This page was written, edited, and reviewed & approved by Rusty Smith following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. Rusty Smith, the Founding Attorney, has 25 years of legal experience as a personal injury attorney. Our last Published date shows when this page was last updated & reviewed.
If a crash in Oklahoma City left you hurt, you can pursue compensation, and our team can start today. At Smith Barkett Law Group, our Oklahoma City car accident lawyers represent injured people across the metro and throughout Oklahoma.
We handle the insurance calls, investigate what happened, and build a claim designed to cover your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. You focus on healing while we hold the at-fault driver accountable.
Every car accident case we take is handled on a contingency fee basis, so you owe no attorney fee unless we recover for you. Call (918) 395-6825 for a free case evaluation, and speak directly with an experienced Oklahoma City car accident attorney about your options.
Smith Barkett Law Group was built by trial attorneys who understand how the insurance industry operates from the inside out. Our founding partners, Rusty Smith and Mike Barkett, began their careers defending corporate and insurance interests before shifting their focus entirely to representing injured individuals. Because we know what the other side is looking for, we know how to beat them at their own game.
Insurance adjusters are trained to settle quickly and for as little as possible, often before you know the full extent of your injuries. An experienced lawyer levels that imbalance.
When you hire our team, we take immediate action to protect your rights:
A recorded statement given too early, or an offer accepted too quickly, can quietly reduce what you are owed.
No honest lawyer can promise a number before reviewing your case. Several factors shape value:
Serious collisions resulting in complex surgeries, traumatic brain injuries, or lifelong medical care naturally carry higher financial value because the losses are profound and enduring.
Nothing upfront. We represent car accident clients on a contingency fee basis, meaning our fee comes out of your recovery, and only if we win. Your initial case evaluation is always free.
Oklahoma law allows recovery of economic and non-economic damages, and punitive damages in cases involving especially reckless conduct.
Economic Damages
Non-Economic Damages
Oklahoma sets a strict statutory deadline for filing a personal injury lawsuit. Under Title 12, Section 95 of the Oklahoma Statutes, most personal injury claims must be filed within 2 years of the date of the crash.
Missing this filing window means the court will permanently dismiss your case, no matter how strong or clear the evidence is. Furthermore, certain situations—such as collisions involving government vehicles or municipal entities—impose much shorter notice deadlines.
Physical evidence also degrades rapidly over time. Skid marks fade, vehicles are repaired or scrapped, and witnesses forget critical details. Contacting our firm early gives us the best
According to the Oklahoma Insurance Department, the minimum required limits are:
Because these statutory minimum limits are frequently inadequate for severe injuries, many claims involve underinsured or uninsured motorist policies. Our team examines every available source of coverage, including your own auto policy, to maximize your recovery.
Fault is not always all-or-nothing. Under Title 23, Section 13 of the Oklahoma Statutes, Oklahoma follows a modified comparative negligence rule. You can still recover financial compensation as long as your share of fault is not greater than the combined fault of all other opposing parties. Your percentage of shared fault simply reduces your total compensation proportionally.
Insurers frequently abuse this rule to shift blame onto victims. We aggressively document liability to protect your rightful share of recovery.
Every crash is different, and our Oklahoma City car accident attorneys handle the full range of collisions on local roads and highways.
Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end crashes often follow tailgating, distraction, or sudden stops in traffic. They frequently cause whiplash, back injuries, and concussions. We work to show how the following driver failed to keep a safe distance and hold that driver responsible.
Intersection and T-Bone Collisions
Side-impact crashes at intersections happen when a driver runs a light, ignores a stop sign, or misjudges a turn. These collisions can cause severe injuries because the door offers little protection. We reconstruct the sequence to establish who had the right of way.
Head-On Collisions
Head-on crashes are among the most dangerous, often stemming from wrong-way driving, unsafe passing, or a driver crossing the center line. The forces involved frequently lead to catastrophic injuries, and we pursue every party whose negligence contributed.
Rollover Accidents
Rollovers can involve vehicle design, road conditions, or a violent evasive maneuver. They carry a high risk of serious head and spinal injuries. Our team investigates whether driver conduct, a road hazard, or a defect played a role.
Rideshare Accidents
Crashes involving Uber and Lyft raise questions about which insurance policy applies. Coverage can shift depending on whether the app was active and a ride was underway. We identify the right policies so you are not left covering losses that belong to an insurer.
Commercial Truck Accidents
Collisions with semi-trucks often cause devastating injuries and involve multiple parties, from the driver to the trucking company. These claims require fast evidence preservation. Our attorneys move quickly to secure logs, camera footage, and maintenance records before they disappear.
What you do in the hours and days after a crash can shape your claim. Take the following steps whenever you safely can.
Prompt medical treatment protects your health and creates a record that ties your injuries to the crash. Contacting our team early lets us preserve evidence while it is still fresh.
The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office consistently identifies these leading factors:
The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office (OHSO) tracks crash data statewide each year through its interactive dashboards and annual reports. Statewide tracking highlights driver inattention, speed, and failure to yield as leading contributing factors to collisions, with heightened crash volumes typically recorded during peak commuting hours and heavy travel seasons.
According to OHSO problem identification data, traffic incidents result in thousands of injuries annually, underscoring the risks motorists face on metro roadways.
High-crash intersections across the Oklahoma City metro typically share common features: heavy traffic volume, multiple turning lanes, complex signal phases, and high-speed highway or arterial access. Regional planning organizations, such as the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG), analyze multi-year data to map High Injury Networks (HIN) and pinpoint specific urban corridors with elevated serious injury and fatality rates.
If you were injured at a specific intersection in Oklahoma City, our firm can examine the local crash history and municipal design factors as a core component of your claim.
Who Could Be Liable for My Injuries Resulting From a Car Accident?
Liability may fall on another driver, an employer, a vehicle owner, a parts manufacturer, or a government entity. We investigate every potential source of recovery before finalizing your claim.
Can I Get Money if I Was Partly At-Fault for My Car Accident?
Often, yes. Oklahoma's modified comparative negligence rule lets you recover as long as your fault isn't greater than the other parties' combined fault, reduced by your percentage.
What Are the Legal Elements of a Car Accident Case?
Oklahoma negligence claims generally require four elements: duty, breach, causation, and damages. We build your case around clear evidence for each one.
Will My Car Accident Case Go to Trial?
Most cases settle without trial, but we prepare every case as though it will be tried, since readiness strengthens our negotiating position with insurers.
Should I Accept the Insurance Company's First Offer?
Be cautious. Early offers often come before your injuries are fully known and may be insufficient. Once accepted, you typically cannot reopen the claim.
You do not have to face aggressive insurance companies alone. The Oklahoma City car accident lawyers at Smith Barkett Law Group are ready to investigate your collision, take on the insurer, and fight for the maximum compensation you deserve.
Attorneys Rusty Smith and Mike Barkett represent injured clients in Oklahoma City and across the state on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay zero upfront costs and owe no attorney fees unless we win your case.
Call (918) 395-6825 today to schedule your free, confidential case evaluation with an experienced Oklahoma City car accident attorney.
"*" indicates required fields
