Tulsa Car Accident Lawyers

A serious car accident can leave you dealing with injuries, medical treatment, time away from work, vehicle damage, and insurance companies at the same time. When another driver’s negligence causes the crash, you may have the right to pursue compensation for the harm you have suffered.

Levinson Law, P.C. represents people injured in car accidents throughout Tulsa, Greenwood, and Northeastern Oklahoma. Our attorneys have decades of litigation experience handling serious personal injury claims, investigating disputed accidents, dealing with insurance companies, working with experts when necessary, and taking cases to court when a fair resolution cannot be reached.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a collision, call 918-492-4433 for a complimentary, no-obligation consultation with a Tulsa car accident lawyer.

Help After a Serious Car Accident in Tulsa

Car accident claims can appear straightforward at first. One driver caused a collision, someone was injured, and an insurance company is involved. In practice, serious injury claims can become complicated quickly.

Drivers may disagree about how the collision happened. An insurance company may dispute liability, question whether an injury was caused by the crash, challenge the amount of medical treatment, or argue that the injured person shares responsibility. Multiple vehicles and multiple insurance policies can make a claim even more complex.

At Levinson Law, our Tulsa car accident attorneys investigate the circumstances surrounding a collision and work to identify the evidence necessary to establish liability and document our client’s damages. Our goal is to build a claim based on evidence rather than simply relying on an insurance company’s interpretation of what happened.

Car accident cases are part of our broader Tulsa personal injury practice. When a collision causes a catastrophic injury or death, the legal and financial consequences can extend far beyond the immediate aftermath of the crash.

Common Causes of Car Accidents in Tulsa

Many collisions are caused by ordinary driving decisions that create extraordinary consequences. A driver who looks at a phone, follows another vehicle too closely, enters an intersection without yielding, or drives too fast for conditions can cause a crash in seconds.

Common causes and contributing factors in car accidents include:

• Distracted driving and texting
• Speeding or driving too fast for conditions
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Failure to yield
• Running red lights or stop signs
• Unsafe lane changes
• Following too closely
• Drowsy or fatigued driving
• Inattention at intersections
• Unsafe passing
• Weather and roadway conditions
• Vehicle or component defects

Distracted Driving on Oklahoma Roads

Distracted driving remains a serious safety issue in Oklahoma. According to the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, 64 people were killed in distracted-driving crashes on Oklahoma roadways in 2023, compared with 50 in 2022. The agency describes that as a 28% increase in distracted-driving crash fatalities.

The Highway Safety Office identifies activities such as texting, using a phone, eating, interacting with passengers, and adjusting navigation or radio controls as potential distractions. A driver’s attention can become important evidence when distraction is suspected in a serious collision.

Source: Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, Distracted Driving. Crash statistics above are identified by their underlying data year rather than presented as current-year totals.

Types of Car Accident Cases We Handle

No two collisions are identical. The way a crash occurs can affect the evidence available, the injuries involved, the parties who may be responsible, and how liability is evaluated.

Our attorneys handle serious injury claims arising from many types of collisions, including:

• Rear-end collisions
• Intersection and T-bone crashes
• Head-on collisions
• Multi-vehicle accidents
• High-speed crashes
• Rollover accidents
• Distracted-driving crashes
• Drunk or impaired-driving collisions
• Hit-and-run accidents
• Crashes involving uninsured or underinsured motorists
• Accidents involving rideshare or delivery vehicles
• Fatal motor vehicle collisions

Collisions involving tractor-trailers and other commercial vehicles can involve additional defendants, evidence, insurance issues, and regulations. Learn more from our Tulsa truck accident lawyers.

Single-Vehicle and Fixed-Object Crashes

Not every serious crash involves two vehicles. Many happen when a car strikes a fixed object, such as a pole, traffic signal, guardrail, sign, tree, culvert, bridge, wall or building. These crashes can cause injuries just as severe as a collision with another vehicle.

It is easy to assume the driver who hit the object is to blame, but that is not always true. Others who may be responsible include:

• Another driver who forced the car off the road or caused it to swerve;
• A trucking company whose driver or spilled cargo caused the driver to swerve;
• A property owner who left objects or debris near the roadway;
• A manufacturer whose defective brakes, steering or other part caused the loss of control; and
• A government agency responsible for a dangerous road design or a defect it failed to fix, such as a pothole.

Claims against a government agency have short notice deadlines, so it is important to get advice quickly after a single-vehicle crash that may have been caused by someone else.

Common Injuries After a Serious Car Accident

The forces generated in a motor vehicle collision can cause injuries ranging from temporary soft-tissue damage to permanent, life-altering conditions. Some injuries are immediately apparent, while others may require diagnostic testing and medical evaluation.

