If you have been injured in a truck accident caused by another party, you may be able to secure substantial compensation for your damages. You may face a lengthy recovery process that involves expensive medical care. You may be unable to work to provide for yourself and your family. So, you need to recover maximum compensation as quickly as possible.
Injured in Oklahoma City? Call Warhawk Legal at (405) 397-1717 for a free consultation. Our personal injury attorneys work on contingency — you pay nothing unless we win your case.
Numerous factors influence the time it takes to settle truck accidents in Oklahoma City. Some claims are settled within weeks, while others take much longer. However, at Warhawk Legal, our Oklahoma City truck accident attorneys are excellent negotiators who work diligently to reach a fair settlement of your claim as quickly as possible.
Factors Affecting How Long It Takes To Settle Your Oklahoma City Truck Accident Claim
The time it takes to settle your truck accident claim is influenced by many factors, such as:
- The severity of your injuries. If you suffered severe injuries, your recovery time will usually be longer. To ensure that all your medical expenses are included and to accurately assess the long-term impact of your injuries when valuing your claim, your claim may take longer to settle. You must follow all your doctor’s orders and your treatment plan. You should never rush your physical recovery to speed up your financial recovery.
- Determining causation and liability. The cause of your truck accident may not be clear-cut. Our attorneys carefully investigate your accident to ensure we identify all possible causes and potentially liable parties. If causation is in dispute, it will generally take longer to settle your claim.
- Recovering evidence. If the other parties are unwilling to abide by the rules of discovery, we may need to file motions with the court to compel the production of the necessary information.
- The complexity of your case. When multiple parties, including insurance companies and attorneys, are involved, the case typically takes longer to settle. We may consult many expert witnesses and have them produce reports to explain their findings.
- Settlement negotiations. Most cases settle without going to trial. However, some settlement negotiations last longer than others. If the defense is unwilling to pay for the fair value of our claim, we will need to take your case to trial.
- The court’s docket. If the court is bogged down with cases that have been pending for a long time, it will take longer to reach trial. Even though the vast majority of cases settle before trial, some defendants and their attorneys do not take settlement negotiations seriously until the trial date is looming.
How an Oklahoma City Truck Accident Attorney Can Speed Up the Settlement Process
Some aspects of the settlement timeline are out of your attorney’s hands. However, there are many things your attorney can do to help speed up the settlement process. An experienced attorney knows how the insurance companies work and what is needed to compel them to settle your case.
When your Oklahoma City attorney gathers strong evidence to prove causation and liability and to establish the existence and value of your current and future damages, a settlement typically happens faster. Your attorney can keep steady pressure on the insurance company and defense attorneys to move your claim forward. If settlement negotiations begin to drag, your attorney can file suit and push for a quick trial date.
When the insurance companies and defense attorneys see that your attorney is well prepared and aggressive, your settlement may happen much faster.
Contact Warhawk Legal to Discuss Your Truck Accident Claim
At Warhawk Legal, our truck accident attorneys have the experience, knowledge, and skills to hold insurance companies accountable and to help negotiate a fair settlement as quickly as possible.
Call (405) 294-1243 or complete the short form on our contact page and schedule a free consultation to discuss your Oklahoma City truck accident claim.
Related Reading: Oklahoma City Personal Injury Attorney
Why Oklahoma Truck Accident Cases Take Longer Than Car Accident Cases
The complexity of truck accident claims adds time at every stage. The investigation phase alone is longer: a truck accident attorney must identify every potentially liable party — the driver, the motor carrier, the trailer owner, the freight broker, the shipper, and any maintenance contractor — before deciding who to name in a lawsuit. Obtaining the electronic control module (black box) data, hours-of-service logs, drug and alcohol testing records, and driver qualification files requires preservation letters, records requests, and sometimes subpoenas. If the carrier is uncooperative, motions practice to compel production adds weeks or months.
The medical timeline also extends truck accident cases. Commercial truck crashes frequently produce catastrophic injuries — spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injury, multiple fractures, amputations — that require lengthy treatment before maximum medical improvement is reached. Filing too early, before the full extent of injuries is known, risks undervaluing the claim permanently. An experienced truck accident attorney waits until the medical picture is complete, then builds a demand that accounts for total past and future damages. Warhawk Legal handles OKC truck accident claims on contingency — no fee unless we recover on your behalf.
If you or a loved one has been injured, contact our experienced Oklahoma City truck accident attorney at Warhawk Legal. We offer free consultations and only get paid when you win.