AUTO, TRUCK, & MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENTS
About 30,000 people die in the US each year in the nearly six million motor vehicle crashes that occur each year in this country. Many, many more are injured each year. Car crashes are the number one cause of death for children under the age of 15 in the US.
Many people think there is a set dollar value for each type of injury sustained in an MVA. That is just not so. There are innumerable factors that must be assessed in determining the value of any MVA claim. These factors include things like the nature and extent of the injuries and whether any of the drivers were intoxicated, the nature and extent of damage to the vehicles, whether the wreck was particularly dramatic or traumatic, whether any of the injuries are permanent or disabling, whether you had a good or poor recovery, whether the at-fault driver was on the job at the time (that makes the business responsible which usually increases damage awards).
Another factor that unfortunately plays a big role in deciding how much a claim is worth is the amount of insurance available. Because we have so much experience handling insurance claims in addition to personal injury matters, we are qualified to search for and identify the many sources of insurance recovery available:
- Liability coverage on the at-fault car
- Liability coverage on the at-fault driver
- Liability coverage for the business if the at-fault driver was on the job
- Liability coverage for an owned vehicle if the at-fault car was borrowing a car at the time
- Uninsured and underinsured motorists coverage for the injured person
- Uninsured and underinsured motorists coverage for a resident family member of the injured person
- Uninsured and underinsured motorists coverage for the car occupied by the injured person
- Medical payments coverage on various of the above policies.
If you are hurt in a wreck that was someone else’s fault, you may be entitled to the following kinds of damages:
- Past and future pain and suffering
- Past and future loss of income
- Past and future medical costs
- Physical disability or disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Scar revision surgery
- Costs to repair your damaged car
- Lost household or other “services”
- Wrongful death damages (see wrongful death section on Homepage)
- Punitive damages
Hopefully by now you should realize you need help in order to maximize your claim. Insurance companies are in the business of making money. They do that by maximizing premiums and minimizing claims. If you are not represented by an attorney the insurance companies will not take you seriously; they will try their best to pay you pennies on the dollar for you claim. The way to not let that happen is to hire a good personal injury attorney who knows all the insurance company tricks.
Also, because of the dreadful statistics associated with MVAs. auto, truck, and motorcycle wrecks are the mainstay of most personal injury attorneys. But that does not mean that all such attorneys are created equal. Many firms do not want to litigate your MVA claim. They just want to settle your claim as fast as possible. While sometimes that is a good idea, it often means that you leave thousands of dollars on the table unrecovered. We have litigated thousands of MVA cases over the years and know how to evaluate which claims should be settled without filing suit and when suit should be filed.
In addition to the above, if you were injured by a commercial driver, there are special considerations your attorney must consider. Commercial drivers are held to a higher standard of care than lay drivers and for that reason, claims against commercial drivers or their companies often have a higher “value” than claims against lay drivers.
Commercial drivers are governed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) (part of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) at 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). If you were hurt by a commercial driver it is important that you find an attorney knowledgeable about the FMCSA and FMCSR
Paul has handled thousand of car, truck, and motorcycle wreck claims over the years. In addition to his own caseload, a much of Paul’s consultation work and legal briefing for other Oklahoma law firms is to assist them with their problem MVA cases including their commercial driver cases involving the FMCSA and FMCSR. Put that experience to work for you.
Contact us today and we will evaluate your MVA claim.
See our Oklahoma Legal Guide to Auto Wrecks here.