When you’ve been injured due to someone else’s negligence, sometimes the toughest part is just figuring out who you can sue.
This question can become even more complicated if multiple parties are involved or there are questions of who was at fault.
Failure to sue the correct party for personal injuries in Oklahoma may result in your case being dismissed.
Contacting a personal injury attorney can help you answer these complicated questions and get you the compensation you deserve.
The Person Who Caused the Accident
The most obvious person to sue for personal injuries in Oklahoma is the person who was responsible for the accident in the first place. This is often your only recourse in a scenario where the other party does not have insurance.
Consider an incident where a neighbor’s vicious dog breaks out of its gate and bites someone. The dog’s owner likely will not have insurance to cover him in this case. For this reason, the plaintiff would be forced to sue the dog’s owner directly.
The Employer
Many people are injured at the hands of someone who was on the job at the time of injury.
If a grocery store employee left a slippery substance on the floor while cleaning or caused a grocery cart to collide with a vehicle in the parking lot, the injured party likely could file a lawsuit against the company’s owner. The prevailing theory is that the business is responsible for its employee’s actions, whether negligent or reckless.
However, there are limitations to this theory. An attorney can help determine if going after someone’s employer is the best course of action when suing for personal injuries in Oklahoma.
A Responsible Third Party
Many theories of tort liability extend far beyond the person who actually caused the injury, allowing plaintiffs to sue those who were responsible in other ways.
For example, John’s sister, Sally, allows him to use her car even though she knows John is very intoxicated. If John gets into a car accident, the plaintiff can also assert a claim against Sally for negligently allowing her brother to drive her car.
Alternatively, consider someone who falls on a patch of ice in their apartment complex. He could sue his apartment complex for failing to remove the ice, which caused his fall.
However, these determinations are often complex. Thus, an experienced attorney can best assist in these situations.
Initial Consultation and Case Evaluation
If you or someone you know has been hurt due to someone else’s negligence, please contact a Tulsa personal injury attorney to discuss your available legal options.
Consult with an experienced attorney at The Personal Injury Law Office of Tulsa today by calling today (918) 924-5528. If you prefer, you can use the box in the upper right-hand corner of this page to send a question or brief message.
