according to reporting from the Daily Star . That money was earmarked for high-tech prosthetic limbs and ongoing medical needs.
The fundraising total may have grown since then. No updated verified figure is available as of October 2026. The couple has also earned income through their YouTube channel and social media content, though Loren said in December 2025 that their channel “isn’t doing too good anymore” and that giving accident updates “is getting old/stale” .
| Source | Amount | As-Of Date |
|---|---|---|
| GoFundMe | $85,000+ | 2022 |
| Social media/YouTube | Not publicly disclosed | Ongoing |
| Insurance settlement | Not publicly disclosed | Unknown |
Here’s what the crowdfunding money represents: it’s not compensation for the injury. It’s charity from strangers. That distinction matters because it tells you the legal system didn’t deliver a publicly known payout.
Why did Liberty Mutual deny coverage for the forklift accident?
Liberty Mutual denied coverage because its commercial auto policy explicitly excluded mobile equipment, and a forklift falls into that category. The policy defined a covered auto as a land motor vehicle designed for travel on public roads. Forklifts weren’t included .
The court agreed with Liberty Mutual. Judge Watters found the policy language clear and unambiguous. Schauers argued the policy was ambiguous, but the court rejected that argument .
The reasoning was straightforward. The undisputed facts showed Schauers was operating a forklift when the accident happened. The policy excluded forklifts from coverage. Therefore, no coverage.
Schauers also argued that his reasonable expectations of coverage should apply. The court dismissed that too. When policy language is clear, Montana law enforces it as written .
The ruling is a hard reminder about how insurance works. A commercial auto policy isn’t a catch-all for every vehicle on a job site. Mobile equipment gets carved out, and if you’re hurt on that equipment, the auto policy may not respond.
Reality Check: GoFundMe donations are not a settlement. They’re gifts from strangers. If someone tells you they can get you a cut of a “Loren Schauers settlement,” that’s a scam. No such public fund exists. No claims administrator is distributing money to the public.
What was the Sletten Construction workers compensation situation?
Sletten Construction, Schauers’ employer, would have been required to carry workers compensation insurance under Montana law. Whether that coverage paid benefits to Schauers has not been publicly confirmed.
Montana requires most employers to carry workers comp. If Sletten had coverage, Schauers would have been entitled to medical benefits, wage loss benefits, and permanent disability benefits through that system.
Workers compensation in Montana provides permanent partial disability and permanent total disability benefits for catastrophic injuries. A hemicorporectomy would almost certainly qualify for the maximum benefit tier.
But here’s the thing: workers comp benefits are capped. They don’t include pain and suffering. They don’t compensate for loss of enjoyment of life. For an 18-year-old who loses half his body, those non-economic damages are enormous.
If Schauers received workers comp benefits, the amounts are confidential under Montana law. No public record of a workers comp payout exists.
What court records exist in the Loren Schauers case?
The only federal court record is the Liberty Mutual declaratory judgment case, filed as 1:22-cv-00004-SPW in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, Billings Division . Judge Susan P. Watters issued the order granting summary judgment on September 27, 2022.
The case documents include the complaint, the policy documents, photographs of the forklift, and witness statements. Schauers admitted in the proceedings that the vehicle involved was a forklift .
If a separate personal injury settlement was reached outside this federal case, it would not necessarily appear in federal court records. State court filings in Montana would be the place to look, but no such case has been publicly reported.
The absence of a public settlement doesn’t mean nothing happened. It means nothing was filed publicly. Many workplace injury cases resolve through workers comp or private negotiations without a public court record.
How do you verify a settlement amount in a case like this?
You verify a settlement amount in a case like this by checking federal court dockets, state court dockets, and official settlement administrator websites. If nothing appears there, the amount is not public.
Here’s a numbered checklist for verifying any settlement claim:
- Search PACER for federal court cases involving the parties.
- Check the state court docket in the county where the accident occurred.
- Look for an official settlement website run by a claims administrator.
- Search news archives from legal-news outlets that cover settlements.
- Check regulatory filings if a government agency was involved.
- Be skeptical of any website that claims a settlement amount without a source.
For the Loren Schauers case, steps 1 through 5 turn up the Liberty Mutual coverage case and nothing else. There’s no settlement website. No claims administrator. No deadline for filing.
What Happens Next
- No scheduled court dates: The federal coverage case closed in 2022. No pending litigation is publicly reported.
- No claim deadline: There is no public settlement fund, so there is no deadline to file a claim.
- Ongoing: Schauers continues to seek advanced prosthetics and mobility equipment, according to his December 2025 interview .
- Expected 2027: No new legal developments anticipated based on current public records.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Loren Schauers settlement amount?
No Loren Schauers settlement amount has been publicly disclosed. The only federal court ruling in his case denied insurance coverage under his employer’s commercial auto policy.
Did Loren Schauers win a lawsuit?
Loren Schauers did not win a public lawsuit judgment. His employer’s insurance company won summary judgment in 2022, denying Uninsured Motorist coverage for the forklift accident.
How much money did Loren Schauers get from GoFundMe?
Loren Schauers received at least $85,000 through GoFundMe donations as of 2022. The money was designated for prosthetics and medical care.
Did Liberty Mutual pay Loren Schauers?
No. Liberty Mutual won a court ruling that its commercial auto policy did not cover the forklift accident. No payment from Liberty Mutual is confirmed.
Is there a Loren Schauers settlement fund I can claim from?
No. There is no public settlement fund, claims administrator, or claim deadline associated with the Loren Schauers case.
What happened to Loren Schauers’ workers compensation claim?
No public record confirms whether a workers comp claim was filed or paid. Montana workers comp benefits are confidential and not published.
How old was Loren Schauers when the accident happened?
Loren Schauers was 18 years old when the forklift accident occurred on September 27, 2019.
