CJ-2026-1180 - Keegan Howell v. Coffeyville Resources Crude Transportation

What's This Case About?

Let’s cut straight to the chaos: on a perfectly ordinary day in Oklahoma City, a commercial crude oil hauler allegedly plowed into an unsuspecting motorist on Lake Hefner Parkway like it was the final lap at Talladega—except nobody signed up for this demolition derby, and now someone’s demanding $150,000 to make it right. That’s not even the wildest part. The real kicker? The company behind the big rig isn’t just being sued for what their driver did behind the wheel—they’re allegedly being dragged into court for how they hired him, trained him, and possibly handed the keys to a 40-ton liability with the same level of caution as a college kid getting handed the keys to a dented minivan after one weekend of YouTube tutorials.

Meet Keegan Howell, your average Oklahoman just trying to get from point A to point B without starring in a highway horror story. He wasn’t drag racing, wasn’t texting, wasn’t doing anything even mildly reckless. According to his lawsuit, he was obeying traffic laws like a responsible adult—which, in the world of civil litigation, basically makes him a saint. On the other side of the collision: Jacobi A. Fredric, a commercial driver operating what we can only assume was a very large, very heavy truck, given that it belonged to Coffeyville Resources Crude Transportation—a company whose name sounds like it was pulled straight out of a mid-budget oil industry thriller. These folks don’t move snacks or sneakers—they haul crude. As in, oil. As in, the kind of cargo that makes you hope the person behind the wheel has both a clean record and a functioning attention span.

Now, what exactly went down on April 4, 2024? The filing doesn’t give us a slow-motion replay with dramatic music, but it does lay out a series of very specific driving sins committed by Mr. Fredric. He allegedly sped. He failed to keep control. He drove carelessly. He followed too closely. He didn’t keep a proper lookout. And—this one’s our personal favorite—he failed to change lanes safely. Which, let’s be honest, is the bare minimum requirement for operating any vehicle larger than a golf cart. The result? A collision with Keegan Howell’s vehicle. The aftermath? Injuries, medical bills, and a car that probably looked less like a car and more like modern art.

But here’s where this case shifts from “annoying fender bender” to “full-blown corporate accountability drama.” Howell isn’t just suing the guy who was driving the truck. He’s also suing the company that employed him—Coffeyville Resources Crude Transportation—and he’s doing it on three separate legal fronts, like a legal hat trick of doom. First, there’s the straightforward claim: negligence (and possibly gross negligence) against Fredric himself. That’s the “you drove like a maniac and hit me” argument. Totally understandable. Then comes vicarious liability—a fancy way of saying, “Hey, you may not have been at the wheel, but you’re the boss, so you’re on the hook too.” Under a legal doctrine called respondeat superior (Latin for “the boss answers for the employee”), companies can be held responsible for the actions of their workers—especially when those workers are hauling hazardous materials on public roads during work hours.

But the pièce de résistance? The third claim: negligent hiring, training, and supervision. This is where the lawsuit gets spicy. Howell isn’t just saying Fredric messed up—he’s saying Coffeyville should’ve known he was a ticking time bomb. The petition alleges the company failed in its duty to properly vet, train, and monitor its driver. It claims they “negligently entrusted” him with a commercial vehicle, despite knowing—or should’ve known—that he was “careless, reckless, unqualified, and incompetent.” That’s not just a bad hire; that’s a company-wide failure wrapped in a DOT violation and served with a side of federal safety regulations. And let’s not forget: these aren’t just suggestions. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has a whole rulebook—49 C.F.R. Parts 390–399—for a reason. These rules exist so that oil doesn’t spill, roads stay safe, and civilians like Keegan Howell don’t get turned into unwilling participants in a trucking company’s game of Russian roulette.

So what does Howell want? A cool $150,000. Half of that—$75,000—is for actual damages: medical bills, car repairs, pain and suffering, the whole unfortunate package. The other half? Punitive damages. And that’s the courtroom equivalent of throwing down a gauntlet. Punitive damages aren’t about compensation—they’re about punishment. They’re the legal system’s way of saying, “You didn’t just mess up. You acted so recklessly that we need to slap your wrist and empty your wallet to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Asking for $75,000 in punitive damages isn’t just about the money—it’s a message. It’s Howell’s legal team saying, “We don’t think this was an accident. We think it was preventable. And we think someone dropped the ball so hard it became a public hazard.”

