Tulsa Personal Injury Attorneys

If you’ve been involved in an accident or were otherwise injured as a result of someone else’s negligence, you may be wondering if you even need a personal injury attorney. Taking legal action may seem like an added stressor that you simply don’t need right now, but, in fact, there are numerous reasons why you should consider hiring a personal injury lawyer. Here’s what you could risk if you don’t work with an attorney: Unintentionally implicating yourself in the accident/incident: Car accidents, slip and falls, and other accidents can happen in the blink of an eye. The aftermath of these incidents can be hectic and disorientating. You may not clearly remember all of the exact details of what happened, which could put you at risk of unintentional inconsistencies in your story when explaining the incident to insurance adjusters. Unfortunately, this offers a perfect opportunity for those adjusters to question your explanation of the event, including your share of the blame, which they can then use to devalue or deny your claim. Exposing yourself to insurance adjusters’ deceitful tactics: Insurance adjusters can be very cunning in their efforts to limit payouts and deny injury claims. If you choose not to work with an attorney and instead speak to the adjuster on your own, you put yourself at risk of making mistakes when faced with the adjuster’s trick questions and leading statements. Even responding to an adjuster’s inquiries about your injuries could come back to haunt you. Failing to report unnoticed injuries: In many cases, your injuries (or the full extent of your injuries) may not be immediately apparent after the accident. However, in many cases, the insurance adjuster will contact you soon after the accident. You could report that you weren’t injured or only suffered minor injuries—only to realize later that your injuries are much more severe than you initially thought. This could ultimately hurt your claim and your ability to recover compensation for all of your medical expenses. In addition to dealing with insurance adjusters on your behalf, your personal injury attorney can help you prepare evidence to support your claim and negotiate for a fair settlement on your behalf. If a settlement cannot be reached, your attorney can help you prepare for litigation and represent you at trial.

When determining whether to contact a personal injury attorney, there are a few things you should consider: Did you suffer serious or catastrophic injuries? Was someone killed as a result of the accident/incident? Were you unable to work due to your injuries? Are you permanently disabled, either partially or completely, as a result of the accident? Are you unable to return to work due to your disability? Were you involved in an accident with a large truck or commercial vehicle? Were you injured on a commercial or governmental property? Is there a potential for contested liability? Could there be more than one liable party? Have you been ignored by the insurance company? Did the insurance company offer a lowball settlement or deny your claim? If you’re facing any sort of complexity with your personal injury claim, it is in your best interest to work with a knowledgeable and skilled personal injury attorney. Failing to contact a lawyer could result in you being unable to recover all of the compensation you are entitled to receive; you could even find yourself unable to recover any compensation whatsoever.

A statute of limitations refers to the time limit someone has to file a personal injury claim. If a claim is filed outside of these time limits their case will most likely be invalid and they will lose their right to compensation. These laws differ state by state, in Oklahoma the statute of limitations is two years from the date of injury. Oklahoma recognizes that there are reasonable exceptions to filing a claim in this time period for certain cases. If you aren't sure if you qualify for one an attorney can assist you.

There are three main damages available in a personal injury claim punitive, economic, and non-economic. Non-economic damages also called general damages, compensate for abstract losses associated with an injury such as pain and suffering while economic damages compensation for more quantifiable losses such as medical expenses and missed days at work. In 2011 Oklahoma put a cap of $350,000 on how much non-economic damages can be award. Punitive damages are different from economic and non-economic since their main purpose is to punish the negligent party. In order for punitive damages to be awarded, it must be shown that the negligent party knew their actions could cause harm and did so anyway.

Everyone has heard about personal injury claims that get caught in heated litigation in the courtroom. However, the truth is that most personal injury claims filed in Tulsa and elsewhere will settle before a lawsuit is filed. Insurance companies hate going to court where their problems become public, so they often keep settlement negotiations on the table. As your chosen Tulsa personal injury lawyers, it will be our job to make sure you are only offered fair settlements, not lowball offers that try to skim thousands of dollars off the top of what you deserve. Despite settlements being preferred by insurance companies, we always conduct casework as if settlements will not work. By planning for litigation from the start of your claim – such as conducting evidence discoveries, expert witness interviews, medical record evaluations, etc. – we can give you an initiative that the defense might not anticipate.

While post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is most often associated with members of the military or individuals who suffer extremely traumatic events, suffering an injury in an accident can also cause PTSD. In fact, The National Institute of Mental Health states that anyone “experiencing a shocking, scary, or dangerous event” can develop this order. Learn more about the signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and how it can affect your personal injury case by reading our blog, “Proving PTSD in Personal Injury Cases.”