Comparative Fault Defense
Insurance companies will try to shift blame onto you. We build airtight liability cases using accident reconstruction, witness statements, and traffic camera footage.
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Practice Area
Oklahoma sees over 60,000 traffic collisions a year. If you've been hurt in a car wreck, LHL's trial lawyers fight to hold the at-fault driver — and their insurance company — fully accountable.
Why Clients Hire Us
What clients usually care about most before choosing counsel.
$100M+
Recovered for Clients
100+
Years Combined Experience
Available
Free Consultation
Contingency
No Fee Unless We Win
Legal Strategy
From intake through trial prep, our car accidents framework emphasizes proof quality, timeline control, and full damages development.
Car accidents are the most common source of personal injury claims in Oklahoma, and they are rarely as straightforward as they seem. Even in a "clear liability" rear-end collision, insurance adjusters deploy a playbook of tactics designed to minimize your payout: they dispute the severity of your injuries, argue you had a pre-existing condition, or pressure you into a fast settlement before you know the full extent of your medical needs. At Laird Hammons Laird, we've seen every version of this playbook over 100+ combined years of practice, and we know how to beat it.
Oklahoma is a modified comparative fault state under 23 O.S. § 13, which means you can recover damages as long as you are not more than 50% at fault — but your recovery is reduced by your share of the blame. Insurance companies aggressively exploit this rule, hiring accident reconstruction experts to shift as much fault as possible onto you. Our attorneys counter with our own independent investigations, biomechanical experts, and accident reconstruction analysis to establish the true facts. We've handled thousands of car accident cases on I-35, I-40, I-44, and highways throughout the state.
What separates our firm from the billboards and TV commercials is preparation. We don't just file your claim and hope for a check — we prepare every car accident case as though a jury will decide it. Our in-house courtroom lets us rehearse cross-examinations, test arguments on focus groups, and build a trial strategy before we ever enter a negotiation. That preparation is why insurance companies consistently offer our clients higher settlements: they know we will take the case to verdict if the offer is unfair.
Trial Team Availability: Our core litigation attorneys are available across every personal-injury and civil-rights practice area.
What Sets Our Strategy Apart
These case variables most often influence liability exposure, negotiation leverage, and final case value.
Insurance companies will try to shift blame onto you. We build airtight liability cases using accident reconstruction, witness statements, and traffic camera footage.
One in four Oklahoma drivers is uninsured. If the at-fault driver has no coverage, we pursue your own UM/UIM policy to recover full compensation.
We coordinate with your doctors to ensure every injury is properly documented and linked to the accident, preventing gaps the insurer could exploit.
Our trial preparation gives us the leverage to reject inadequate offers. We don't settle until the number reflects your real damages — medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering.
Case Types
These are common car accidents scenarios where early strategy can materially affect case value.
Fault is often presumed against the trailing driver, but insurers still dispute injuries and treatment necessity.
Learn about Rear-End Collisions →Right-of-way disputes at intersections require traffic signal analysis, witness statements, and camera footage.
Learn about Intersection Accidents →Sideswipe crashes from improper lane changes involve blind spot analysis and comparative fault arguments.
Learn about Lane Change Accidents →Left-turning drivers usually bear fault, but speed and signal timing of the oncoming vehicle can shift liability.
Learn about Left Turn Accidents →High-speed corridor crashes on I-35, I-40, and I-44 produce severe injuries and require rapid evidence preservation.
Learn about Highway Accidents →Head-on impacts cause the most catastrophic injuries and often involve wrong-way drivers or lane departures.
Learn about Head-On Collisions →Chain-reaction pileups involve complex fault allocation across multiple drivers and insurance policies.
Learn about Multi-Vehicle Crashes →Rollover dynamics raise product liability questions about vehicle design, roof crush, and seatbelt performance.
Learn about Rollover Accidents →Excessive speed increases crash severity exponentially and strengthens liability and punitive damages arguments.
Learn about Speeding Accidents →DUI crashes open the door to punitive damages and potential dram-shop liability against alcohol providers.
Learn about Drunk Driving Accidents →UM/UIM claims are filed against your own insurer, who will investigate and challenge your damages like any adversary.
Learn about Uninsured Motorist →Rideshare crash claims involve layered insurance policies that shift based on the driver's app status at impact.
Learn about Uber & Lyft Accidents →Unidentified driver cases rely on UM coverage and require rapid police coordination to locate the at-fault party.