Serious car accident injuries can include:

• Traumatic brain injuries and concussions
• Spinal cord injuries
• Neck and back injuries
• Broken and fractured bones
• Shoulder, knee, and other orthopedic injuries
• Internal organ injuries
• Nerve damage
• Burns and scarring
• Permanent impairment or disability
• Psychological and emotional injuries associated with a serious crash

A severe traumatic brain injury can affect memory, concentration, behavior, employment, and everyday activities. A spinal cord injury can result in permanent physical limitations and extensive future medical and rehabilitation needs.

When injuries are catastrophic, determining the full impact of the collision may require consideration of future medical treatment, rehabilitation, reduced earning capacity, assistive care, and permanent changes to the injured person’s life.

What to Do After a Car Accident in Tulsa

What you do immediately after a crash can affect both your health and the evidence available later. Safety and necessary medical attention should come first.

Depending on the circumstances, useful steps after a collision may include:

1. Get to a safe location if possible. Avoid creating an additional hazard, but do not leave the scene when the law requires you to remain.
2. Call law enforcement when appropriate. A police investigation can document drivers, vehicles, witnesses, roadway conditions, and other information.
3. Seek medical attention. Some injuries are not immediately obvious after the shock and adrenaline of a collision.
4. Exchange information. Obtain the other driver’s name, contact information, driver’s license information, vehicle information, and insurance details.
5. Photograph the scene. If you can do so safely, photograph vehicle damage, vehicle positions, roadway conditions, traffic signals, skid marks, debris, and visible injuries.
6. Identify witnesses. Independent witnesses may become important if drivers later disagree about what happened.
7. Preserve documents. Keep police reports, medical records, bills, repair estimates, photographs, insurance correspondence, and other accident-related information.
8. Be careful about discussing fault. Avoid guessing about how the crash occurred or making statements about responsibility before all of the facts are known.
9. Use caution on social media. Public posts, photographs, and comments can potentially become relevant to a disputed injury claim.
10. Consider legal advice when injuries are serious or liability is disputed. An attorney can evaluate the evidence, insurance coverage, damages, and deadlines applicable to the specific claim.

For a broader discussion of evidence, insurance issues, damages, and the Oklahoma injury-claim process, see our guide to Oklahoma personal injury claims.

Dealing With Insurance Companies After a Car Accident

Insurance plays a central role in most motor vehicle injury claims. After a collision, insurers may investigate how the accident occurred, obtain statements from drivers and witnesses, review medical records, inspect vehicle damage, and evaluate claimed losses.

The interests of an injured person and an insurance company are not necessarily the same. An insurer evaluates claims according to the policy, the available evidence, applicable law, and its assessment of liability and damages.

If an adjuster requests a detailed recorded statement, broad medical authorization, release, or settlement agreement, it is important to understand what the document or statement may mean before proceeding.

What If the Other Driver Does Not Have Enough Insurance?

A serious injury can result in damages that exceed the amount of liability coverage available from the responsible driver. Depending on the circumstances and applicable insurance policies, other sources of coverage may need to be investigated.

Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage can become important in some Oklahoma car accident claims. Coverage issues are policy-specific, so the actual insurance contracts and facts of the collision should be reviewed before conclusions are reached about available benefits.

What Compensation May Be Available After a Car Accident?

The value of a car accident claim depends on its individual facts. There is no responsible way to determine the value of a serious injury case from an online calculator or a simple formula.

Depending on the circumstances, damages in a car accident claim may include compensation for:

• Past and future medical expenses
• Emergency treatment and hospitalization
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation
• Lost wages and income
• Reduced future earning capacity
• Vehicle and other property damage
• Physical pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Permanent impairment or disability
• Scarring or disfigurement
• Loss of enjoyment of life

Additional categories of damages may be available in particular cases under Oklahoma law. Fatal collisions can also give rise to separate legal issues and damages. Families who have lost a loved one can learn more from our Tulsa wrongful death lawyers.

What If You Were Partially at Fault for the Crash?

Drivers do not always agree about who caused an accident. In some collisions, responsibility may be disputed or allocated among more than one person.

Oklahoma law can take an injured person’s own share of fault into account when determining whether and how much compensation may be recovered. The effect of comparative fault depends on the particular facts and allocation of responsibility in the case.

This is one reason evidence matters. Photographs, video, witness statements, vehicle damage, electronic information, police documentation, and accident reconstruction can help establish how a collision occurred rather than leaving the outcome dependent solely on competing accounts from the drivers.

How Levinson Law Investigates a Car Accident Claim

Serious car accident cases often require more than obtaining a police report and submitting medical bills.

