Paralysis & Spinal Cord Injuries
An Oklahoma truck accident attorney can help you recover compensation for spinal cord injuries from a crash resulting in permanent disability or paralysis.
A truck crash can leave its victims with damage to their back, neck, and spine, sometimes resulting in permanent disability or paralysis. An experienced Oklahoma truck accident attorney can help you recover compensation and hold accountable the parties responsible for your spinal cord injuries.
Oklahoma City Attorneys Fighting for Paralyzed Truck Crash Victims
For Oklahoma truck crash survivors who have been paralyzed or suffered a serious back, neck, or spine injury, a truck accident lawsuit can help you and your family find justice and recover compensation for all that was taken from you as a result of your crash.
When you’re ready to take legal action against the parties responsible for your spinal cord injuries, contact our Oklahoma City truck accident law firm for your free, no-obligation case consultation.
Our Paralysis and Spine Injury Case Results
To feel confident you are receiving the maximum compensation possible for your spinal cord injury, it’s critical to work with a paralysis law firm that understands the long-term impact — physically, mentally, and emotionally — that paralysis will have on the rest of your life. Our team of nationally-recognized truck crash attorneys has a record of winning top-dollar for truck crash victims.
Our team of nationally-recognized truck crash attorneys has a record of winning top-dollar for truck crash victims.
Referrals & Co-Counsel
Involved in a Crash?
No other law firm knows trucks quite like us. Our trucking law expertise and trial experience allow us to win multi-million-dollar results year after year.
Our team of truck accident attorneys works tirelessly to help your family find justice in the wake of a catastrophic truck crash.
Referrals & Co-Counsel
No other law firm knows trucks quite like us. Our trucking law expertise and trial experience allow us to win multi-million-dollar results year after year.
Involved in a Crash?
Our team of truck accident attorneys works tirelessly to help your family find justice in the wake of a catastrophic truck crash.
Finding the Best Oklahoma Paralysis Attorney for You
The Law Firm for Truck Safety Oklahoma is a truck crash law firm dedicated to helping truck crash victims living with severe neck and spinal cord injuries (SCI) secure the maximum compensation they deserve.
When truck crash victims living with plegia choose The Law Firm for Truck Safety to represent their case, they are choosing a team of attorneys who:
The Law Firm for Truck Safety Oklahoma is a truck crash law firm dedicated to helping truck crash victims living with severe neck and spinal cord injuries (SCI) secure the maximum compensation they deserve.
When truck crash victims living with plegia choose The Law Firm for Truck Safety to represent their case, they are choosing a team of attorneys who:
Consistently win multi-million-dollar settlements and verdicts for their clients.
With every client and every truck accident claim, we fight hard to help truck crash victims receive the kinds of settlements and verdicts that mitigate or eliminate the financial burdens associated with the care their truck crash injuries require. Our commitment to holding negligent trucking companies accountable has allowed us to receive million and multi-million-dollar results for our clients.
Keep a small caseload.
We are selective with the cases we take on, limiting our practice to exclusively represent those with serious trucking injuries. By keeping our caseload small, our paralysis attorneys can dedicate the time, attention, and resources needed to drill down into your case facts and build a customized case strategy for your SCI claim.
For truck crash victims living with a neck or back injury, our ultimate goal is to help you build a future that isn’t defined by one of the worst moments of your life. Knowing that all negligent parties have been held accountable and justice has been served to its fullest extent is a requisite for this.
During our free case consultation, we sit down with truck crash victims and explore what justice looks like to them. Then, together, we build out and plan to achieve these objectives. Throughout your case, our truck accident attorneys will work with you to help you achieve your goals for justice– even when those efforts take us outside of the courtroom.
Hold Trucking Companies Accountable.
No one deserves to lose their ability to walk, hold their child, or have their life plans stolen from them in a senseless trucking accident. When something as needlessly tragic as an eighteen-wheeler crash leaves a person paralyzed, there is a moral call to hold those responsible fully accountable.
