If a loved one is taken to a Level 1 trauma center after a serious car crash, chances are they’re suffering what is called “polytrauma.” That means they’ve suffered multiple serious injuries that involve more than one organ and/or system.
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Someone who is involved in a catastrophic collision, for example, may suffer numerous severe fractures or even amputations, damage to their organs (including the heart), spinal cord injuries and/or traumatic brain injuries. Polytraumatized patients sometimes have serious burns as well. Polytrauma isn’t always fatal. However, those who survive often have “life-changing or life-limiting injuries,” as a recent study puts it.
While many polytraumatic injuries are the result of violent attacks or explosions – including those experienced in war – one of the most common causes is traffic collisions. Crashes in Oklahoma City involving trucks or cars and people on foot, bike or scooter can leave victims with polytrauma. Falls from a high level can cause these injuries as well. If you have been injured by a negligent driver, our Oklahoma City car accident lawyer can help.
What’s involved in treating polytrauma?
Immediate, comprehensive diagnostics and treatment are necessary in the event of polytrauma, which is why it’s important to get patients who have been severely injured to medical facilities that are equipped to serve them properly. Orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, burn specialists, cardiologists and other types of doctors are often involved in a comprehensive treatment plan for polytraumatized patients once they’re stabilized. Of course, physical, occupational and other types of therapy are almost always a part of a longer-term treatment plan.
Understanding the long-term implications
If you are a loved one of someone who has suffered polytrauma because of someone else’s negligence or recklessness (for example, an at-fault driver), your focus will be on their health and medical care. As you anticipate the likely enormous medical expenses that their situation will inspire, it may be tempting to take the first settlement offer you receive from an insurance company.
It’s crucial, however, to consider the long-term costs and damages involved before committing to a plan of action. They may be unable to work for an extended period. They may need modifications to their home to make it accessible. It can all be too much to process. By hiring an experienced Oklahoma City personal injury lawyer as soon as possible, you can help ensure that you get a fair settlement and that all of the appropriate parties are held accountable.
Who Is Liable in a Polytrauma Crash?
Polytrauma — multiple simultaneous injuries affecting different body systems — most commonly results from high-energy collisions: semi-truck crashes, highway-speed impacts, multi-vehicle pileups, and motorcycle accidents. The forces required to produce overlapping traumatic brain injury, orthopedic fractures, internal organ damage, and vascular injury in a single event usually indicate a severe crash, and severe crashes almost always involve meaningful fault. Oklahoma follows modified comparative negligence, meaning liability is allocated among all parties whose conduct contributed to the crash. A driver who ran a red light, a trucker who violated federal hours-of-service rules, a vehicle manufacturer whose defective braking system contributed to impact severity, and a road authority whose unlit intersection created hazardous conditions can each bear a share of responsibility — and each carries separate insurance.
In polytrauma cases, the breadth of the injury itself becomes evidence of the force involved, which in turn informs the jury’s understanding of how serious the crash was and how responsible the at-fault party should be. Medical records documenting the full injury spectrum — from emergency triage through ICU care, surgery, and rehabilitation — are the foundation of both the liability and damages case.
Compensation Specific to Polytrauma Victims
The damages available in an Oklahoma polytrauma claim reflect the injury’s scope. Economic damages cover emergency room and surgical costs, ICU stays, orthopedic hardware, rehabilitation (both inpatient and outpatient), neuropsychological care for TBI components, in-home attendant care, adaptive equipment, vehicle and home modifications, lost wages, and reduced future earning capacity. Non-economic damages — pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, permanent disfigurement, and loss of independence — are often the largest category in polytrauma cases because the injuries affect virtually every aspect of the victim’s daily life, often permanently.
Where polytrauma results in permanent disability, life-care planning experts document future medical needs and costs, which are presented to the jury as a projection of the lifetime economic impact. These projections routinely reach seven figures in cases involving brain injury combined with major orthopedic or organ damage. Oklahoma law does not cap non-economic damages in personal injury cases (caps apply in medical malpractice), so juries are free to award amounts that reflect the true harm.
Oklahoma’s Statute of Limitations and Why Polytrauma Cases Demand Early Action
Oklahoma’s personal injury statute of limitations is two years from the date of the injury-causing event. Polytrauma cases are complicated by periods of incapacitation — a victim in a medically induced coma cannot pursue legal action, and the law accounts for this through tolling provisions. However, waiting is always costly: crash scene evidence is lost, witness memories fade, electronic data is overwritten, and opposing counsel uses the delay to build defenses. An attorney retained during active treatment can manage the legal process while the victim focuses on recovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you value a polytrauma claim when the full extent of injuries isn’t known yet? Cases are not resolved until the victim has reached maximum medical improvement — the point where physicians can project what recovery will look like long-term. Settling before that point risks undervaluing the claim.
What if I was partially at fault for the crash? Oklahoma’s modified comparative negligence rule allows recovery as long as your fault does not exceed 50%. Your recovery is reduced by your fault percentage — if you were 20% at fault and damages are $1 million, you recover $800,000.
Does Warhawk Legal handle polytrauma cases on contingency? Yes — no fee unless we win. Free consultation: (405) 397-1717.
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If you or a loved one has been injured, contact our experienced Oklahoma City personal injury attorney at Warhawk Legal. We offer free consultations and only get paid when you win.