An Oklahoma City broken bones lawyer documents the full cost of a fracture, including surgery, hardware, rehabilitation, and lost income, then pushes the insurer to pay all of it, not just the first emergency room bill. In Oklahoma, you generally have two years from the date of injury to file suit under 12 O.S. § 95.
What Accidents Most Commonly Cause Broken Bone Injuries in Oklahoma?
Car crashes, truck collisions, motorcycle wrecks, falls on unsafe property, and workplace accidents cause most of the fractures our office sees, from hairline cracks to shattered joints needing emergency surgery.
Nationwide, injury data from the CDC puts falls and motor vehicle crashes among the leading reasons for emergency room visits.
- Car collisions: rear-end, side-impact, and rollover crashes break wrists, ribs, legs, and pelvises.
- Commercial truck crashes: the weight difference between a loaded rig and a passenger car makes skeletal injuries nearly unavoidable.
- Motorcycle wrecks: no steel frame around the rider, so one collision often means multiple fractures.
- Falls on wet floors and broken stairs: hip, wrist, and ankle fractures, especially in older adults. When the danger was a hazard the property owner should have fixed, a premises liability claim applies.
- People hit while walking and cyclists struck by drivers: a vehicle against an unprotected person almost always breaks bone.
- Third-party workplace incidents: scaffolding falls, equipment failures, and negligent drivers on job sites, when someone other than your employer created the danger.
What Types of Fracture Injuries Occur in Accidents, and How Do They Affect Your Case?
The most common accident-related fractures are simple (closed), open (compound), comminuted, compression, stress, spiral, and avulsion breaks. Open and comminuted fractures usually produce the highest case values: more surgeries, longer disability, and a higher risk of permanent impairment.
| Fracture Type | What Happens | Typical Treatment | Relative Case Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple (closed) | Crack without piercing the skin | Cast, splint, or surgical hardware | Lower to moderate |
| Open (compound) | Bone pierces the skin; infection risk | Emergency surgery, antibiotics, wound care | High |
| Comminuted | Bone shatters into fragments | Multiple surgeries, plates, screws | High to very high |
| Compression | Vertebrae collapse under force | Bracing, vertebroplasty, or spinal fusion | Moderate to high |
| Stress / spiral | Sudden-load crack or twisting break | Immobilization; fixation for spiral breaks | Moderate |
| Avulsion | Fragment tears away at a tendon | Immobilization or surgical reattachment | Moderate |
Even a fracture that appears to heal can leave lasting harm: nonunion (the bone ends fail to knit, sometimes needing repeat surgery), malunion (the bone heals out of alignment, changing gait or grip), and post-traumatic arthritis that may end in joint replacement. Treatment can range from immobilization to fixation with plates, screws, rods, or external devices, as the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons explains, and open or comminuted breaks frequently require staged surgeries over 6 to 12 months.
Severe breaks rarely travel alone. Vertebral compression injuries can involve damage to the spinal cord itself, and the same forces drive head and brain trauma claims and other life-altering catastrophic harm. All of it belongs in one claim, valued before you settle.
How Do You Prove Liability for a Broken Bone Injury?
You prove liability by showing four things: a duty of care, a breach of that duty, causation, and measurable damages. Under Oklahoma’s modified comparative fault rule, 23 O.S. § 13, you can recover as long as your share of fault does not exceed 50 percent, with the award reduced by your percentage of blame. If a jury assigns you 20% of the blame on a $200,000 verdict, you collect $160,000; put more than half on your side and recovery is barred. Adjusters know this and work to inflate your share.
What Steps Should You Take After an Accident That Causes Broken Bones?
Get medical care the same day, document the scene, and say nothing to the other side’s insurer before you have counsel.
- Call 911 and go to the ER. Hairline cracks and stress damage do not always show symptoms right away, and a same-day diagnosis creates medical records that tie the fracture to the crash.
- Document everything. Photograph the scene, the vehicles or hazard, and any visible injuries, and collect witness names while details are fresh.
- Request the police or incident report. The officer’s observations and any citations become fault evidence later.
