Tulsa Truck Accident Lawyers

Let’s say you’re driving down the Broken Arrow Expressway in Tulsa, and in slowing traffic, a tractor-trailer rear-ends you at high speed. You suffer severe whiplash, and over the course of your recovery, several herniated disks are discovered. You’re unable to work from the pain, and the medical bills are piling up. The carrier’s insurance company isn’t cooperative, and you’re unsure what to do next.

That’s where we come in.

Nix Patterson’s Tulsa truck accident lawyers are committed to leveling the playing field and fighting for the compensation you deserve. Let’s look closer below at Tulsa truck accidents and some common issues that accident victims face. If you have truck accident injuries, a Nix Patterson truck accident lawyer in Tulsa is ready to fight for your recovery.

What You Need To Know About Tulsa Trucking Laws

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Oklahoma state government have many rules to make the roads safe for commercial truck drivers and motorists. These regulations include truck driver training, hiring and supervising drivers, truck maintenance, driving rules, hour of service rules, and more.

If a truck driver or company violates these rules and injures you, you could be entitled to compensation in a truck accident lawsuit. Your attorney is intimately familiar with federal and state trucking laws and will check if any rules that led to the accident were violated.

How Truck Accidents Differ From Car Accidents

Many who have never been in a truck accident might think they are the same as other motor vehicle accidents. This isn’t true. Truck accidents are in an entirely different class of motor vehicle crashes for many reasons:

Vehicle Size

Did you know that a fully loaded tractor-trailer can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds? This tremendous weight is up to 20 times greater than most passenger vehicles. It’s easy to imagine which vehicle takes the brunt of the impact when a big rig slams into a passenger car. The damage to the vehicle and occupants in a truck crash can be devastating. What might have been a fender bender between two cars could be a fatal accident when a tractor-trailer is involved.

Severe Injuries

If a huge commercial truck hits your small passenger car, you could have devastating injuries that necessitate months or years of recovery. The worse your injuries — brain trauma, back and neck injuries, broken bones — the more critical it is to work with an experienced Tulsa truck crash attorney.

You need a confident, skilled negotiator and litigator to stand up to the insurance company to get the money you need. The insurance company wants to pay you as little as they can get away with, but that won’t happen with Nix Patterson advocating for you.

Multiple Defendants Possible

In a conventional car accident, the defendant is usually the at-fault driver and their insurance company. When a tractor-trailer smashes into your car, you’re up against more fearsome adversaries.

Depending on the circumstances of the accident, you may need to sue the negligent trucker, the employer, the truck manufacturer, the maintenance company, etc. Unless the truck driver acted negligently, he may not be at fault.

Instead, it could be his employer, the company that loaded the trailer, or even mechanics who neglected essential repairs. You must determine who was liable before a claim or lawsuit can proceed. Your Nix Patterson truck accident attorney is skilled in finding every negligent party and holding them liable for your losses.

Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Tulsa

Truck accidents in Tulsa are unfortunately common and occur for a variety of reasons, including:

Driver Fatigue and Hours of Service Violations

Truckers and their employers are constantly pressured to deliver their goods on time. The regular schedule demands may lead drivers to abuse the hours of service rules established by the FMCSA. Drivers are only allowed to drive and be on the job for so many consecutive hours before they are required to rest. Unfortunately, many drivers are paid by the mile, and the temptation is strong to drive longer than they should. Nodding off behind the wheel of a huge tractor-trailer can have horrifying outcomes.

Distracted Driving and Cell Phone Usage

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that 3,522 people died in traffic accidents nationally because of distracted driving. Truckers often drive long distances in Oklahoma with little to entertain themselves. Negligent truck drivers may yield to temptation and turn to their cell phones to pass the interminable hours behind the wheel. However, just looking away from the road for two seconds can lead to a horrific truck crash that severely injures or kills an innocent motorist.

Impaired Driving

Truckers may rely on drugs to keep awake or may have other problems with drugs and alcohol that endanger others. Impaired truck drivers are especially hazardous because it’s more difficult for them to control their huge vehicles while drunk or high.

Nix Patterson’s Tulsa truck accident attorneys will carefully check if the at-fault truck driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs when they injured you. Our attorneys will also review the driver’s record for any previous alcohol- or drug-related violations.

Poorly Maintained Vehicles and Equipment

Trucking companies and drivers must maintain their vehicles to fit the road. Sadly, it’s too common for defective tires, brakes, and other failing truck equipment to be ignored to save money and time. If a significant mechanical failure occurs on the road, the driver could lose control and injure or kill others.

If a mechanical or maintenance issue caused your truck accident, you could have a personal injury and a product liability lawsuit. The former claim would be against the negligent driver or trucking company, while the latter would be filed against the company that made the defective part or maintained the truck.

