Highway Accidents In Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City is a bustling urban mecca with crowded highways filled with busy daily drivers, passing travelers, and large commercial trucks. Unfortunately, highway accidents in Oklahoma City are far from uncommon. There were 9,360 car accidents in Oklahoma in a single recent year, with 762 total deaths. Although accidents are more common in intersections compared to major highways, highway accidents more often involve catastrophic injuries and fatalities. If you or a loved one has been involved in a serious crash, an experienced Oklahoma City accident attorney can help you navigate the legal process and fight for the compensation you deserve.
What Are the Common Causes of Highway Accidents In Oklahoma City?
Traffic safety experts explain that highway accidents are less common than those in intersections because highway drivers have fewer decisions to make; however, the higher speeds and multiple lanes of traffic moving in the same direction often result in more devastating accidents with serious injuries. The most common causes of Oklahoma City car accidents include the following:
- Speeding
- Aggressive driving
- Distracted driving
- Unsafe lane changes
- Improper merging
- Tailgating
- Drunk driving
- Fatigued driving
- Tire blowouts
- Construction obstacles or debris
- Defective auto parts
Inclement weather and poor visibility also contribute to highway accidents in Oklahoma City.
Injuries in Oklahoma City Highway Accidents
Highway accidents, such as collisions, roadway departures, rollovers, and multi-car pileups often cause serious or catastrophic injuries, including the following:
- Head injuries/traumatic brain injuries
- Fractures
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Internal organ injuries and internal bleeding
- Spinal cord injuries
- Soft tissue injuries to knees, shoulders, ankles, and wrists
- Burns
- Traumatic amputations
- Facial and dental trauma
- Lacerations, contusions, and abrasions
Injuries in highway accidents are expensive, as well as painful and potentially life-altering, often with profound impacts on the injury victims and their families.
The aftermath of a car accident is a chaotic and frightening scene, especially if you or a loved one suffered serious injuries. It isn’t always easy or possible to take purposeful action after an accident, but if you or an uninjured companion can use your cell phone safely, you can take the following steps to help your physical and financial future:
- First, call 911 to report the accident and request emergency services and move to a safe location if possible
- Then, use the phone camera to photograph the damaged vehicles and the accident scene
- Add the contact information of the other driver or multiple involved drivers
- Add the contact information of any eyewitnesses to the accident
- Go directly to a hospital from the accident scene and undergo any necessary emergency treatment and a complete medical evaluation to detect injuries with delayed symptom presentation
Obtain a copy of your car accident report and a detailed medical report, and then hire a car accident lawyer before accepting an early settlement offer or dealing with the insurance adjuster assigned to your case.
What Can I Recover In an Oklahoma City Highway Accident Claim?
When a car accident causes significant injuries, it affects all aspects of the injury victim’s life, often including financial difficulties for the family. If injuries cause disability, the impacts are life-altering. These are the “damages” in a car accident claim. Common damages recovered in Oklahoma City highway accident claims include:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Past and future income loss
- Diminished future earning capacity due to disability
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Other damages that apply in individual cases, such as diminished quality of life, loss of vision or hearing, loss of limb, disfigurement, or PTSD
An experienced personal injury lawyer in Oklahoma City carefully calculates an injury victim’s damages to maximize the amount they recover in their claim.
How Can a Car Accident Lawyer In Oklahoma City Help Me?
Car accident claims in Oklahoma require the injury victim to prove the at-fault party’s liability. Typically, this is a careless or reckless driver, but it may also be a negligent road construction agency, a trucking company, or the manufacturer of a defective part. It takes an experienced Oklahoma City car accident lawyer to undertake a thorough investigation and present strong evidence of liability. An attorney also makes a careful calculation of your damages to maximize your recovery. Call the car accident attorneys at Dan Davis Law for skilled, experienced legal counsel in your Oklahoma City car accident case.