How to Win Your Semi-Truck Accident Lawsuit in Oklahoma
Discover powerful strategies for a successful semi-truck accident lawsuit in Oklahoma. Consult with our top lawyers to secure your claim today.
According to a December 2023 news release from TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit, Oklahoma’s fatal crash rates involving large trucks, including semis, are the fifth-highest in the country. Every year, from 2017 to 2021, an average of 115 people died due to collisions with big rigs. And with freight movement in the state expected to increase over the years, more of these crashes, fatal or not, could occur.
If you’ve also recently been in such an incident, you’re likely considering filing a semi-truck accident lawsuit. While it is your every right to do so, especially if you’ve sustained severe injuries, you must prepare for the long and complex legal road ahead.
To help maximize your chances of winning your case, consider the legal advice for truck accidents that our team at BDIW, Boettcher, Devinney, Ingle & Wicker, has shared in this guide.
Organize and Safeguard Your Evidence
One of the most crucial steps every motor vehicle crash or truck accident victim should take is to ensure their safety. So, hopefully, you’ve done the same and sought professional medical help immediately after the crash. If not, please do so as soon as possible; you’ll need your doctor’s reports and findings as supporting evidence.
Besides, it’s your health and safety on the line, as vehicle collisions, especially those involving trucks, may result in more severe injuries. Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not there; road crashes can result in injuries with delayed symptoms, such as traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). TBIs can result in disabilities and fatalities; indeed, according to a 2024 U.S. CDC report, over 69,000 TBI-related deaths occurred in the country in 2021.
Ideally, you should have also taken photos and videos of the crash site and reported the incident to Oklahoma law enforcement authorities. You’ll use them (and the police report) as part of your semi-truck claim strategies and evidence.
Please create at least three copies of your evidence for safeguarding. Prepare two digital copies in addition to the physical copies. Store them in two different storage media (e.g., one in the cloud and another in a hard drive).
Our Team Is Here To Assist You Every Step Of The Way.
SPEAK TO AN ATTORNEY TODAYStrengthen the Link Between the Crash and Your Injuries
The evidence you’ve prepared above will help prove that your injuries resulted from the truck incident. It’s also one of the primary reasons you must seek medical help soon after the crash. Otherwise, the truck driver and their legal party may make causation arguments, such as pointing out that something else caused your injuries or that you already had them before the crash.
Ensure you follow all the advice and instructions of your healthcare providers to fortify the link between your trucking accident and injuries. Your treatment plan and records must also establish the following:
- The extent and severity of your injuries
- The doctors’ diagnosis and how the crash, directly and indirectly, caused your injuries or health condition
- The treatments and therapies you’ve undergone and will need to undergo
- The time you need to recover from your injuries completely
Hire a Trucking Accident Attorney
At this point, your next best move is to seek the help of a truck accident legal expert. Here’s why enlisting the services of an Oklahoma trucking accident attorney is paramount to your lawsuit’s success.
Establish the Fault of All Negligent Parties
One of the primary differences between a light-vehicle crash and a trucking accident is the number of potential negligent parties involved. In a car-to-car collision, the parties are usually only the vehicle owners and drivers. However, in trucking incidents, there could be far more, such as:
- The truck drivers themselves
- The trucking company
- The semi-truck manufacturer
- The company responsible for maintaining and servicing the truck
- The party who’s duty is to load the truck
- Each party’s insurance provider
If you go at it alone, you’ve got your work cut out for you, as you must determine all the parties involved. Then, you must collect evidence establishing each party’s fault or negligence. However, if you hire a trucking accident lawyer, they will do all that work on your behalf.
Protect You From Low-Ball Settlements
Most parties involved in trucking accidents are corporations. As most corporations go, they have professional legal representation.
Now, suppose you represent yourself in claims, settlements, or trials. In that case, you’ll likely face entire leagues of lawyers and insurers whose primary goal is to pay the least amount possible in a settlement. They may tell you their offer is the highest you can get, pressuring you to agree.
In some cases, insurers may even deny your allegations. They will use every gap and loophole in your case to turn things around and against you.
Don’t risk yourself and your financial security by attempting to go head-to-head with these corporations. Instead, enlist the services of a law firm with extensive experience taking trucking claims and lawsuits to court trial. Your legal team will protect you from low-ball settlements and unfair claim practices that, as Investopedia notes, are illegal.
Take Your Case to Court
Most personal injury claims get settled before they go to trial in court. However, this doesn’t mean settlement is always the best option, especially not if your case is worth more than what the other parties offer.
You might feel pressured to settle without a highly experienced legal team, but you’ll get less than you deserve if you do. Don’t let this happen by hiring a trucking accident lawyer with skills, knowledge, and decades of expertise in bringing (and winning) personal injury cases to court.
Let BDIW Handle Your Semi-Truck Accident Lawsuit
From gathering documents to organizing evidence, strengthening your case with medical records, and hiring an experienced lawyer, these are the top strategies you must implement to win your semi-truck accident lawsuit.
BDIW, Boettcher, Devinney, Ingle, and Wicker should be your first choice for legal assistance and representation in your trucking accident case. Our personal injury attorneys have 60+ years of combined experience handling and winning personal injury claims throughout Oklahoma.
Contact us today for a free, non-obligatory consultation. If you decide to hire us, rest assured that you won’t pay us until we are successful with your claim.
