Practice Area
When someone's negligence takes a life, Oklahoma law allows surviving family members to seek justice. LHL's trial attorneys bring compassion and relentless preparation to every wrongful death case.
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What clients usually care about most before choosing counsel.
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How We Handle These Claims
From the first review through trial preparation, we focus on reliable proof, important deadlines, and complete documentation of the client's losses.
No amount of money can replace a loved one. But Oklahoma's wrongful death statute (12 O.S. § 1053) exists to hold the responsible party accountable and to provide grieving families with the financial stability they need to rebuild their lives. A wrongful death claim can compensate for medical bills incurred before death, funeral and burial expenses, loss of the deceased person's income and future earning capacity, loss of companionship and guidance, and the conscious pain and suffering the deceased endured before passing. These are not abstract legal concepts — they represent real losses that families face every day after an untimely death.
Oklahoma's wrongful death statutes identify who may bring the claim. Section 1053 generally places the action with the deceased person's personal representative. Section 1054 separately permits the widow — or the next of kin if there is no widow — to bring the action in specified cases involving a nonresident decedent or an Oklahoma resident for whom no personal representative has been appointed. Because the proper plaintiff depends on the family and probate circumstances, that issue should be addressed early. Oklahoma law also provides for a separate survival action under 12 O.S. § 1051 for claims that belonged to the deceased person before death.
Wrongful death cases are among the most emotionally demanding and legally complex cases our firm handles. Insurance companies know that grieving families are vulnerable, and they often push early lowball settlements hoping to close the case before the full financial impact becomes clear. We refuse to let that happen. Our trial lawyers take the time to build a comprehensive picture of the deceased person's life: their career trajectory, their role in the family, the relationships they nurtured, and the financial support they provided. We retain economists, vocational experts, and grief counselors as expert witnesses. And when the insurance company won't offer just compensation, we take the case to trial — because that's what this family deserves.
Trial Team Availability: Our core litigation attorneys are available across every personal-injury and civil-rights practice area.
Important Issues
These facts often affect responsibility, available damages, and whether the case can be resolved without trial.
Most claims proceed through a court-appointed personal representative, but 12 O.S. § 1054 provides a limited alternative in specified cases involving a nonresident decedent or an Oklahoma resident without an appointed representative.
We pursue both the wrongful death claim for the family's losses AND the survival action for the deceased person's conscious suffering before death.
We retain economists and vocational experts to calculate lost future earnings, benefits, and household services — projecting the true financial impact over decades.
We handle every legal detail so the family can grieve. We never rush decisions and we protect families from premature settlement pressure.
Case Types
These are common wrongful death scenarios where early investigation and preserved records can matter.
Fatal car, truck, and motorcycle crashes require prompt evidence preservation and careful attention to who may bring the claim.
Learn about Vehicle Accident Death →On-the-job fatalities may support both workers' comp survivor benefits and third-party negligence claims.
Learn about Workplace Death →Fatal medical-error claims often require early review by a qualified medical expert to evaluate the standard of care and causation.
Learn about Medical Malpractice Death →Facility staffing records, medication logs, and fall-prevention protocols are key evidence in nursing home death claims.
Learn about Nursing Home Death →Defective product fatalities involve strict liability against manufacturers regardless of negligence proof.
Learn about Product Liability Death →Oklahoma law identifies who may bring a wrongful-death action, including limited alternatives when no personal representative has been appointed.
Learn about Who Can File →Oklahoma wrongful death damages include loss of companionship, financial support, grief, and pre-death pain and suffering.
Learn about Damages Available →Speak with a wrongful death attorney today
Frequently Asked Questions
Common Oklahoma wrongful death questions on deadlines, proof, insurance tactics, and next steps. Tap a question to expand.
Under 12 O.S. § 1053, the deceased person's personal representative generally brings the claim. Section 1054 separately permits the widow — or the next of kin if there is no widow — to sue in specified cases involving a nonresident decedent or an Oklahoma resident for whom no personal representative has been appointed. The statute directs how particular categories of damages are distributed, so the proper plaintiff and beneficiaries should be evaluated case by case.
A wrongful death claim compensates the surviving family for their losses — lost income, loss of companionship, funeral expenses. A survival action (12 O.S. § 1051) covers the deceased person's own damages, such as conscious pain and suffering and medical bills incurred between the injury and death. Our firm pursues both.
Under 12 O.S. § 1053, an Oklahoma wrongful death action generally must be commenced within two years. A state-law claim against a government entity can also require notice within one year and suit within 180 days after denial under the Governmental Tort Claims Act, so the controlling deadlines should be reviewed immediately.
Oklahoma allows recovery for medical and funeral expenses, loss of income and future earning capacity, loss of companionship, guidance and care, mental anguish of the surviving family, and the conscious pain and suffering of the deceased before death.
We take a comprehensive approach: we hire economists to calculate lifetime lost earnings, grief counselors to document the emotional impact on the family, and we present the full picture of who the deceased person was — not just a statistic. Our trial preparation means insurance companies know we will take the case to a jury if the offer is inadequate.
Attorney Team
Connect with our full trial team handling personal-injury and civil-rights matters across Oklahoma.
Managing Partner available for wrongful death and related serious litigation.
View Chris Hammons profile →Next Steps
Choose the path that best matches your situation and timing.
Local court and service information for wrongful death claims in Oklahoma City.
Get Oklahoma City Wrongful Death guidance →Local court and service information for wrongful death claims in Norman.
Get Norman Wrongful Death guidance →Local court and service information for wrongful death claims in Edmond.
Get Edmond Wrongful Death guidance →Local court and service information for wrongful death claims in Moore.
Get Moore Wrongful Death guidance →Local court and service information for wrongful death claims in Midwest City.
Get Midwest City Wrongful Death guidance →Local court and service information for wrongful death claims in Del City.
Get Del City Wrongful Death guidance →Representative wrongful death outcome: confidential settlement.
Learn about $5,000,000 Wrongful Death Coverage Dispute →Local action plan for wrongful death claimants in Oklahoma City.
Get Oklahoma City: Wrongful Death: First 30 Days guidance →A plain-language guide to settlement timing, recoverable damages, and the evidence used to evaluate an Oklahoma injury claim.
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 →A practical timeline for wrongful death claims in Oklahoma, from estate appointment through expert damages proof and resolution.
Read Oklahoma Wrongful Death Timeline: What Families Should Expect →Read legal articles related to wrongful death cases.
Learn about Wrongful Death Insights →Speak with Laird Hammons Laird for a free case review. We will discuss who may be responsible, the available damages, and the next legal step.