Personal Injury
It can be frustrating if you have been injured by another person's carelessness.
Personal injury attorney Darren Tawwater can help hold responsible parties accountable and obtain financial compensation for your losses.
Learn more about your options for litigation in Oklahoma City, OK...
Three Main Types of Personal Injury Cases
Negligent Torts
These cases are based on the defendant committing unreasonably unsafe actions that lead to injury. For example, a driver might cause an accident by failing to obey traffic laws.Strict Liability
These claims hold designers and manufacturers liable for harm or loss caused by defective or damaged products. Unlike negligence cases, the basis for strict liability is not dependent on the defendant’s carelessness. For a strict liability claim, you need to prove that the design or manufacturing of a product made it unreasonably dangerous when used as intended.Intentional Torts
These are wrongs that the defendant knew or should have known would occur as a result of their actions or inactions. For example, someone hitting you, even as a practical joke, might be the basis for winning a battery suit. While perpetrators of some intentional torts may be held criminally liable for their actions, like assault and battery, tort cases are civil proceedings that are entirely separate from criminal charges brought by the government. Intentional tort claims are less common than negligent or strict liability cases.Types of Personal Injuries
Since tort law encompasses nearly any kind of harm or loss that might be inflicted due to breach of duty, there is an enormous variety of personal injury claims. Some of the more common tort cases include:
Motor Vehicle Accidents
The most common type of personal injury relates to injuries sustained on our roadways in cars and other kinds of vehicles as a result of another driver’s negligence. Truck accidents can be especially devastating.
Slip and Falls
Also known as premises liability, these cases involve accidents that occur on another party’s property. In regards to a slip and fall case, the injury must be the result of the property owner’s negligence and failure to keep visitors safe from harm.
Medical Malpractice
We depend on medical practitioners to provide safe and adequate care. Those who do not pose a real danger to patients. To initiate a medical malpractice suit, the harm incurred must be an outcome of substandard care.
Defective products
If the manner in which a product is designed or manufactured is dangerous when used as intended, it may warrant pursuing legal action. Defective product cases often include dangerous drugs and medical devices, as well as consumer products such as airbags.
Child Injury
Small children can be especially susceptible to injury since they are still gaining their bearings and becoming familiar with the world around them. A lack of supervision, failure to maintain a safe premises, and other instances of negligence can result in serious injuries requiring costly care.
Collecting Damages
In the legal sense, "damages" refers to the sum of money the liable party either agrees to pay or is ordered by the courts to pay for the losses they caused. Generally speaking, our Oklahoma City firm can help victims recover damages relating to:
PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS PROVIDING COMPREHENSIVE REPRESENTATION
Personal injury law, also known as tort law, allows an injured person to seek damages for losses stemming from an accident or other incident. Personal injury cases are designed to financially compensate an injured party who has suffered harm as a result of another party’s carelessness or intentional misconduct.
Personal injury cases are often complex legal proceedings, requiring the expertise of experienced and knowledgeable lawyers to help ensure that claimants receive just verdicts. If you have sustained an injury or other loss and believe you have rights to a personal injury claim, reach out to Tawwater Law Firm, PLLC. Our attorneys are personal injury law specialists serving clients in Oklahoma City, OK, and throughout the state. To learn more about the verdicts attained for our personal injury clients, and how our experience can help you, please contact our firm today.
An Overview of Torts
Torts are civil wrongs that unfairly cause another party harm or loss, and are grounds for initiating a lawsuit. Although torts may be criminal, this is not always the case. The harm inflicted might be due to negligence, but not necessarily criminal negligence. The tort system provides relief to victims through compensation, or the damages awarded via a lawsuit.
Every tort claim has two basic components: liability and damages. Essentially, the courts will determine if the defendant is responsible for the harm inflicted on the plaintiff, and if so, what amount of money (extent of damages) is due as compensation for that harm. Simply put, if you can prove the other party’s liability and the extent of damages, you will be compensated for your injury.
A Closer Look at a Personal Injury Case
The circumstances surrounding each personal injury case will be entirely unique, since two cases follow exactly the same path. However, there are some common steps that most personal injury cases share.
- Defendant harms the plaintiff – Virtually any injurious act committed by the defendant can be grounds for legal action, except for contractual breaches. A separate body of law, known as contract law, handles contract disputes.
- Breach of legal duty determined – The victim, often working with a lawyer, will determine that their injury was the result of a breach of a specific legal duty. An example includes a medical professional not fulfilling their duty to provide care at reasonable levels of competence.
- Settlement talks – If it is clear to all parties involved that the defendant breached a legal duty, then the defendant (or the representing insurance company) may settle for compensation outside of court. Typically, the defendant will make a monetary offer to the injured party in exchange for a binding promise not to file a lawsuit over the injury.
- Settlement or decision to go to court – If the plaintiff and defendant agree to a settlement, the claim ends. If an agreement is not reached, the plaintiff may file a personal injury lawsuit and take the case to court. After a lawsuit is filed, settlement negotiations may continue. A settlement can be reached at any time before the civil case is handed over to a jury, who will determine the defendant’s liability.
A Case Study: Auto Accidents
As the most common type of personal injury case our Oklahoma City attorneys see, an auto accident serves as a good example of how a personal injury case might typically proceed:
- You are injured by a driver who ran a traffic light.
- You determine that the driver breached his duty to exercise reasonable care on the road by not yielding to the light. Since the driver’s breach of duty is determined to be the cause of your injuries, he is liable for your pain and suffering.
- You initiate settlement talks with the driver, but both parties cannot come to agreement on the terms of settlement.
- You file a personal injury case with the court.
- After hearing your case, the jury determines that the defendant owes you damages for your injuries.
When You File a Lawsuit
Upon filing a personal injury lawsuit with the courts, you become the plaintiff in the case. The person who injured you becomes the defendant. The process of discovery then begins. At this time, the lawyers typically begin gathering facts for their case by exchanging documents. They may also begin asking questions via written interrogatories or through in-person depositions that are taken under oath. After the discovery process, many cases are settled before going to trial. Only a small percentage of personal injury cases ever go to trial but our Oklahoma City firm is prepared to do just that, if necessary.
Statute of Limitations
Every state has certain time limits that determine when a lawsuit can be filed, called a statute of limitation. In Oklahoma City and throughout the state of Oklahoma, the statute of limitations for a personal injury claim will depend on the case, but is typically one or two years. If you miss the statutory deadline for filing a case, your case will be thrown out in court. We encourage you to schedule a free consultation with us as soon as possible.