Depending on the circumstances of the collision, our attorneys may:

• Review police and collision reports
• Collect photographs and video
• Locate and interview witnesses
• Investigate available surveillance or traffic-camera footage
• Review vehicle damage and physical evidence
• Analyze applicable insurance policies
• Review medical records and treatment
• Document lost income and other financial losses
• Work with appropriate experts when necessary
• Evaluate future medical and rehabilitation needs
• Communicate and negotiate with insurers and defense attorneys
• File and litigate a lawsuit when appropriate
• Prepare the case for trial when a fair resolution cannot be reached

Evidence can disappear with time. Vehicles are repaired, surveillance recordings can be overwritten, witnesses become more difficult to locate, and physical conditions at a crash scene can change. Prompt investigation can therefore be important in a disputed or serious collision.

Trial Experience Matters in Serious Injury Cases

Many car accident cases are resolved through negotiation, but meaningful litigation experience remains important when liability or damages are contested.

Levinson Law partner John M. Thetford has tried more than 30 jury trials and has obtained three multi-million-dollar verdicts. His published judgments and settlements include substantial recoveries in personal injury, trucking accidents, wrongful death, medical malpractice, defective products, nursing home neglect, and insurance bad-faith litigation.

Published results include a $4 million personal injury claim, a $1.5 million wrongful death claim, a $1.3 million trucking accident settlement, and a $1.17 million trucking accident matter, along with other substantial verdicts and settlements.

Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case. Every case depends on its individual facts and circumstances.

Why Choose Levinson Law After a Tulsa Car Accident?

Choosing a lawyer after a serious collision is an important decision. At Levinson Law, our representation is built around investigation, preparation, communication, and a willingness to litigate when necessary.

Our clients benefit from:

• Decades of combined litigation experience
• Experience handling serious and complex personal injury matters
• Attorneys who practice in Oklahoma state and federal courts
• Experience dealing with insurers, corporations, and defense attorneys
• Access to appropriate experts when a case requires specialized analysis
• Trial experience when a claim cannot be fairly resolved through negotiation
• Complimentary, no-obligation consultations
• The ability to meet seriously injured clients outside our office when appropriate

Our Tulsa personal injury practice includes car accidents as well as commercial truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, catastrophic injuries, and wrongful death claims.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tulsa Car Accident Claims

How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Oklahoma?

Car accident claims are subject to statutes of limitations and other legal deadlines. The applicable deadline can depend on the type of claim, the parties involved, and the particular circumstances. Claims involving certain defendants can also involve special procedures or notice requirements.

Because missing an applicable deadline can affect your legal rights, it is important to determine the deadline for your particular case rather than assuming that a general rule applies to every accident.

How much is my car accident case worth?

The value of a claim depends on factors such as the severity of the injuries, medical treatment, future medical needs, lost income, reduced earning capacity, available insurance coverage, evidence of liability, permanent impairment, and how the injuries affect the person’s life.

Cases involving similar-looking accidents can have very different values because the injuries, insurance coverage, evidence, and long-term consequences may be different.

Should I give the other driver’s insurance company a recorded statement?

An insurance company may request a recorded statement while investigating a collision. What is said during that statement can become part of the insurer’s evaluation of the claim.

If you have suffered significant injuries or responsibility for the collision is disputed, consider obtaining legal advice before providing a detailed recorded statement or signing documents you do not fully understand.

Should I accept an early settlement offer?

An early settlement may resolve a claim quickly, but a settlement and release can affect the ability to seek additional compensation later. This can be particularly important when medical treatment is ongoing or the long-term consequences of an injury are not yet known.

Before resolving a serious injury claim, it is important to understand the injuries, anticipated treatment, financial losses, available insurance coverage, and terms of any release.

How long does a car accident case take?

There is no standard timeline for every car accident case. The length of a claim can depend on the severity of the injuries, duration of medical treatment, complexity of the evidence, whether liability is disputed, insurance coverage, negotiations, and whether litigation becomes necessary.

What happens if the crash involved a commercial vehicle?

Accidents involving tractor-trailers, delivery vehicles, company vehicles, and other commercial vehicles can involve additional parties and insurance policies. Evidence relating to the driver’s employment, vehicle maintenance, company practices, electronic data, and applicable safety requirements may also become relevant.

For serious commercial vehicle collisions, see our Tulsa trucking accident practice.

What if a family member was killed in a car accident?

A fatal collision may give rise to a wrongful death claim under Oklahoma law. These cases involve different damages and legal considerations from an ordinary bodily injury claim. Our Tulsa wrongful death attorneys represent families after fatal accidents and other wrongful conduct.

Serving Car Accident Victims in Greenwood, Tulsa, and Northeastern Oklahoma

Levinson Law has deep roots in Tulsa and represents injured people in Greenwood, throughout Tulsa, and across Northeastern Oklahoma. We understand that a serious collision can affect a person’s health, employment, finances, family, and future.

If your injuries make it difficult to travel to our office, our attorneys can arrange to meet with you at another location when appropriate. Hablamos español.