Inside the courtroom, it is our firm’s mission to hold the negligent drivers and motor carriers accountable for the harm they have caused. Outside the courtroom, we work with safety and advocacy groups to advance life-saving safety solutions within the trucking industry so that these dangerous drivers and trucking companies never operate on US roads again.
Set you up for and help you maintain success long-term.
The journey of moving forward from your truck crash will rarely be a straight line. It is hard to know immediately all the ways your back, neck, or spine injury will impact your life. When you reach a roadblock, we want to be there for you. Whether it’s helping you financially plan for the future, championing your story, or supporting your endeavors to become an advocate for truck safety reform, know that the support you receive from our team will be available long after your case comes to a close.
Our truck accident law firm has successfully won claims against more than 300 trucking companies and recovered some of the largest trucking verdicts and settlements in US history.
Filing a Claim for Your Spinal Cord Injury
You only have one opportunity to pursue justice for your Oklahoma truck accident claim. One opportunity to hold a negligent truck driver accountable. One chance to receive compensation for everything that was taken from you.
If you or a loved one has suffered a serious neck or spine injury in a collision with a big rig, it is imperative to work with an experienced Oklahoma truck accident law firm with a long history of successful verdicts and settlements.
The experienced Oklahoma City personal injury lawyers at The Law Firm for Truck Safety understand the complexity of prosecuting trucking cases. Call us today to connect with a member of our legal team and discuss your options for justice.
Filing a Claim for Your Spinal Cord Injury
Filing a claim for your spinal cord injury after a truck accident in Oklahoma requires working with an experienced law firm. The Law Firm for Truck Safety has a proven track record of successful verdicts and settlements. Contact us today to discuss your options for justice.
Our Spine Injury Lawyers
Lawyers NBTA Certified in Truck Crash Law
Lawyers with
Class A CDLs
Settlements and Verdicts
$1 Million and over
Largest Truck Crash Verdict
in Ohio History
With offices in Oklahoma City and throughout the Midwest, our team of nationally-recognized attorneys works with other attorneys and safety advocacy groups at Federal and local levels to fight for those who have had their lives shattered by truck crashes. We work with these groups and support their efforts to build a safer trucking industry where trucking tragedies cannot occur on US roads.
If you or a loved one have suffered serious injuries at the hands of a negligent truck driver, the truck accident lawyers at The Law Firm for Truck Safety can help you recover financial compensation to help you rebuild your life after a catastrophic truck crash.
I am a professional truck driver. When I was injured, [I was] immobilized by my injuries and the surgery that followed. Joe was so much more than I hoped, and the settlement I received was terrific. He is not just my lawyer, he is my friend.
Joe knows what he is doing, and he is determined. He takes care of the people he helps, and he doesn’t leave them until the work is done. Joe Ervin is...the only lawyer I would send my friends or family to see.
A pleasure to work with and the best at identifying coverage when others can’t!
My mother was killed and my son was badly injured in a head-on accident. Joe Ervin made sure that we knew what was happening at every stage of the process. [Joe] is a terrific lawyer and a good man. I would send my family or friends to him, no question.
Outstanding service and attention to detail. Would highly recommend them.
Holding Trucking Companies Accountable
A truck crash is different from a car accident in many ways. Physical differences, driving techniques, and Federal regulations all add nuance and complexity to a semi-crash lawsuit. These elements make it vital for truck crash victims looking to recover compensation through a paralysis injury lawsuit to hire a lawyer who specializes in truck crash law.
Unfortunately, many truck crash victims unknowingly work with attorneys who don’t know how to effectively litigate their truck accident claims. Most victims of truck crashes will settle their case based on the minimum insurance requirement of motor carriers ($750,000). Oftentimes, this $750,000 is rarely sufficient in covering the medical costs of someone living with tetraplegia. It is also a fraction of the amount of compensation a truck crash victim could recover for their injuries — if only their personal injury attorney knew where to look.
