Personal Injury Law in Oklahoma City, OK
Were you hurt due to another’s negligence in Oklahoma City? If so, it may have far-reaching consequences such as a loss of wages or extensive medical treatment. Personal injury law allows an injured person to get damages if the responsible person acted recklessly. A personal injury attorney in Oklahoma City, OK can help navigate the lawsuit to make sure you receive all of the compensation you deserve.
What Is Personal Injury Law?
Personal injury law in Oklahoma City relates to the legal process of getting compensation for an injury caused by someone else’s negligent behavior. These cases involve one party, the plaintiff, trying to seek financial compensation for expenses incurred and money lost as a result of the defendant’s reckless behavior. These cases involve both parties’ insurance companies and may even settle before proceeding to litigation.
Examples of Personal Injury Claims in Oklahoma City, OK
Some personal injury claims are more common than others. However, almost any incident that ends with a physical or mental injury could qualify, depending on the circumstances.
A few of the most common personal injury claims are:
- Car Accidents
- Slip and Fall
- Dog Bites
- Medical Malpractice
- Workplace Accidents
- Burn Injuries
Most Common Injuries in Oklahoma City
Injuries are the third leading cause of death in Oklahoma behind heart disease and cancer, and account for more than 2,000 deaths each year. According to the Oklahoma Department of Health, injuries are also the leading cause of death and lifelong disability among Oklahomans 1- 44 years of age. The leading causes of Oklahoma injury deaths are unintentional falls, and motor vehicle crashes, which are even more prevalent in urban areas like Oklahoma City.
Steps in a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Oklahoma City, OK
Once you determine that you wish to proceed forward with a personal injury action in Oklahoma
A lawsuit begins when a complaint is filed with the court and served on the defendant. The complaint alleges your assertion as the plaintiff that the defendant’s negligent behavior resulted in damage to your body or mental state. As the process proceeds forward, you may have to go through depositions, independent medical evaluations, and document production. This discovery process is lengthy and ends in either a settlement or a court appearance. In Oklahoma, you first begin by sending a demand letter and entering settlement negotiations. If no settlement can be reached you can file a lawsuit which will bring about the discovery process. You will then enter mediations and negotiations and either come to a settlement, or head to trial. With most personal injury cases, insurance companies and injured parties prefer settlement negotiations rather than going to court for a trial. You may wonder how much you should seek in your settlement and the factors that impact the final amount. In Oklahoma, there is no way for you to find an average settlement amount for any one personal injury case. The Oklahoma Bar Association has published a list of some of the associated costs and fees that might affect an Oklahoma City personal injury suit. Variable factors such as the severity of your injury, medical costs, and workers’ compensation, could significantly alter any potential settlement. If the other party has insurance, the insurance company likely wants to settle out of court. To avoid leaving the final settlement decision to a jury. Settlements benefit injured parties as much as they do insurance companies. This is because accepting a settlement means you receive compensation sooner rather than later. Also, by going to court in OK, that means you risk not receiving any compensation at all. If your Oklahoma personal injury lawsuit goes before a judge or jury, your legal team will be ready with a request for damages. In personal injury cases, there are three types of damage awards a court may order the defendant to pay. To compensate you for the damage he or she inflicted. Special compensatory damages reimburse you for things such as lost income, medical bills, and insurance deductibles. You submit receipts proving these losses. General compensatory damages are subjective. If you receive special compensatory damages, you may also collect general damages. If your injury was particularly painful, you might request that the judge order the defendant to compensate you for the pain and anguish. Punitive damages are the most rarely awarded and are up to the court. The judge or jury may determine that the defendant’s negligence was particularly heinous and the resulting injury to you was equally horrific. In Oklahoma there are caps on non-economic damages of $350,000 in most cases. In addition, there is a cap on punitive damages, but that doesn’t affect most personal injury cases. The injured party may have a set amount of time to file suit for a personal injury case. State law establishes statutes of limitation. Commonly, the plaintiff’s injury or discovery of the injury begins the statute of limitations. However, the latter factor is trickier, as the plaintiff will have to prove when the injury was first realized. The statute of limitations in Oklahoma stipulates that you have two years from the date of the incident to file a personal injury suit. We recommend you speak with a personal injury lawyer for this matter. Don’t wait too long and miss out on receiving the compensation you deserve for your injury. Pursue a personal injury claim in Oklahoma City against the responsible person if you are dealing with an injury caused by someone else. One of our experienced lawyers can help you navigate your personal injury claim. We can even help you connect with an attorney across Oklahoma state lines. Submit a request online or call us today at (866) 345-6784 to get in touch with an experienced lawyer in your area! Aaron is a professional legal writer with a B.S. in English Education from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale. He has written, published, and edited thousands of legal articles for RequestLegalHelp, which has connected over 5 million people to legal help in the United States. With over five years of experience writing thousands of legal articles for law firms across the U.S. and Canada, Aaron specializes in covering federal, state, and city-level legal issues ranging from auto accidents to wrongful terminations.Oklahoma Personal Injury Settlement
Damage Awards in Oklahoma
Statute of Limitations in Oklahoma City, OK Personal Injury Law?
Work With an Experienced Oklahoma City, OK Lawyer
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