Oklahoma Car Accident Injury Law Library TOPIC: Car Accidents

The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) reports that 63% of all people who are killed in car accidents are not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the incident. In contrast, close to 10,000 lives are saved every year thanks to seatbelts – even though they are only worn by 81% of all drivers.

Unfortunately, even when you are responsibly wearing your seatbelt on a regular basis, the seatbelt itself may be defective. Design flaws, manufacturing errors, and improper labeling can all contribute to a situation where your seatbelt fails you in an accident.

A car accident with a defective seatbelt can lead to serious personal injuries, including:

• Neck injuries
• Brain injury
• Spinal cord injury
• Abdominal injuries

If you have suffered a serious injury because of a defective seatbelt in a car accident, you may be entitled to compensation from the negligent auto manufacturer. Please contact Self & Associates today to schedule a free case review. We can help you fight for the compensation you deserve.

Any number of factors can contribute to a car accident. Some accidents are caused by other drivers, while others can be caused by faulty vehicles or severe weather conditions. No matter what the cause of your accident, if you have sustained an injury, you need an attorney on your side to make sure you secure the full amount of compensation you are entitled to.

Driver-Related Car Accidents

Many car accidents are caused by driver error. Some examples of these accidents include:

• Distracted drivers
• Reckless drivers
• Speeding drivers
• Drunk or intoxicated drivers

In these types of accidents, it may be simpler to prove who was at fault. However, you will still need an attorney to make sure insurance companies do not try to minimize your payment and withhold the damages you are due.

Unavoidable Car Accidents

Not all accidents are caused by driver error. Some examples of accidents that may be beyond a vehicle operator’s control include:

• Defective vehicles
• Defective roadways

In these instances, identifying the responsible party can be more difficult. An experienced attorney like James Self will be essential in helping you investigate the details of the accident, determining exactly which parties are at fault, and pursuing the compensation you deserve.

If you have been injured in any type of car accident in the state of Oklahoma, please contact experienced car accident attorney James Self at Self & Associates today to schedule a free initial consultation.

Rear-end car accidents are the most common type of accident in Oklahoma City and throughout the United States. These accidents are the result of one car’s front end crashing into the back of another car. Some people assume these are minor accidents, but rear-end collisions can range in severity from minor to deadly. A low-speed, rear-end collision can leave victims sore and stiff; whereas a high-speed rear-end crash can leave victims permanently paralyzed.

During these types of car accidents, all of the energy from the rear of the vehicle car is transferred to the front end of the vehicle with a powerful jolt. Oftentimes the torso and the head are thrust forward, and then the head snaps backward, resulting in whiplash or serious injuries to the spinal cord. Often, the severity of these accidents cannot be determined from the damage to the vehicle.

Causes of Rear-End Accidents

The most common causes of rear-end accidents include drivers who are:

• Careless
• Inattentive
• Distracted

Even if an Oklahoma City driver takes his or her eyes off the road for two seconds, another driver’s sudden stop can catch them off-guard and lead to a rear-end accident. The United States Department of Transportation cites texting, talking on cell phones, eating and drinking, personal grooming, and changing CDs or the radio station as some of the most distracting behaviors that lead to accidents.

If you have been injured in a car accident, please contact Self & Associates in Oklahoma City and schedule a free consultation today.

Driving doesn’t need to be a risky proposition. There should be no fear when you drive from one side of town to another. Yet, day after day, Oklahoma City residents are involved in completely avoidable car accidents . Some of these people are seriously injured, and a few may even be killed.

Knowing the most common causes of car accidents may help you avoid them.

Causes of Car Accidents

• Driver fatigue – Drivers who are tired or fatigued are slower to react and may actually fall asleep behind the wheel. Avoid driving when you are exhausted and pay attention to other drivers, especially when driving at night
• Distracted driving – Avoid texting, adjusting the music, daydreaming, watching the scenery and rubbernecking. Distracted driving accidents account for a larger percentage of all car accidents every year. Pay attention to the road
• Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol – Driving under the influence is one of the most maddening reasons people are injured and killed in accidents every year because they are completely avoidable. Do not drive if you’ve had too much to drink or are under the influence of drugs. It may be trite, but know when to say when
• Aggressive driving – Stay calm when behind the wheel. Speeding, weaving from lane to lane, and ignoring traffic signs and signals can cause serious accidents. If you are around someone driving aggressively, slow down and get out of their way if possible. Call 911 if you believe they are a danger to you and other drivers on the road
• Weather – Pay attention to the weather, especially during the stormy months of the year. Rain, sleet, and snow require slower driving, giving yourself more time, and staying at a greater distance from other vehicles. Stay home if it seems unsafe to drive and heed the meteorologists

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident in the Oklahoma City area, please contact Self & Associates for a free case consultation today.