Truck crash victims with paralysis injuries require a lawyer well-versed in truck crash law for fair compensation. Unfortunately, many victims end up working with lawyers who lack this expertise, resulting in settlements that fall short of true justice. When a truck crash victim hires a personal injury attorney who specializes in truck crash law, they can feel confident their story is being championed by a firm that knows how to find compensation that a generalized personal injury law firm may miss.
Understanding Spinal Cord Injuries and Paralysis
Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are injuries that affect the spinal cord, protective vertebrae, and discs. Serious spinal cord injuries disrupt the signals between your brain and the rest of your body. Depending on where and how severe the damage is, this can result in various degrees of nerve damage and paralysis.
Motor vehicle crashes are the most common cause of spinal cord injuries. Even when an SCI doesn’t result in paralysis, truck crash victims may still experience serious and ongoing complications from their neck or back injury.
A spinal cord injury attorney in Oklahoma City, OK, can help you file a claim to hold the party that caused your spinal cord injury fully accountable.
Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are injuries that affect the spinal cord, protective vertebrae, and discs. Serious spinal cord injuries disrupt the signals between your brain and the rest of your body. Depending on where and how severe the damage is, this can result in various degrees of nerve damage and paralysis.
Motor vehicle crashes are the most common cause of spinal cord injuries. Even when an SCI doesn’t result in paralysis, truck crash victims may still experience serious and ongoing complications from their neck or back injury.
A spinal cord injury attorney in Oklahoma City, OK, can help you file a claim to hold the party that caused your spinal cord injury fully accountable.
Common Types of Neck and Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries cause permanent disability for many truck crash victims. Traffic collisions, including those with a semi-truck, are the most common cause of SCIs, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, which estimates that about 40% of all spinal cord injuries occur in crashes.
- Paralysis: Motor vehicle accidents, including trucking accidents, are the number one cause of spinal cord injuries in the United States. While paralysis types vary, incomplete tetraplegia – weakness or paralysis of all four limbs – is the most common type of paralysis injury according to The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC).
- Spinal Fractures: There are several types of spinal fractures: burst fractures, compression fractures, fracture-dislocations, and extension pattern fractures.Spinal fracture symptoms can vary depending on the size and location of the fractures, and how much pressure is put on the spinal cord. Paralysis can be a symptom of a spinal fracture when a fracture is combined with damage to the spinal cord.
- Spinal Cord Compression: Trauma from a trucking accident can put pressure on any location of the spinal cord from the neck to the lower back. Spinal cord compression can cause many serious issues including problems with balance, pain, stiffness, burning pain, numbness and weakness in the hands, legs, or feet, loss of feeling, and loss of coordination in the hands.
- Paralysis: Motor vehicle accidents, including trucking accidents, are the number one cause of spinal cord injuries in the United States. While paralysis types vary, incomplete tetraplegia – weakness or paralysis of all four limbs – is the most common type of paralysis injury according to The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC).
- Spinal Fractures: There are several types of spinal fractures: burst fractures, compression fractures, fracture-dislocations, and extension pattern fractures. Spinal fracture symptoms can vary depending on the size and location of the fractures, and how much pressure is put on the spinal cord. Paralysis can be a symptom of a spinal fracture when a fracture is combined with damage to the spinal cord.
- Spinal Cord Compression: Trauma from a trucking accident can put pressure on any location of the spinal cord from the neck to the lower back. Spinal cord compression can cause many serious issues including problems with balance, pain, stiffness, burning pain, numbness and weakness in the hands, legs, or feet, loss of feeling, and loss of coordination in the hands.
- Whiplash: Whiplash occurs when the head and neck are rotated rapidly forward and backward. Classic symptoms are neck pain and stiffness and worsening pain with movement. Whiplash may cause nerve damage and temporary, localized paralysis in the arms, shoulders, or face.
- Pinched Nerve: Nerves are easily damaged in accidents. A pinched nerve in the neck is known as cervical radiculopathy, and a pinched sciatic nerve is called sciatica (which may be caused by a herniated disc). Treatment for pinched nerves may include rest, an immobilizing brace, physical therapy, and surgery.
