What Is an Average Semi-Truck Accident Settlement Worth in Oklahoma?

If you regularly travel along the busy I-35 corridor between Oklahoma City and Dallas, you know it’s full of semi-trucks. And if you follow the news, you also know that it’s frequently the site of deadly crashes, including a multi-vehicle wreck in April 2023 that involved five tractor-trailers.

Because of their huge size and weight—up to 80,000 pounds when fully loaded—semi-truck accidents are especially likely to cause severe injuries. For this and several other reasons, car accident cases involving trucks often have higher settlements than crashes only involving passenger vehicles.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean obtaining fair compensation will be an easy process. Often, the opposite is true.

If you’ve been hurt in a truck accident and are wondering how much your truck accident settlement could be worth, understand that the answer is complicated—and in a lot of cases, the quality and experience of the truck accident lawyer representing you can make a huge difference.

Some Truck Accident Settlements Can Be Huge—But Trucking Companies Won’t Make It Easy

Whenever a semi-truck is involved in a personal injury claim with serious injuries (significant medical bills, missed work, emotional suffering, etc.), there is the potential for a large settlement. The reason? Available insurance coverage.

By federal law, trucking companies typically must purchase at least $750,000 in liability insurance coverage for a semi-truck, or potentially up to $5 million in coverage for trucks that haul hazardous materials. Some truck companies purchase even more than that. (By comparison, Oklahoma only requires drivers to purchase $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in injury liability insurance for their personal vehicles.)

A couple of important things to note here:

• Just because a trucking company is carrying, say, $1 million in liability coverage doesn’t necessarily mean your case is worth that much. You will need to prove that your damage claim is reasonable based on the actual economic and non-economic losses you sustained because of the crash. (More on that below.)
• Big truck companies (and their insurance companies) have a lot of money and a lot of experience defending truck accident cases. They will do everything they can to pay you as little as possible. They won’t always fight fair.

Having The Wolf Pack™ and our team of experienced truck accident attorneys on your side can help you level the playing field and get the best possible settlement.

How Much Is My Truck Accident Case Worth?

Every case is unique, but one quality many of them share is resulting in catastrophic damage. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident that was caused by another person, you deserve to be compensated.

What Is an Average Truck Accident Settlement?

There’s really no such thing as an “average” semi-truck settlement, because there’s no such thing as an average truck crash.

Actual settlement values can vary widely due to the specific circumstances of each case. For example, a person who suffers severe, life-changing injuries in a truck wreck and will never be able to work again will likely be able to make a much higher damage claim than someone who did not require extensive medical care, only missed a week or two of work, and suffered no permanent damage.

Damage calculations are complex, so the best way to get a realistic expectation of what your case could be worth is by talking with an experienced truck accident lawyer.

Let’s take a closer look at the facts that contribute to a truck accident case, the multiple parties involved, and how you can find out what your case is worth when you put The Wolf Pack™ on the job.

Damages in a Semi-Truck Accident Case

In any personal injury case, there are two general categories of damages you may be able to collect. These are what we call special damages (otherwise known as economic damages) and general damages (otherwise known as invisible or non-economic damages).

Special Damages

Special damages include injuries and financial losses that are relatively easy to put a specific dollar value on. These include, but may not be limited to:

• Medical bills
• Lost wages
• Lost potential earnings in the future
• Cost of household services

It is important to note that accurately calculating special damages can be more difficult when injuries are serious, particularly if you are likely to need future surgeries, therapy, or ongoing medical care for years. Your attorney may need to work with doctors, life care planners, and other experts who can accurately project the long-term financial impact of your injuries.

General Damages

General damages are the losses you have faced that don’t have a predetermined financial value. This may include things like:

• Physical disfigurement
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of comfort and companionship
• Emotional distress
• Mood swings
• Depression
• Loss of consortium

Special damages are valued differently by every insurance company and attorney. Most of the time they are valued as a multiplier of general damages. Your truck accident attorney might, for example, determine that your “invisible” injuries are worth double your medical bills and lost wages.

The insurance company, however, might decide they are worth far less. That’s where negotiating a settlement comes into play, and why having a lawyer on your side becomes so important. Truck accident lawyers will know all the damages you can seek compensation for and what evidence you will need to give you the strongest case for that compensation.

Factors That Influence Truck Accident Settlement Amounts

Again, each case is different. Here is a quick summary of the kinds of things we will look at when determining how much compensation you could receive:

• The severity of your injuries. Serious injuries often require extensive, expensive medical care. You might not be able to return to work for an extended period of time. You might have permanent changes in your lifestyle, appearance, or reputation. These factors (and others) can contribute to higher damage calculations.
• Your personal liability. Under Oklahoma law, you can only recover compensation if you were 50% at fault or less for the accident. If you do share some of the fault, the amount of money you receive will be decreased by your percentage of fault. Big trucking companies often try to pin the blame on victims to avoid paying out big claims.
• Other third-party liability. Many third parties could be considered liable in a truck accident lawsuit, such as the truck driver and trucking company. More involved parties can mean a higher potential recovery, but also make the case more complicated and often more likely to go to trial. Read more about this below.
• Available insurance coverage. The combined policy limits of every applicable insurance policy may set a practical upper limit on how much you can collect. This could include the liability insurance carried by the trucking company (or other at-fault parties), as well as underinsured motorist coverage in your own auto insurance policy.
• Your attorney. Big truck crash cases are often complicated and expensive to litigate, especially when serious injuries are involved. Not every personal injury law firm has the time, money, and experience to handle them successfully. Look for an attorney who has a solid track record in truck crash cases and is willing to take your case to trial—if necessary—to get you the best possible result.

Dealing With Multiple Parties

As noted above, one factor that makes truck accident cases more difficult to value than typical personal injury cases is the number of responsible parties that may be involved. While a typical car accident case deals with just the other driver, a truck accident case could include any or all of the following:

• The truck driver
• The trucking company for which the driver was working
• The cargo company responsible for loading the truck if the cargo was unbalanced and caused a loss of control
• The maintenance crew responsible for checking over the truck if a mechanical problem caused the accident
• The manufacturer of parts on the truck that may have malfunctioned
• Local governments if a roadway defect caused the accident

Truck accident cases often have a much higher dollar value because of the multiple parties involved and the catastrophic nature of these accidents. That also makes it more difficult to answer the question, “How much is my truck accident case worth?” Be assured, however, that The Wolf Pack™ will fight for every penny you deserve.

Get the Power of The Wolf Pack™ on Your Side

While it is difficult to generalize how much your truck accident case might be worth, The Wolf Pack™ knows how to fight for every penny you deserve. To get a better idea of what compensation you may receive, contact us today for a free case review to help determine your next best steps.

If you’ve been in an Oklahoma City truck accident, contact the truck accident injury lawyers you can trust to fight for you like a wolf fights for its pack. Call Colbert Cooper Hill Attorneys at (580) 271-9672 to get your free case review today.

The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject.