Tulsa Car Accident Attorneys

What Types of Compensation Can I Recover in a Car Accident Claim?

You are entitled to pursue both economic and non-economic damages when you suffer injuries in a crash caused by someone else’s negligence. Economic damages cover all objectively verifiable and quantifiable financial losses resulting from the accident. These losses have a specific dollar amount attached to them and are easily calculated and proven with direct documentation.

Examples of economic damages include:

• Medical bills
• Lost income
• Lost earning capacity
• Property damage

Non-economic damages address subjective, intangible losses that do not have a set monetary value but significantly impact the injured person's quality of life. These losses are personal and focus on the emotional, physical, and psychological toll the accident and resulting injuries inflict.

Examples of non-economic damages include:

• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of enjoyment of life

Punitive damages are capped in Oklahoma and only rarely awarded. They are meant to punish the defendant for especially egregious or malicious conduct and discourage similar behavior in the future. 

At JJ Law, we aim to maximize what you recover. We are ready to go to court to fight for the full and fair compensation you need to move forward. 

Common Car Accident Injuries

A car accident exposes your body to sudden, violent forces that can cause a wide range of life-altering injuries. The severity of the crash, the direction of impact, and your position in the vehicle all determine how the kinetic energy transfers and what injuries you sustain. Even a seemingly minor collision can cause serious harm that may not be obvious at first, which is why it’s always important to see a medical professional and request a full evaluation as soon as you can after a wreck.

A personal injury claim can help cover medical expenses and other financial consequences of common car accident injuries, including:

• Whiplash. This injury happens due to the rapid, forceful hyperextension and hyperflexion (back-and-forth snapping) of the neck, commonly occurring in rear-end collisions. This movement strains or tears the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the neck. The long-term consequences often involve chronic pain, persistent stiffness, recurring headaches, and a reduced range of motion, which can significantly limit work opportunities and daily activities.
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). A TBI occurs when the head strikes an object, like the steering wheel or window, or when a violent jolt causes the brain to rapidly accelerate and then decelerate, impacting the inside of the skull. This can result in bruising, bleeding, or tearing of brain tissue. Long-term effects can include cognitive deficits like memory loss and concentration issues, emotional and behavioral changes like irritability and depression, chronic headaches, and, in severe cases, permanent disability or neurological impairment.
• Fractures and broken bones. Fractures result from blunt force trauma where a body part is crushed, bent unnaturally, or thrown against the car's interior. Common broken bones occur in the legs, arms, wrists, and ribs. Potential long-term consequences include joint dysfunction, post-traumatic arthritis, chronic pain, nerve damage, or reduced mobility, especially if the fractures were complex, compound, or involved a major joint.
• Spinal cord injuries. High-impact forces or extreme twisting motions violently damage the vertebrae, discs, or the spinal cord itself, often involving the compression or crushing of the spine, which frequently happens in severe head-on or side-impact collisions. This injury carries the risk of partial or complete paralysis below the site of injury, chronic back pain, loss of sensation, and lifelong dependency on medical care and assistive devices.
• Internal injuries. Internal injuries occur when blunt force trauma from the seatbelt, steering column, or dashboard causes internal organs to collide with the body's bony structures, such as the ribs or pelvis. This can result in lacerated organs or internal bleeding, which may not show external signs immediately. Long-term consequences can include chronic digestive or organ problems, the need for long-term medication, scar tissue formation, and even life-threatening complications that require multiple surgeries.

Will My Car Accident Lawsuit Go to Court?

The majority of personal injury cases, including those involving car accidents, are resolved through a voluntary settlement agreement outside of court. However, a case is likely to proceed to trial if the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement that adequately covers your medical costs and other damages, or if they dispute who caused the accident. 

Our legal strategy is to be fully prepared for trial from day one because that readiness provides strong leverage in settlement negotiations. We can aggressively collect and organize all evidence, including police reports, medical records, witness statements, and expert analysis, to build a compelling case that demonstrates liability and validates the full extent of your losses. By showing that we have the resources and resolve to win in a courtroom, we can push the opposing insurance company to make a reasonable offer. We make every effort to negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf, but if the insurance company refuses to pay what your case is truly worth, we are prepared to advocate for you aggressively before a judge and jury to secure the compensation you deserve.

Don’t wait to get legal advice if you’ve suffered serious injuries in a car accident that wasn’t your fault. Call (888) 495-3339 or contact us online today.