Always seek immediate medical attention regardless of what symptoms you feel after a truck collision. EMS responders are trained to identify spinal cord injuries, and prompt diagnosis and early medical care may make a difference in your long-term prognosis.
- Whiplash: Whiplash occurs when the head and neck are rotated rapidly forward and backward. Classic symptoms are neck pain and stiffness and worsening pain with movement. Whiplash may cause nerve damage and temporary, localized paralysis in the arms, shoulders, or face.
- Pinched Nerve: Nerves are easily damaged in accidents. A pinched nerve in the neck is known as cervical radiculopathy, and a pinched sciatic nerve is called sciatica (which may be caused by a herniated disc). Treatment for pinched nerves may include rest, an immobilizing brace, physical therapy, and surgery.
Always seek immediate medical attention regardless of what symptoms you feel after a truck collision. EMS responders are trained to identify spinal cord injuries, and prompt diagnosis and early medical care may make a difference in your long-term prognosis.
Causes of Paralysis & Other Spine Injuries in Oklahoma Truck Crashes
While defense attorneys will do their best to argue that your injuries were caused by circumstance — or worse, that you somehow were responsible for the crash — the reality is unsafe driving behavior almost always contributes to the kinds of truck crashes that leave victims paralyzed.
Some of the more common ways truck drivers and/or their employers cause catastrophic truck crashes include:
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Trucking is a 24/7 industry, but truck drivers cannot drive 24/7. In 2020, there were an estimated 633 deaths in the United States from fatigued-driving-related crashes. Falling asleep at the wheel is a major concern for multiple US agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
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According to NHTSA, In 2020, an estimated 3,142 people died in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers – and thousands more were injured. Any activity that takes your hands, mind, or eyes off of driving is a distraction. Cell phones are one of the most problematic distractions. Because heavy semi-trucks take longer to stop than passenger vehicles, truck drivers are even more at risk of accidents caused by distraction
For the serious traveller, Traveller Magazine is a mine of information, keeping you up-to-date with the latest trends in travel and tourism.
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a leading cause of vehicle accidents. NHTSA saw a double-digit (14%) increase in the number of drunk/drugged driving deaths from 2019 to 2020.
For the serious traveller, Traveller Magazine is a mine of information, keeping you up-to-date with the latest trends in travel and tourism.
Trucking companies must follow federal regulations for maintenance and inspections. Defects in tires, brakes, lights, and other components often cause or contribute to accidents.
For the serious traveller, Traveller Magazine is a mine of information, keeping you up-to-date with the latest trends in travel and tourism.
Inadequately trained truck drivers are more likely to cause accidents than experienced truck drivers.
For the serious traveller, Traveller Magazine is a mine of information, keeping you up-to-date with the latest trends in travel and tourism.
Unsecure and imbalanced cargo loads make semi-trucks harder to stop and maneuver, putting those around the tractor-trailer in danger of being hit by debris or components of the commercial motor vehicle itself.
If your spinal cord injury is the result of negligent truck driver behavior, you may be entitled to compensation. Ensure you are being represented by back and neck injury lawyers who know the trucking industry, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs), and possess the courage to take your paralysis case to court.
Paralysis Attorneys Fighting for Your Future
A spinal cord, neck, or paralysis-related injury is one of the most devastating injuries a truck crash survivor can endure after a semi-truck accident.
If you have suffered any degree of paralysis after a truck crash, pursuing legal action can be the best way to build a financial foundation for the rest of your life.
The spinal cord injury attorneys at The Law Firm for Truck Safety Oklahoma are here to help you and your family build a path to justice.
A spinal cord, neck, or paralysis-related injury is one of the most devastating injuries a truck crash survivor can endure after a semi-truck accident.
If you have suffered any degree of paralysis after a truck crash, pursuing legal action can be the best way to build a financial foundation for the rest of your life.
The spinal cord injury attorneys at The Law Firm for Truck Safety Oklahoma are here to help you and your family build a path to justice.
Crash. Not Accident.
The word “accident” is often used to describe devastating truck crashes. Many people in need of legal help will search for a “truck accident lawyer near me” or the “best truck accident attorney”. We even use "accident" in our site name.
However, most truck “accidents” are not accidents at all.
Truck crashes are often caused by distracted, fatigued, poorly trained, or downright dangerous truck drivers and/or the unsafe business practices of the trucking companies and brokers that hired them. Every semi-truck accident lawyer at The Law Firm for Truck Safety is committed to helping those who have been irreparably harmed in commercial vehicle crashes and providing education to the public that crashes are not accidents.
Paralysis and Truck Accidents- Frequently Asked Questions
Pursuing a Paralysis Lawsuit
While nothing can return the mobility taken from you, the truck accident attorneys at The Law Firm for truck safety can help you recover compensation for your injuries and medical expenses.
Your truck crash claim may entitle you to compensation for:
- Medical bills from your injury
- The costs of future medical care
- Lost wages from missing work
- Loss of earning capacity if you can no longer work in your current job
- Pain and suffering
- Occupational or physical therapy
- Lifestyle modifications, such as a wheelchair or disabled-driver vehicle
- Loss of spousal services or consortium
A spinal cord or back injury comes with a lifelong prognosis and care is costly. Your insurance company may not cover all the care required for your needs, and medical bills can quickly add up. When your attorney from The Law Firm for Truck Safety evaluates your case, we will consider the following:
- Your age
- The vertebrae level where the injury occurred
- Whether the injury is complete or incomplete
- Your estimated prognosis for recovery
- Physician-recommended treatments, including surgery
- Costs of long-term care
- Medical equipment costs
- Costs of rehabilitation
- Your lost wages as a result of the injury
- The effect the injury has on your earning capacity
- Whether you will be able to care for yourself or require a caregiver
- The pain and suffering the injury has and will cause
This is by no means everything we consider when estimating the amount of your claim, and each person’s circumstances are unique. For a more detailed estimate of what you can expect to recover from your spinal cord injury claim, schedule your free, no-obligation case review.
Filing a lawsuit not only helps you secure money for medical expenses, but it also helps to hold negligent trucking companies and drivers accountable for the behaviors and business practices that create unsafe semi-truck drivers.
In a trucking case, negligent parties may be held responsible through:
- Lifetime CDL revocation for a driver
- Criminal charges and jail time for the truck driver
- Court-mandated audits and record keeping
- Dissolution of an unsafe trucking company
- Court-ordered hiring and training process improvements
- Punitive Damages (money paid to penalize a party (usually the motor carrier)) for their negligent actions. This type of compensation serves to disincentivize others from maintaining the same business practices.
Filing a lawsuit not only helps you secure money for medical expenses, but it also helps to hold negligent trucking companies and drivers accountable for the behaviors and business practices that create unsafe semi-truck drivers.
In a trucking case, negligent parties may be held responsible through:
- Lifetime CDL revocation for a driver
- Criminal charges and jail time for the truck driver
- Court-mandated audits and record keeping
- Dissolution of an unsafe trucking company
- Court-ordered hiring and training process improvements
- Punitive Damages (money paid to penalize a party (usually the motor carrier)) for their negligent actions. This type of compensation serves to disincentivize others from maintaining the same business practices.
When a commercial driver leaves you paralyzed, they might not be the only party responsible for the crash. Other responsible parties can include the driver’s employer, the shipping company that loaded the cargo onto the truck, and the truck manufacturer, for example.
Commercial truck injury cases are complicated, so it’s important to choose a law firm with the knowledge and experience needed to take a deep dive into the case facts, hold all parties accountable and successfully recover the maximum compensation for your case.
When a commercial driver leaves you paralyzed, they might not be the only party responsible for the crash. Other responsible parties can include the driver’s employer, the shipping company that loaded the cargo onto the truck, and the truck manufacturer, for example.
Commercial truck injury cases are complicated, so it’s important to choose a law firm with the knowledge and experience needed to take a deep dive into the case facts, hold all parties accountable and successfully recover the maximum compensation for your case.