Learn about Hit and Run →Defective airbag deployment — too early, too late, or too forceful — can cause severe facial and spinal injuries.
Learn about Airbag Injuries →Potholes, missing signage, and design flaws require claims against government entities with strict GTCA notice deadlines.
Learn about Road Defect Accidents →Self-driving and ADAS-equipped vehicle crashes raise emerging liability questions about manufacturer vs. operator fault.
Learn about Autonomous Vehicle Accidents →Parental liability, graduated licensing violations, and inexperienced driving patterns shape teen crash claims.
Learn about Teen Driver Accidents →Cell phone records and in-vehicle infotainment data can prove a driver was texting or browsing at the moment of impact.
Learn about Distracted Driving →Speak with a car accidents attorney today
Frequently Asked Questions
Common Oklahoma car accidents questions on deadlines, proof, insurance tactics, and next steps. Tap a question to expand.
Under Oklahoma law (12 O.S. § 95), you generally have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. Missing this deadline may permanently bar your claim, so contacting an attorney soon after your accident is critical.
Oklahoma follows a modified comparative negligence rule (23 O.S. § 13). You can still recover damages as long as you are not more than 50% at fault. Your award will be reduced by your percentage of fault.
Every case is unique. The value depends on severity of injuries, medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and the available insurance coverage. Our attorneys have recovered over $100 million for injured clients and can provide an honest assessment during a free consultation.
No. Insurance adjusters are trained to minimize payouts. They may try to get a recorded statement or rush you into a low settlement. Always speak with an attorney before giving any statements to the opposing insurance company.
Oklahoma law allows you to recover medical expenses, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, property damage, and in some cases, punitive damages. An experienced attorney can help you identify all available compensation.
While you are not required to have a lawyer, studies consistently show that individuals represented by counsel recover significantly more than those who handle claims on their own. Insurance companies take your claim more seriously when you have experienced trial lawyers behind you.
Attorney Team
Connect with our full trial team handling personal-injury and civil-rights matters across Oklahoma.
Managing Partner available for car accidents and related high-stakes litigation.
View Chris Hammons profile →Of Counsel available for car accidents and related high-stakes litigation.
View D. Colby Addison profile →Of Counsel available for car accidents and related high-stakes litigation.
View Jeff Green profile →Of Counsel available for car accidents and related high-stakes litigation.
View Jason M. Hicks profile →Of Counsel available for car accidents and related high-stakes litigation.
View Todd Kernal profile →Next Steps
Choose the path that best matches your situation and timing.
Local strategy and venue context for car accidents claims in Oklahoma City.
Get Oklahoma City Car Accidents guidance →Local strategy and venue context for car accidents claims in Norman.
Get Norman Car Accidents guidance →Local strategy and venue context for car accidents claims in Edmond.
Get Edmond Car Accidents guidance →Local strategy and venue context for car accidents claims in Moore.
Get Moore Car Accidents guidance →Local strategy and venue context for car accidents claims in Midwest City.
Get Midwest City Car Accidents guidance →Local strategy and venue context for car accidents claims in Del City.
Get Del City Car Accidents guidance →Representative car accidents outcome: confidential settlement.
Learn about $1,200,000 Pedestrian Backover Injury Claim →Local action plan for car accidents claimants in Oklahoma City.
Get Oklahoma City: What To Do After a Car Accident guidance →A plain-language framework for evaluating settlement timing, damages categories, and negotiation leverage in Oklahoma injury claims.
Open Oklahoma Personal Injury Settlement Guide →Step-by-step actions to protect health, preserve evidence, and avoid avoidable claim-value mistakes after an Oklahoma motor vehicle accident.
Open What To Do After an Accident in Oklahoma →Key filing deadlines by claim type, including injury, wrongful death, government claims, and specialized actions — with Oklahoma-specific statute citations.
Open Oklahoma Statute of Limitations Guide →Crash corridors on I-35, I-40, and I-44 create predictable injury patterns. Learn what evidence to secure immediately after a major highway wreck.
Read Most Dangerous Highways in Oklahoma City and What Injured Drivers Should Do →A practical guide to the tactics adjusters use to reduce claim value and how to protect your recovery from day one.
Read How Insurance Companies Undervalue Injury Claims in Oklahoma →Read litigation analysis and claim strategy articles related to car accidents cases.
Learn about Car Accidents Insights →Speak with Laird Hammons Laird for a free case review. We will assess liability, damages, and the fastest path to meaningful leverage.