What Factors Affect Pain and Suffering Awards in Oklahoma?
Injuries caused by accidents can result in significant physical pain and emotional suffering. Car, truck, and motorcycle crashes, as well as injuries from product defects, unsafe premises, and oilfield accidents, can affect your ability to function, work, and enjoy your life. Some injuries cause permanent or chronic pain, while others require extensive medical care. Our…
Read MoreHow to Handle a Wrongful Death Case After a Fatal Truck Crash
Trucks are generally more likely to cause fatal injuries than cars because of their size, dimensions, and weight. Our Oklahoma City lawyers understand who may be legally responsible for the death of your loved one and what damages surviving family members may be entitled to recover. While you take time to mourn your loss, we…
Read MoreSoft Tissue Injuries from Car Accidents: Are They Worth a Lawsuit?
Many types of accidents can cause soft-tissue injuries, including car, truck, and motorcycle accidents, slip-and-fall accidents, and product malfunctions. Although soft tissue injuries aren’t generally viewed as being as serious as certain catastrophic injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries or spinal cord damage, or as easily verifiable as broken bones, they can affect your ability…
Read MoreThe Common and Hidden Causes of Rideshare Crashes
Ridesharing is popular for both drivers and customers. Uber and Lyft provide employment opportunities for people throughout the Oklahoma City region who want to earn extra money or pursue a full-time job. For customers, ridesharing offers many advantages. Riders can easily reserve rides and choose from a variety of services, including express options with short…
Read MoreThe Role of Maintenance Records in Trucking Accident Lawsuits
In 2021, more than a quarter of Oklahoma truck accidents resulted in personal injuries. In many of these cases, injured victims found themselves facing hefty property losses and mounting medical expenses that were far beyond their economic means. To hopefully offset the massive scope of these losses, many trucking accident survivors opt to pursue claims…
Read MoreHow Oklahoma’s Comparative Negligence Law Affects Your Car Accident Case
In 2021, motorists reported over 66,000 car accidents across the state of Oklahoma. Each of these accidents had the potential to cause a catastrophic ripple effect on the lives of survivors and their loved ones, leading many to file claims for physical, emotional, and financial damages. Under our state’s comparative negligence system, however, some accident…
Read MoreWhat To Do If You Were Injured as a Passenger in a Car Crash in Oklahoma
When you’re involved in an accident, you probably have at least some sense of what you’re supposed to do if you’re the one behind the wheel. But what happens when you’re riding as a passenger caught in the crossfire? Being a passenger in a crash can be just as frightening and dangerous as being a…
Read MoreMistakes Passengers Commonly Make After a Rideshare Crash—and How to Avoid Them
Rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft have revolutionized how people get around, but any new technology comes with its own dangers and risks. Rideshare accidents can be considerably more complicated than collisions involving non-commercial drivers, and it’s important that Oklahoma victims know how to navigate this process and protect their rights. If you’ve been injured…
Read MoreNighttime Rideshare Accidents: Risk Factors and Tips for Protection
Rideshare services make life a lot easier for those who can’t (or don’t like to) drive at night. Late-night trips to and from the airport no longer require a call to a family member desperately trying to stay awake, and going out for a drink is a lot safer with Uber, Lyft, and other ridesharing…
Read MoreRideshare Safety Statistics: What the Latest Lyft Report Reveals About Injuries and Fatalities
If you ride with Lyft in Oklahoma, you’ve likely wondered how risky it is—even if you’ve never been in an accident. Lyft’s most recent Safety Transparency Report is the main public source that comes into play here, providing in-depth information that drivers and riders can use. What happens if you are involved in a ridesharing…
Read MoreInsurance Coverage Checklist for Uber/Lyft Passengers and Drivers
One of the most complicated aspects of rideshare accidents is insurance. Drivers carry their own insurance, but the vast majority of personal car insurance policies specifically exclude driving for commercial activities. That’s why rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft provide their own insurance coverage for drivers who are logged on and actively working. However, as…
Read MoreHow Oklahoma Truck Accident Lawyers Use Black Box & ELD Data to Prove Negligence
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), there were nearly 3,000 truck crashes reported in Oklahoma in 2024, resulting in over 1,300 injuries and 108 fatalities. Serious truck accidents can be catastrophic and cause major physical, emotional, and financial distress for crash victims and their families. Subsequently, the period after these crashes can…
Read MoreFMCSA HOS Violations & Fatigue Crashes: What Oklahoma Victims Should Know