The time window you have to file a claim is called a statute of limitations. In Oklahoma, this time window is two years following your crash. However, in order to preserve evidence, and set your case up for success, it is always advisable to contact an Oklahoma City truck accident lawyer as soon as possible following your crash.
Back, Neck, & Spine Injuries and Truck Crashes
Any traumatic, sudden, or severe blow to your spinal cord or torso can lead to a spinal cord injury. Because of the speed and forces within trucking collision, when a passenger vehicle, motorcycle, bicycle, pedestrian, or another commercial truck collides with a tractor-trailer, the chances of sustaining a spinal cord injury are quite high.
Collisions with these commercial vehicles can be especially dangerous:
- Box Trucks
- Dump Trucks
- Flatbed Trailers
- Logging Trucks
- Tow Trucks
- Garbage Trucks
- Vehicles carrying Hazardous Materials
- Tanker Trucks
- Busses
- Government and municipal trucks
- Box Trucks
- Dump Trucks
- Flatbed Trailers
- Logging Trucks
- Tow Trucks
- Garbage Trucks
- Vehicles carrying Hazardous Materials
- Tanker Trucks
- Busses
- Government and municipal trucks
PTSD, depression, and anxiety are all common after a physically and emotionally traumatic event. Losing mobility from your SCI can be incredibly isolating, but it’s important to remember you’re never alone. There are many support groups available to those learning to cope with their new normal. Connecting with advocacy groups that champion truck safety reform can also serve as a powerful healing tool.
At The Law Firm for Truck Safety, we work with various truck safety advocacy groups that fight for a safer trucking industry and provide post-crash resources and support to families and survivors of devastating truck crashes.
For more information on resources near you, please call (800) 628-4500 or email [email protected].
Living with a Spinal Cord Injury
If your back, neck, or spinal cord injury has impacted your ability to perform certain tasks without assistance, it’s healthy and normal to feel frustrated, angry, and even hopeless at times. While these feelings are normal, they do not need to define your reality or the rest of your life.
Americans living with paralysis are capable of living active, independent, and socially fulfilling lives. Sports such as basketball, soccer, baseball, and even swimming all have modified formats to accommodate individuals who have been paralyzed.
When it comes to recreation and everyday tasks, the same is true for things like driving, going on vacation, participating in your favorite hobby, and having a family.
Building a new routine to accommodate living with paralysis, you may find these changes impact more than just your mobility. There are secondary physical conditions and medical predispositions associated with living with paralysis. While not everyone will experience all of these, it is important to speak with your medical provider about these secondary conditions, as they come with risks of their own. These conditions include:
- Loss of feeling and mobility in your limbs or extremities
- Incontinence, or bladder and bowel control issues
- Chronic low blood pressure
- Difficulty regulating body temperature
- Muscle atrophy from paralysis
- Pressure ulcers and decubitus ulcers
- Chronic pain
- Increased risk for certain breathing disorders
In cases of severe injury to the spinal cord, plegia is often permanent. For truck crash victims living with paralysis, moving forward is about managing the physical and medical components associated with their injury. Awareness, education, and a close relationship with your medical provider are critical to leading a healthy life, long-term.
We believe in the healing power of litigation.
Explore how The Law Firm for Truck Safety has helped truck crash victims champion their stories for justice -- inside and outside of the courtroom.
Explore how our firm helps truck crash victims find justice inside and outside of the courtroom.
Explore how The Law Firm for Truck Safety has helped truck crash victims champion their stories for justice -- inside and outside of the courtroom.
Legal Support from OKC Truck Crash Attorneys You Can Trust
The legal team at The Law Firm for Truck Safety is committed to one thing: helping victims of commercial truck accidents receive justice and find the means to move forward after the unimaginable happens.
We are tenacious trial lawyers who provide compassionate advocacy for our clients and their stories. Let us be a resource for you and your family as you regain your independence, hope, and strength.
Your consultation with our Oklahoma spinal cord injury lawyers is free and confidential, and, as always, our case consultations carry no obligation to partner with us.
CONTACT US: (800) 628-4500