Tire blowouts are responsible for an estimated 10,000 car accidents each year in the United States. Unfortunately, many of these accidents are severe, and some of them are caused by defective tires and could have been prevented. In recent years there have been a handful of high-profile tire recalls, which reiterate the dangers of a tire defect. In fact, since the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act was passed in 1966, more than 24 million tires have been recalled due to safety issues.

Oklahoma City drivers rely on their tires to safely grip the road and help them maintain control of their vehicle. This is especially important if you are driving on slick, icy or otherwise dangerous roads. A defective tire can cause you to lose control of your vehicle, which may result in catastrophic and life-changing injuries.

Common reasons for a tire failure include:

• Tire tread separation
• Defective tire valve stems
• Bolt problems
• Tire bead failure
• Zipper failure
• Joint problems
• Multi-piece wheel explosions
• Belt adhesion

Just because your tires were manufactured by a well-known company such as Cooper, Goodyear, or Firestone, it does not mean they are safe. All of these companies have recently issued recalls for defective tires.

If you have suffered an injury in a car accident, please contact Self & Associates in Oklahoma City today to arrange a no-cost consultation.

Car accidents have the potential to cause serious injury or death. There are many potential sources of injury, such as impacting surfaces in the car’s interior, being crushed by the crumpling car, or being thrown from the vehicle. To attempt to reduce the risk of injury, cars employ many types of safety equipment, and the seat belt is probably the most important.

A seat belt protects drivers and passengers in many ways:

• It reduces risk of hitting car interior
• It absorbs some of the kinetic energy of impact
• It reduces risk of ejection from vehicle
• It keeps passengers in areas designed for their safety

The final component is even more crucial in modern cars, whose specifically engineered “crumple zones” are designed to collapse in certain ways to absorb the energy of impact. Keeping passengers out of collapsing parts of the car ensures maximum protection. Seat belts are especially important in some types of accidents. In rollover accidents, for example, 88% of fatalities involve people not wearing seat belts at the time of the accident.

Seat belt use not only protects you from injury, it’s the law in Oklahoma. Since 1999, you can be pulled over and ticketed for not using your seat belt. States with this kind of law have seen a 20% reduction in fatal car accidents, and the spread of these laws is responsible for our record-low rates of car accident fatalities.

However, seat belts are not complete protection against injury, and defective seat belts provide little or no protection. If you have suffered injury in a car accident due to the negligence of another driver and/or a defective seat belt, an injury lawyer can help you get compensation for your injury.

For a free consultation on your legal rights and options, please contact Self & Associates in Oklahoma City.

Can I collect damages in a car accident when no police report was filed?

Police reports are important when filing a personal injury lawsuit following a car accident. If police did not come to the scene of your accident, contact them as soon as possible after the accident to file a report. Be sure to include pictures, repair expenses, and related medical evidence.

What exactly is distracted driving?

One of the leading causes of catastrophic car accidents in Oklahoma is distracted driving. Distracted driving occurs anytime a driver is paying attention to something other than the road. For example, distracted driving might include:

• Texting while driving
• Talking to passengers
• Eating while driving
• Lighting a cigarette

If a traffic light malfunctions, who is liable for a car accident?

It is the job of local governments to ensure traffic lights and other traffic signals are working properly. If a light fails and a car accident occurs, it may be the responsibility of a local municipality to cover damages for all people and vehicles involved. An experienced car accident attorney like James Self will be able to help you establish who is at fault for your accident.

Can I rely on insurance to pay for my damages in a car accident?

Insurance companies may pay for some of your damages in a car accident, but they almost never provide you with the full amount compensation you will need to recover. You need an experienced car accident attorney on your side to ensure that the full extent of your injuries – including the long-term consequences they will cause – are taken into account.

If you have been injured in a car accident in the state of Oklahoma, please contact Self & Associates today for a free initial consultation.

When someone is seriously injured in a car accident, medical expenses and lost income can quickly pile up, making them desperate for financial help. Insurance companies often take advantage of this by offering a small settlement that seems like a good deal at the time. In reality, the insurance adjuster wants your claim to go away as fast and as quietly as possible. They know that if you accept a smaller sum upfront, you may not be able to recover more from them in the future.

This is why it is so important to not accept settlements from insurance companies before consulting with an experienced auto accident lawyer. Attorney James Self knows exactly how to negotiate with insurance companies to make sure your rights are protected. He can help you understand the true value of your injury claim, and fight to pursue the compensation you deserve.

If an insurance company has denied your claim, failed to properly investigate your claim, or knowingly underpaid you, our experienced Oklahoma City injury lawyers can help you hold them accountable. Bad faith insurance is a common problem, but with an aggressive lawyer on your side, you have a much higher chance of resolving your dispute effectively.

If you have been seriously injured in a car accident and the insurance company is giving you the runaround, please contact Self & Associates today for a free case evaluation. We represent injured car accident victims throughout the state of Oklahoma.

Although there are fewer drivers on the road at night, more than 40 percent of all fatal car accidents occur after the sun goes down. While our eyes adjust to lower levels of light, it can become tricky to see when adjusting from bright lights to darkness. This can happen quite a bit when looking into the headlights of oncoming traffic.

Some hazards that are characteristic of night-time driving include:

• Limited visibility
• Driver fatigue
• Lighting irregularities

In addition, driving just before sunrise or right after sunset can be dangerous when the sky is well-lit and the roadway becomes dark. This difference between light and darkness can make it difficult to see road hazards, signs, and other vehicles (especially if their lights are not on yet).

Night-time driving also means a greater chance of intoxicated drivers on the road. In fact, the majority of DUI accidents (under the influence of alcohol or drugs) occur in the late night hours or early morning between midnight and 3 a.m. For Okalahoma City motorists who work late hours, it may be impossible to avoid driving during this time, putting them at greater risk from intoxicated drivers.

If you have been injured in a car wreck in the Oklahoma City area, please contact Self & Associates today for free advice about your personal injury claim.

Car accidents at intersections are among the most dangerous type of accident. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has identified intersection accidents, especially those caused by red light running, as a major threat to the health and safety of people on our roads.

According to IIHS, 676 people were killed as a result of red-light running accidents in 2009, and 113,000 suffered injury. Unfortunately, most of the time the people killed are not the driver responsible. Sixty-four percent, or nearly two-thirds, of those killed were people other than the driver running the red light. About half (46%) of those killed were in the vehicle obeying the traffic signal.

These numbers have been coming down recently, according to the IIHS, due to an increased use of red light cameras. The statistics are heartening. In cities where red light cameras are installed, the number of injury crashes can reduce anywhere from 13% to 32%, with front-to-side injury crashes reducing by as much as 68%. Some worry that red light cameras may lead to an increase in rear-end accidents, but not all studies show this trend. Even in studies that do show increased rear-end accidents, the overall cost of accidents decreased due to the fact that rear-end accidents tend to be lower-severity. Red light cameras have been installed in Oklahoma City, Norman, and Tulsa, but we don’t have statistics for their impact yet.

Red light running remains a major factor in car accidents, and still leads to death and serious injury. If you have suffered injury or lost a loved one due to this type of accident, you may be able to receive compensation for your injury or loss.

To learn more about your legal rights and options after a red light running car accident in Oklahoma City, please contact Self & Associates for a free initial consultation.

Many car accidents take place every day on our Oklahoma roads. A car accident could happen at any moment no matter how safe you drive. There are several causes of car accidents such as:

• Hazardous road conditions
• Inadequate signs
• Unmarked construction zones
• Absent warning signs
• Distracted drivers
• Inexperienced drivers
• Weather conditions
• Defective vehicles
• Missing guardrails
• Traffic lights that do not work properly

Even though another driver was not at fault, you may have a car accident case if the accident was caused by a defective vehicle or hazardous road condition. Oklahoma City car accident lawyer James Self will evaluate your case and determine who is at fault for your car accident.

