Norman Car Accident Lawyers

Car accidents can change your life in an instant. Another driver’s moment of carelessness — or their lack of regard for your safety — can lead to serious injuries. You may be left with a long recovery and other disruptions to your life. Some car accident victims may never recover at all from their injuries.

If you have been injured in a car accident that was someone else’s fault, you could be entitled to a substantial settlement check. To get the money you deserve, you would need to go through the other driver’s insurance company, and that is always difficult. That’s where a skilled car accident lawyer comes into play — like those at Nix Patterson.

The Dangers of Driving in Oklahoma

Oklahoma has one of the highest rates of car accident fatalities in the entire country. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there were 17.7 deaths for every 100,000 Oklahoma residents in 2022. This was the tenth-highest rate in the entire country. Overall, there were 710 fatalities in Oklahoma that year. The number of traffic fatalities in the state has steadily increased in the past decade.

Many people think that more crashes happen in urban areas, however, outside of Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma is largely a rural state. Norman has its urban parts, but it is surrounded by many smaller roads. In Oklahoma, roughly 60% of traffic fatalities occur on rural roads because people feel that they can take more risks with less traffic around them.

What Are the Common Causes of Auto Accidents in Norman?

Oklahoma drivers do not always exercise the care expected of them when they are behind the wheel. They may have only goals or things on their mind other than being safe.

Some common causes of Norman car accidents include:

• Speeding. Speeding plays a role in roughly one-third of motor vehicle fatalities. Drivers do not have the same reflexes, nor can they perceive what is around them on the road when they are going well over the speed limit.
• Reckless driving. This type of driving occurs when one drives a motor vehicle in a careless or wanton manner without regard for the safety of persons or property. Drivers have less control of their vehicles when they are being reckless.
• Distracted driving. Motorists need to keep their full attention on the road at all times. Even a brief distraction, such as looking down at their phone to read a text, can cause a serious car accident.
• Failure to check blind spots. If a driver does not check their blind spot before making a lane change or turn, they may sideswipe a vehicle already established in their lane.
• Drunk driving. In Oklahoma, roughly 30% of car accident fatalities are related to alcohol, which impairs a driver’s judgment and inhibits their reflexes.
• Inexperienced drivers. It takes a certain amount of experience to fully understand the hazards of the road and how to deal with them, and newer drivers have neither the seasoning nor the knowledge to avoid many accidents.

No matter what happened to cause the accident, the person who is deemed to be at fault has a legal obligation to pay the injured accident victim.

Common Norman Car Accident Injuries

Some common car accident injuries that you may suffer include

• Broken bones and fractures. Serious bone fractures may require surgery to treat and set, leading to lengthy recovery times.
• Cuts and lacerations. Deep cuts and lacerations can lead to permanent scarring and disfigurement or nerve damage.
• Soft tissue injuries. You could suffer damage to your cartilage, ligaments, or tendons that could be debilitating and may even require surgery.
• Neck injuries. An unnatural movement of the head, such as whiplash, could lead to damage to fractures or sprains in the neck.
• Back injuries. A violent movement of the body or trauma to the back or neck can lead to herniated discs or other debilitating injuries.
• Internal injuries. Trauma to the body could result in internal bleeding, organ damage, or collapsed and punctured lungs.
• Traumatic brain injuries. A blow to the head or a sudden and sharp, violent movement can cause injury to brain tissue, leading to the loss of certain functions.
• Spinal cord injuries. Trauma to the spinal cord from an injury to the neck or broken vertebrae can impact your body’s ability to receive messages from the brain.
• Burns. Contact with extremely hot liquids or a fire associated with the accident can lead to serious and painful burns that can cause permanent disfigurement.

If you have been injured in an accident, you may be entitled to receive your medical expenses and all the other damages that you have sustained in the crash.

What To Do After a Car Accident in Norman

After a car accident in Norman, your actions matter. You do not automatically have any legal right to compensation until you can affirmatively establish it. Given how soon car accident evidence can disappear, you need to act quickly.

Your health is your most important priority after you have been injured in a car accident. It is vital to get treatment for your injuries immediately. Even if you think that you are largely unhurt, it may make sense to see a doctor anyway because you never know what injuries may be lurking beneath the surface. For example, you may have suffered a brain injury that can grow worse quickly if you do not get it treated.

In addition, seeing a doctor is also a step in your legal case. You cannot seek compensation for your injuries until you know how badly you have been hurt. Then, you must also recover to the point where you have a better idea of your future prognosis. Once you have a diagnosis, your lawyer may be able to estimate the damages that you have suffered. Further, if you delay medical treatment, the insurance company may offer you less money because they would claim that you failed to mitigate your own damages.

