Choosing An Oklahoma Personal Injury Lawyer

What Does a Personal Injury Attorney Do?

If you’ve been injured because another person acted recklessly or carelessly, you aren’t technically required to retain an attorney. However, insurance companies often prioritize their own financial interests over their obligations to policyholders. This makes hiring an attorney vital for injury victims.

Oklahoma personal injury lawyers know how to negotiate with insurance companies to help their clients receive fair compensation. They also take legal action against insurers who refuse to award clients the compensation they deserve.

Unlike many other types of lawyers, personal injury lawyers generally work on contingency. This means they only get paid if they win your case. Consequently, they cannot take on every case they come across.

The process typically follows these key steps:

• You attend a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer
• A lawyer offers to take your case, and you accept
• The lawyer investigates your injury and gathers evidence
• They file an insurance claim with the at-fault party’s insurance company
• The lawyer attempts to negotiate a fair settlement
• If no settlement is reached, they file a lawsuit on your behalf
• If the insurer still won’t negotiate, your lawyer can represent you in court

Most personal injury cases are settled out of court. If yours is one of the rarer claims that goes to trial, your lawyer can argue your case before a judge and jury. The court will then decide whether the other party was liable, and if so, what financial award you will receive.

What to Look for When Choosing Oklahoma Personal Injury Attorneys

Injured people who work with personal injury lawyers typically recover more compensation than those who don’t. But not all personal injury lawyers are equally effective, and your choice of attorney may make the difference between winning your case and walking away with nothing.

For many injured people, finding a personal injury lawyer is their first foray into the legal system. Before beginning your search for legal representation, it may be helpful to keep the following criteria in mind:

Experience With Cases Like Yours

Some personal injury lawyers take on just about any promising case they come across. Others only handle a subset of specific types of personal injury cases. For instance, some firms focus exclusively on medical malpractice cases or those involving car accidents.

Either way, you should verify that any firm you consider has successfully handled cases similar to yours.

Existing Caseload

Some law firms keep their caseload small so that they can dedicate as much time as needed to each case. Others consistently take on as many cases as they reasonably can.

Whether your attorney’s caseload is important to you is a matter of personal preference. If you want to ensure your legal representative will be able to dedicate ample attention to your case, it may be best to choose a firm with a smaller caseload or a team with the resources necessary to handle larger caseloads.

Plans for Your Case

Most Oklahoma personal injury lawyers offer free consultations where they discuss your case and help you determine whether taking legal action is a good idea. While your lawyer likely won’t go into detail about their proposed strategy for your case at this consultation, they should be able to give you a general idea of their plans.

Ideally, these plans will be personalized to meet the needs of your particular situation.

Fee Arrangements

Before agreeing to work with any personal injury lawyer, you’ll want to make sure you thoroughly understand their payment agreement. The vast majority of Oklahoma personal injury lawyers work on contingency, but you should never assume that a particular lawyer or firm does.

Reviews and Testimonials

Seek out client reviews to see what their experiences have been like with your attorney. Make sure you don’t only look at reviews on the lawyer’s own website.

It can also be helpful to see whether a given lawyer has been recognized by their peers. Several major legal awards are decided by other lawyers through a peer review process.

Results

When selecting an attorney, you want to give yourself the best possible chance of a positive outcome. This means that it’s a good idea to look closely at a given lawyer’s recent case results. Many attorneys publish results on their websites, but if one you’re considering doesn’t, you can always ask.

Communication Style

Filing a personal injury lawsuit is not a quick process. These cases can take many months and sometimes, even years. Throughout that time, you’ll need to communicate frequently with your attorney, so it’s important to choose one who is responsive and whose communication style works for you.

Common Types of Personal Injury Claims Filed in Oklahoma

Oklahoma personal injury lawyers take on many kinds of cases. These are some of the most common types of claims they see:

Car Accidents

A large percentage of personal injury cases involve car accidents. Driving is part of everyday life for many, and the high-speed nature of most collisions makes severe injuries more likely.

Pedestrian and Bicycle Accidents

When car accidents involve pedestrians or cyclists, injuries are often even more serious.

Truck Accidents

Truck accidents are an unfortunate reality on Oklahoma highways. Because the average commercial truck weighs far more than the average passenger car, a collision can lead to catastrophic injuries and property damage.