Speeding and Reckless Driving

It takes a tractor-trailer about 40% longer to stop than a typical passenger vehicle. If the trucker is speeding, it can take much longer for the massive rig to come to a complete stop. Our truck accident attorneys will review the crash evidence, including tire marks and the truck’s black box, to determine if speeding or reckless driving was a factor in the accident.

Common Truck Accident Injuries

Trucks cause more severe injuries because of their massive size and weight. Now, let’s delve into the specifics of some of the horrifying injuries you could stem from a truck driver’s negligence:

Neck and Back Injuries

These injuries, such as whiplash, sprains, and strains, could be relatively minor. Or, they could be severe, including ruptured spinal discs and spinal cord damage.

Head Trauma

Head trauma in a truck accident can cause severe brain injuries, which could change your life forever. If this happens, you will need plenty of compensation in a truck accident lawsuit to receive much-needed medical care and rehabilitation.

Burns

Trucks carry a lot of fuel, and a collision could rupture fuel tanks in either vehicle. In seconds, your vehicle could be engulfed in flames, and severe burns could result. These are excruciating injuries that require years of treatment and recovery.

Internal Injuries

Blunt trauma from the truck impact could damage your organs, blood vessels, and other vital tissues. You could, for example, have damage to your spleen, kidneys, stomach, pancreas, liver, etc. These injuries might not be initially apparent, so you should always be checked by a doctor immediately after a truck crash.

Disfigurement and Amputation

You could have limbs crushed or torn off just from the truck impact. Or, you could have severe burns on your face that disfigure you for life. If you have these types of injuries, working with an experienced truck accident lawyer is vital to your recovery and future.

The Legal Process in Truck Accident Cases

The legal process after a truck crash is often complex and overwhelming for the layperson, especially someone with severe injuries. It’s critical to understand the legal process for the best-case result:

• Accident investigation. It’s essential to look into the accident details and find out how it happened. The insurance company will render its opinion about who was at fault, and your attorney will offer theirs. If it appears another party caused the accident, your attorney will point it out and advocate for the most compensation for you.
• Filing an accident claim. After the truck crash investigation, you must file a claim. It could be against the truck driver, the employer, or another party. Filing against the correct person or entity is essential, and your attorney will ensure it is smooth.
• Negotiating an accident settlement. Once a claim is filed, liability is determined, and injuries and damages are proven, your attorney will attempt to negotiate a fair settlement with the insurance company. Settling is often best for both sides, but sometimes, the insurance company won’t offer fair compensation.
• Filing a lawsuit and going to trial. If settlement negotiations falter, you and your lawyer can file a lawsuit and take your truck crash claim to a jury.

Proving Liability and Negligence in Truck Accident Cases

Your attorney is tasked with proving another driver or party was at fault in your truck accident. Nix Patterson is highly skilled in building robust truck accident cases that demonstrate the following elements that are essential to most negligence claims:

• Duty of care. The trucker and employer had a duty of care to operate and maintain the truck safely to avoid hurting others.
• Breach. The trucker or employer breached that duty when they injured you in a truck accident.
• Causation. The trucker’s or employer’s breach of duty caused your injuries.
• Damages. You suffered injuries and other losses from the accident.

If these elements are proven in your truck accident case, you could receive compensatory damages in a settlement or lawsuit.

Truck Accident Statute of Limitations in Tulsa

One challenge with truck accident lawsuits in Oklahoma is the short time you have to file your claim. You have only two years in Oklahoma to file a personal injury lawsuit from the accident date. If you wait beyond that, you may be unable to collect damages for your injuries.

Types of Compensation Available for Your Tulsa Truck Accident

If your truck accident claim or lawsuit is successful, you could be entitled to some or all of the following damages:

Economic Damages

Economic damages in a truck accident can be substantial because of the severity of injuries. You may be entitled to compensation for your past and current medical bills, future medical care and rehabilitation, lost earnings, and any other out-of-pocket expenses related to the accident.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages in a truck accident also can be considerable. These damages are more challenging to quantify and include physical pain and suffering as well as mental anguish. Your attorney will use your doctor’s statements and your medical records to show the level of pain and suffering you have endured.

Punitive Damages

You could be entitled to punitive damages if the trucker or at-fault party was incredibly reckless and disregarded your safety. These damages are meant to punish the negligent party and serve as a warning to others.

Nix Patterson’s Truck Accident Attorneys are Standing By

A truck accident is almost always a terrifying ordeal. In an instant, you could suffer devastating injuries that prevent you from caring for yourself, working, and enjoying your everyday life.

The truck accident attorneys at Nix Patterson understand. We have stood up for Tulsans injured by negligent trucking companies for years. Contact us today and learn how we can fight for you.