One of the most important calls that you can make after a car accident is to an attorney. Again, you must prove that the other driver was to blame to receive a settlement check, and that only happens when you have evidence that shows that the motorist failed to live up to their standard of care. In the meantime, there is an insurance company in the picture who tries everything that they can to complicate your case. When you hire a car accident lawyer, you can hand the details of your case to them, allowing you to focus on your health.

Common Mistakes That Can Harm Your Own Legal Case

Along with things that you should do, there are also things that you should not do because they can cloud your own picture. Mistakes that you should include:

• Not being diligent about your own medical situation. The insurance company may claim that you failed to take steps to mitigate your damages, and they may try to cut your compensation.
• Talking to the insurance company. Never give a statement to the other driver’s insurance company under any circumstances. Even talking to them is dangerous because they will use whatever you say against you whenever they can.
• Speaking publicly about the accident. Resist the urge to post on social media about the accident. Never assume that the insurance company cannot see what you are saying, and they could try to use what they see to undercut your case.
• Trying to represent yourself. Insurance companies know that they have your back to the wall when you are on your own, even if you do not realize it yourself. Claimants who try to deal with the insurance company without a lawyer cost themselves money.

Hiring an attorney is a way to take pressure off yourself and to get a knowledgeable professional on your side. Do not trust yourself to your own devices when there is so much at stake.

How Is Fault Determined in a Norman Car Accident?

The guiding legal principle is that you must prove that the other driver was negligent for them to have a legal obligation to pay you. Negligence means that the driver did something that the average driver would not have done under the circumstances (or they failed to do something that they should have done).

You prove negligence by demonstrating each of the following:

• The other driver owed you a duty of care
• They breached the duty by doing something that would be considered unreasonable under the circumstances
• You suffered an injury
• You would not have been injured had it not been for the actions of the other party

Negligence requires evidence, and it is your responsibility to compile the case. Your attorney may do things like interview witnesses or gather evidence from the scene of the accident so you can prove what happened and show why what the other driver did fell short of what was expected of them.

What If I Was Partially To Blame for the Accident?

Oklahoma law still allows for you to receive some financial compensation, even when you were partially to blame for the accident. The key is that you are not more than half to blame for the accident. If you are 51% to blame for the crash, you would be denied financial compensation altogether.

Some examples of situations where you may bear some of the blame for the accident include:

• Speeding when another car ran a red light
• Failure to wear a seatbelt
• Stopping short in front of another driver who then rear-ended you
• Trying to pass another driver who was in the process of trying to merge into your lane (the usual presumption is that the driver who is established in traffic has the right of way, but it can be disproven)

If you were partially to blame for the accident, your compensation would be reduced by the percentage of blame that you bear for the accident. Thus, insurance companies have an incentive to try to point a finger at you, and they may even stand a better chance of success when you do not have an experienced Norman car accident lawyer to stand up for your legal rights.

Why Do You Need a Lawyer After a Car Accident?

Your legal right to compensation needs to be protected at all costs. The insurance company is more than happy to take them from you, either by refusing to pay you altogether or offering you less than you deserve. Your lawyer’s job is to fight for your right to full compensation when another driver caused the accident.

If you do not have a lawyer, the insurance company will take advantage of you to the fullest extent possible. You may find that your claim was arbitrarily denied, or you are being blamed for the accident.

An attorney can do the following for your car accident case:

• Investigate the accident to determine the cause and gather the necessary evidence
• Estimate the value of your harm so you know how much to seek in a claim
• File an insurance claim or lawsuit on your behalf
• Negotiate a possible settlement with the insurance company
• Try your case in court if you are unable to reach a settlement with the insurance company
• Explain your legal options for compensation and answer all your questions

The time to hire a lawyer is as soon as possible after the accident because your legal case could become weaker the longer you wait.

The Statute of Limitations in a Norman Car Accident

You only have a limited amount of time to file a claim or lawsuit after you have been hurt in a car accident. This concept is known as the statute of limitations, and it is a very strict deadline. In Oklahoma, you have two years from the time that you were injured or should have known that you were injured, to take legal action. If you miss this deadline, even by a day, you will lose the right to seek compensation entirely.

Contact Our Norman Car Accident Lawyers Today

The Norman car accident lawyers at Nix Patterson can immediately get to work on your case, striving to put you in a position where you may be able to recover financial compensation for your injuries. You can speak with a lawyer by calling us today at 405-925-2187 or by reaching out to us online. And remember, we do not charge you anything unless we win your case.