Motorcycle Accidents

Although motorcycle accidents are vehicular accidents, they pose their own challenges. Because insurance companies and courts commonly view motorcyclists as reckless by default, recovering compensation can be difficult.

Slip and Fall Accidents

The classic slip and fall scenario involves walking into a business, slipping on an unmarked wet floor, and suffering a serious injury. But slip and fall cases are just one type of premises liability case.

If a property owner fails to keep the property free from hazards and you get hurt as a result, a premises liability lawsuit may help you recover compensation.

Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice cases tend to be inherently complex. If you are trying to figure out how to sue a hospital or an individual doctor, talking to a personal injury lawyer who handles medical malpractice cases is a good place to start.

Dog Bites

Serious dog attacks can lead to scarring, amputation and the need for reconstructive surgery. The right lawyer could help you hold the owner of an aggressive dog accountable.

Workplace Accidents

Whether your employer is required to carry workers’ compensation insurance or not, recovering compensation may not be simple. An experienced personal injury lawyer can help.

Do I Have a Personal Injury Case?

Many injured people try to figure out whether they have a strong case before consulting an Oklahoma personal injury lawyer. However, many different factors determine the likelihood of a personal injury lawsuit’s success, and if you’re not a lawyer, it’s impossible to assess them all.

The only reliable way to determine whether you have a case is to consult a personal injury lawyer. Most attorneys offer free consultations, and you can often speak with them over the phone so that you don’t have to travel while injured.

When Should I Hire a Personal Injury Law Firm?

Each case is different, but generally, it’s wise to talk to a lawyer if you have been hurt by a negligent person, have suffered substantial injuries, and have significant monetary losses as a result.

Because personal injury lawyers usually work on contingency, you typically can’t immediately hire one to represent you. Instead, an Oklahoma personal injury lawyer will discuss your situation with you and determine whether they want to take on your case.

How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in Oklahoma?

Each state is free to set its own statute of limitations. This is the time limit you have to file a lawsuit. For Oklahoma personal injury cases, the statute of limitations is two years. That means you have two years from the date of your injury to file a lawsuit.

However, it can take significant time to put together a strong case. To make sure your legal team can make your case as strong as possible, you should consult an Oklahoma personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after your injury.

Common Damages in Personal Injury Cases

If you receive a personal injury settlement, you aren’t being given an arbitrary sum. Your settlement is meant to cover a combination of your economic and non-economic losses. These are some of the most common:

Medical Bills

Medical bills for even minor injuries can be expensive. If you’ve suffered a serious injury, you may incur tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills or more. A substantial part of your settlement will likely be for your medical costs.

Property Damage

If your property was damaged in the incident that caused your injury, your lawyer may be able to recover additional compensation.

Lost Income

Most serious injuries leave you unable to work, at least temporarily. Over time, that lost income can add up. If you receive a settlement, it will likely make up for this financial loss.

Lost Earning Capacity

Some injuries leave you permanently disabled, reducing your earning capacity for life. When this happens, you could receive compensation to offset the loss.

Pain and Suffering

The term “pain and suffering” is usually used as a catch-all for non-economic losses. These may include physical pain, mental anguish, inconvenience and loss of quality of life.

Loss of Consortium

Loss of consortium is a specific kind of non-economic loss. If your injuries are severe enough to interfere with your relationship with your spouse, you might be able to recover compensation.

Serving Personal Injury Clients Across Oklahoma

ConsumerShield partners with lawyers across the country to ensure you receive the legal guidance you need. We can match you with lawyers all over Oklahoma, including in or around these cities:

• Ardmore
• Bartlesville
• Bixby
• Broken Arrow
• Edmond
• Enid
• Jenks
• Lawton
• Midwest City
• Moore
• Muskogee
• Norman
• Oklahoma City
• Owasso
• Shawnee
• Stillwater
• Tulsa
• Yukon

Whether you’re in a small town or a big city, we’re committed to helping you find the right lawyer to represent you.

Connect With Experienced Oklahoma Personal Injury Lawyers

The process of pursuing a personal injury claim can be long and involved, but for many, it’s worth it. If you’ve been injured, the best thing you can do for your future is to consult an Oklahoma personal injury lawyer to discuss your options.

If you’re not sure how to find a lawyer, we can help. Contact us to connect with a trusted personal injury lawyer near you through ConsumerShield today.