- Do not admit fault or give a recorded statement. The other insurer’s early call is an attempt to lock you into “I feel fine” before the full damage is known. Refer them to your attorney.
- Call our office. The sooner we start, the more evidence survives.
What Compensation Can You Recover for Broken Bones in Oklahoma?
Three categories of damages apply. Economic damages cover what the fracture costs you in dollars: ER visits, surgery, rehabilitation, medications, future procedures such as hardware removal, and the income you lose while your bones heal. Noneconomic damages address pain, scarring, and the activities the injury takes from you; a shattered femur or crushed pelvis with permanent limitations typically produces the largest awards here. Punitive damages under 23 O.S. § 9.1 punish reckless disregard, such as a crash caused by an impaired driver. When a fracture case turns fatal, the family may pursue a wrongful death claim instead.
Oklahoma Laws That Affect Fracture Claims
Filing deadline: two years from the date of injury under 12 O.S. § 95, the statute cited at the top of this page. Miss the window and the court will almost certainly bar the case.
Damages cap: SB 453, codified at 23 O.S. § 61.3, took effect in September 2025 and caps noneconomic damages at $500,000 in most personal injury cases. The exceptions matter in fracture cases: severe physical injuries, including those causing lasting impairment or loss of bodily function, are not subject to the cap at all, and many serious fracture cases will qualify. Reckless conduct, gross negligence, fraud, and intentional harm are also fully exempt.
Government defendants: if a city vehicle or a public-property hazard caused the break, written tort claim notice must reach the government within one year under 51 O.S. § 156.
How an Oklahoma City Broken Bones Lawyer Increases Your Recovery
Fracture claims are won on documentation: imaging, surgical records, orthopedic opinions on hardware removal and arthritis risk, and a credible projection of future medical care. We capture all of it, calculate lost earning capacity, and try the case when the insurer will not pay what the claim is worth.
Hasbrook & Hasbrook is a family-run Oklahoma personal injury law firm that has represented injured Oklahomans since 2000. Clayton Hasbrook grew up watching his parents represent families like yours, and the firm keeps its caseload small enough that your case stays with the attorney you hired. Insurers know which firms actually try cases, and it shows in their offers.
How Do Our Fees Work?
Our contingency fee is 25% when your case settles before a lawsuit is filed, and on any settlement our fee is never more than what you take home after medical bills and case costs are paid. You pay nothing up front, and you owe no fees and no case costs unless we recover money for you.
Frequently Asked Questions About Broken Bone Injuries in Oklahoma
How much is my broken bone case worth in Oklahoma?
There is no single number. A wrist fracture that heals cleanly settles for far less than a shattered pelvis needing multiple surgeries. Fracture type and severity, treatment cost, missed income, permanent limitations, and the fault evidence drive the value.
How long do I have to file a broken bone lawsuit in Oklahoma?
Two years from the date of injury under 12 O.S. § 95 in most cases, and one year to give written notice when a government entity is responsible. Starting early preserves evidence and treatment records.
Can I still recover if I was partly at fault?
Yes. Oklahoma’s modified comparative fault rule reduces your award by your share of the blame; you lose the right to recover only if your share goes over half.
Do I need a lawyer for a broken bone from a car accident?
Adjusters tend to treat a cast as a minor injury and push to close the claim before complications like nonunion or arthritis appear. A broken bone injury lawyer documents the future costs before you sign a release, and that is where most of the value sits.
What if my bones were broken in a T-bone accident?
A T-bone crash concentrates force on the door beside you, so arm, rib, hip, and pelvis fractures are common. Fault usually turns on who had the light or the right of way. See how T-bone accident settlements come together when fractures are involved.
How long does a broken bone case take to resolve?
Most broken bone claims settle within 12 to 18 months. Surgical cases take longer because you should reach maximum medical improvement before accepting a settlement; closing early leaves complication costs unrecovered.
Ready to Talk to an Oklahoma City Broken Bones Lawyer?
Describe how your injury happened and we will lay out the options for your case. Call Hasbrook & Hasbrook today at (405) 605-2426 or reach our team online to set up a free case review. We will review the fracture, the fault evidence, and the full value of the claim.