According to a recent report, the average long-haul truck driver covers around 125,000 miles every year. With so much ground to cover, it’s no surprise that many drivers spend long stretches of time behind the wheel with only limited opportunities for breaks and rest periods. In an effort to curtail the well-documented dangers associated with…
Read MoreCatastrophic Injury Claim Process in Oklahoma: Evidence, Experts & Avoiding Pitfalls
Traumatic and unexpected accidents of any kind can wreak havoc on the lives of injured victims and everyone in their orbit. In some cases, however, the injuries sustained during an accident are particularly catastrophic and devastating. From serious car accidents to life-changing workplace disasters, it is difficult to overstate just how far the impact of…
Read MorePsychological Trauma in Survived Truck Crashes: PTSD, Anxiety & Compensation
In a recent meta-analytic study, the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among traffic accident survivors was estimated to be approximately 22.25%. That means, nearly one in four victims will develop PTSD in the aftermath of a motor vehicle accident. Given the particularly catastrophic nature of truck crashes, this figure may be even higher for…
Read MoreHow to Handle a Car Accident With a Rideshare Driver (Uber/Lyft)
Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft have completely overhauled how many of us travel. These services provide a safe alternative to drinking and driving, make it easier to get around in an unfamiliar area, and help you avoid high parking fees. However, a new type of travel also means new types of accidents—and complications for…
Read MoreWhat is Considered a Catastrophic Injury in Oklahoma Law?
Serious injuries are always possible after a slip and fall, car crash, or other type of accident. Catastrophic injuries are a subset of serious injuries that are exceedingly rare, but permanently life-changing. When a victim is left with permanent physical or mental harm due to another person’s negligence, they often have legal options. While financial…
Read MoreMotorcycle Accidents vs. Car Accidents: Key Legal Differences
Motorcycle accidents and car accidents are similar in a number of ways; they’re both considered personal injury cases if victims decide to take legal action, and the insurance requirements are somewhat similar. But beyond there, the similarities are largely gone. From the role of liability and negligence to the severity of damages and how these…
Read MoreWhy Truck Accidents Often Result in Catastrophic Injuries
Truck accidents are less common than other types of vehicle accidents, but when they occur, their impact can be felt for miles. Whether a truck crashes into a stationary object or another vehicle, it’s not uncommon for the road to be shut down for hours or days. And then, of course, there’s the human cost…
Read MoreWhat Is a No-Zone Accident?
“No-zone” is another word for “blind spot”. More specifically, it refers to one of the numerous areas around a commercial truck that make it dangerous for a car to drive close to a truck. A no-zone accident is one that occurs while a vehicle is in a truck’s blind spot, often involving reduced visibility and…
Read MoreWhat is a Contingency Fee?
A lawyer can get paid in a variety of different ways. The “billable hours” method is the most famous–or, perhaps, the most notorious. There are also flat fee, contingency fee, and hybrid fee arrangements. Among these, the contingency fee arrangement is most advantageous to low- and middle-income clients. Personal injury lawyers almost always bill by…
Read MoreHow Expert Witnesses Can Strengthen Your Truck Accident Claims
Truck accidents are a mess of twisted metal and high-tech mayhem. They usually involve serious injuries, large claims, and complex dynamics. This is particularly likely to be the case if the ultimate cause was a mechanical failure. You might need an expert witness to help you win a truck accident claim. Expert witnesses are not…
Read MoreOklahoma’s Move Over Law
Cars don’t always work well. The engine can stall or overheat, requiring the driver to stop and pull over to the side of the road if possible. Accidents on all types of roads are common. The police, tow truck drivers, and emergency medical personnel do more than just help drivers when their car fails or…
Read MoreHow Much Does It Cost to Hire a Lawyer after a Car Accident in Oklahoma City?
At Cunningham & Mears, we handle many different types of car accident cases. We represent drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and bicycle riders. We also represent families when a family member dies in a car accident. When it comes to any of these, we represent clients on a contingency basis. Learn more about what that means for…
Read MoreOklahoma’s Handheld Phone Ban in Work & School Zones
Distracted driving is one of the main causes of vehicle accidents in Oklahoma. A new bill, House Bill 2263, aims to help deter one form of distracted driving – the use of handheld cell phones in school zones and at construction sites. The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed the law. The bill was also approved…
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