Texting while driving a motor vehicle is illegal in Oklahoma under 47 O.S. § 11-901d, punishable by a $100 fine, and a driver who causes a crash while texting can be held financially liable for the resulting injuries and property damage. Oklahoma law generally gives injured claimants two years to file a personal injury lawsuit under 12 O.S. § 95(A)(3).
Oklahoma’s Texting While Driving Ban and Midwest City Crashes
Since November 1, 2015, Oklahoma law has banned drivers from using a hand-held device to manually compose, send, or read a text message while a vehicle is in motion. The ban covers more than a standard text: the statute’s own definition reaches instant messages, email, photos, and video, so scrolling a feed or typing a reply both qualify. A first violation carries a fine of up to $100.
The traffic fine is separate from civil liability. A driver who causes a Midwest City crash claim while texting can still be held financially responsible for the injuries and property damage that result, and the citation itself can become evidence of negligence in that claim. Texting is only one form of distraction behind the wheel; the broader category of distracted-driving wrecks raises many of the same legal issues.
Oklahoma’s state distracted-driving safety resources outline the enforcement priorities behind the ban and summarize the state laws that apply to phone use behind the wheel.
Injuries From a Texting While Driving Accident
Depending on the speed and angle of impact, a texting while driving crash can cause:
- Fractured or broken bones
- Disfigurement
- Internal bleeding and organ trauma
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injury
- Death
Nationwide distracted-driving crash research treats texting as one of the most dangerous forms of distraction because composing or reading a message pulls a driver’s hands, eyes, and attention away from the road at the same time, which is why a momentary lapse can produce injuries this severe.
Compensation for a Midwest City Texting While Driving Claim
Injured claimants may recover both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages cover quantifiable costs such as ambulance, hospital, physician, and rehabilitation expenses and lost wages. Non-economic damages cover pain and suffering, loss of consortium or companionship, and mental anguish.
Because texting while driving is illegal, a jury may also consider punitive damages where the evidence shows the driver acted with reckless disregard for the rights of others under 23 O.S. § 9.1. Our page on how Oklahoma juries decide punitive damages awards explains how that process works.
Oklahoma generally allows two years from the date of the crash to file suit, so it is worth talking to a lawyer while evidence and witness memories are still fresh.
Talk to a Midwest City Texting While Driving Accident Attorney
If you or a loved one was hurt because another driver was focused on a phone instead of the road, you may be entitled to compensation. For a closer look at what Oklahoma’s texting law does and does not cover, see our deeper FAQ on Oklahoma’s texting and driving law.
Hasbrook & Hasbrook has represented injured Oklahomans since 2000. Call (405) 605-2426 or start a free Midwest City case review to talk through what happened and what your case may be worth.