Distracted Drivers

One of the biggest distractions for drivers is the use of their cell phone. Even a quick glance to press a button or type a text can lead to a serious auto accident. Other distractions for the driver of any vehicle can include rowdy passengers, applying makeup, reading maps. Anything that pulls your attention away from driving your vehicle safely can easily result in a car accident.

Defective Vehicles

A defective vehicle may have one or several parts that do not function correctly. Brakes, tires, or seatbelts that are not working as they should can cause an auto accident or fail to keep you and your passengers safe. A car accident lawsuit can be filed against the manufacturer of the vehicle or tires in cases where parts of the vehicle fails to perform how they should.

Hazardous Roads

A hazardous road is a road that has unmarked construction zones, inadequate signs, no guardrails, or uneven lanes. The condition of the road may cause you to drive off the street, swerve into the median, or hit another vehicle. If the condition of the road caused your car accident, certain government entities may be at fault.

To schedule your free car accident case evaluation in the Oklahoma City area, please contact the experienced car accident lawyers at Self & Associates today.

Motor vehicle accidents do not always occur on the open road. A bustling parking lot can feature a gauntlet of obstacles – from runaway carts to distracted drivers – and any lapse in attention may result in an accident. About one-fifth of car accidents occur in parking lots, and while they might not be high-speed, serious injury can still occur.

Aside from inanimate hazards, such as light poles and carts, other drivers and pedestrians are the most unpredictable factors in a parking lot. A fellow motorist may disobey directional markers or speed to obtain a spot, putting everyone at risk. This negligence can easily lead to an accident, damaging your vehicle and leaving you with costly injuries.

Low-speed accidents sometimes result in whiplash, which can leave you with a wide range of soft tissue neck injuries. Severe whiplash may even lead to a brain injury. If you or a loved one has been injured in a parking lot accident caused by a negligent driver, do not underestimate the damage to your property and health. Our personal injury lawyers at Self and Associates can help you obtain the compensation you deserve.

Please contact Self and Associates today if you or a loved one is in need of legal assistance after a parking lot accident. 

Rear-end car accidents account for nearly 40 percent of car accidents in Oklahoma. Even though these accidents are often at low speeds, the consequences of rear-end car accidents can be catastrophic for the driver and passengers of the car that was hit.

The most common cause of rear-end car accidents is driver distraction. Talking or texting on a cellphone, changing a station on the radio, fiddling with an MP3 player, applying makeup, or eating while driving are all too common on Oklahoma roadways. When a driver takes their eyes off the road to perform a needless task, they endanger everyone else on the road. When their negligence results in injury or death, they are liable for their behavior.

How Jay Self Can Help

For over 30 years, auto accident attorney Jay Self has been helping Oklahoma families injured in rear-end collisions get the compensation they need to recover. Taking into account the full extent of your damages, Attorney Self can often help you get a settlement that far exceeds the offerings of insurance companies.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a rear-end car accident in the state of Oklahoma, please contact experienced car accident attorney Jay Self at Self & Associates to schedule a free consultation today.

Distracted driving has become an epidemic, and a leading cause of deadly accidents on today’s roadways. Driving while intoxicated has long been one of the primary causes of car accidents, but recent research shows that distracted driving can be even more dangerous, impairing your reaction time to a disastrous extent. Unfortunately, unlike drunk driving, most people are not aware of the dangers of distracted driving, and therefore do not take measures to avoid it.

Cell phones take a driver’s attention away from the road. Simply answering a call can result in total distraction for several seconds. In that short period of time, a swiftly moving vehicle can cover a football field and miss a last-minute turn signal. The dangers of texting while driving are also well-documented, and it is estimated that the risk of having a serious accident while texting increases 23-fold. Many people underestimate how severely impaired they are while on their cell phones, and their negligence causes thousands of accidents, injuries, and deaths yearly.

Distracted driving caused by cell phone usage is an alarming trend. If you have been injured, or if your loved one has been killed in this type of accident in the Oklahoma City area, you may be entitled to compensation.

Please contact Self and Associates today to schedule a free consultation with an experienced Oklahoma City accident attorney.