Now, is $150,000 a lot? For an individual, sure. For a commercial crude transportation company? Probably not even a rounding error on their quarterly fuel budget. But symbolism matters. Especially when you’re hauling volatile cargo through city streets. Especially when your driver allegedly breaks half the rules in the commercial driving handbook. And especially when your company is named in a lawsuit that could become a cautionary tale in every trucking safety seminar for the next decade.

Our take? Look, car crashes happen. People make mistakes. But when you’re operating under a DOT number and moving hazardous materials, “oops” isn’t a defense—it’s a liability. The most absurd part of this case isn’t the collision itself. It’s the idea that a company entrusted with public safety might have ignored red flags, skipped training, or treated driver qualifications like an afterthought. We’re not saying Jacobi Fredric is off the hook—far from it. But if Coffeyville Resources Crude Transportation was cutting corners on hiring or supervision, then this lawsuit isn’t just about one bad day on Lake Hefner Parkway. It’s about accountability. It’s about making sure the next driver they hire knows the difference between “change lanes” and “cause a scene.”

And honestly? We’re rooting for the guy who just wanted to drive home in one piece. If that means a company has to pay attention—literally and figuratively—then so be it. Because in the grand theater of civil court, sometimes the most dramatic crashes aren’t the ones on the highway. They’re the ones that happen when corporate negligence meets a plaintiff with a good lawyer and a solid case.

Case Overview

$150,000 Demand Jury Trial Petition

Jurisdiction

District Court, Oklahoma

Filing Attorney

Monty L. Cain

Cain Law Office

Relief Sought

$75,000 Monetary

$75,000 Punitive

Plaintiffs

Keegan Howell individual
Rep: Cain Law Office

Defendants

Coffeyville Resources Crude Transportation business
Jacobi A. Fredric individual

Claims

#	Cause of Action	Description
1	Negligence/Gross Negligence	Plaintiff claims the defendant driver was negligent and grossly negligent in causing a vehicle collision.
2	Vicarious Liability	Plaintiff claims the defendant company is vicariously liable for the defendant driver's negligence.
3	Negligence	Plaintiff claims the defendant company negligently hired, trained, and supervised the defendant driver.

Petition Text

1,011 words

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF OKLAHOMA COUNTY STATE OF OKLAHOMA KEEGAN HOWELL, Plaintiff, v. COFFEYVILLE RESOURCES CRUDE TRANSPORTATION & JACOBI A. FREDRIC, Defendants. FILED IN DISTRICT COURT OKLAHOMA COUNTY Case No: FEB 13 2026 RICK WARREN COURT CLERK 88 CJ - 2026 - 1180 PETITION COMES NOW, the Plaintiff, Keegan Howell (hereinafter “Plaintiff”), and for his cause of action against the Defendants, Coffeyville Resources Crude Transportation, (hereinafter “Defendant COFFEYVILLE”) and Jacobi A. Fredric (hereinafter “Defendant Fredric”), alleges and states: FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS 1. On or about April 04, 2024, at or near Lake Hefner Parkway and West Hefner Road, in Oklahoma City, in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, Defendant Fredric negligently drove a commercial vehicle and struck the vehicle operated by the Plaintiff. 2. That at all material times mentioned herein, the Plaintiff operated his vehicle properly and lawfully. 3. That at all material times mentioned herein, Defendant Fredric was operating a commercial motor vehicle. 4. That at all material times mentioned herein, and upon information and belief, Defendant COFFEYVILLE owned the commercial motor vehicle operated by Defendant Fredric. 5. That upon information and belief, the commercial motor vehicle was operated under the US DOT operating authority of Defendant COFFEYVILLE, DOT# 1236378. 6. That at all material times mentioned herein, Defendant Fredric acted in his capacity as an employee and/or agent of Defendant COFFEYVILLE, was in the course and scope of his employment, statutory employment, and/or agency with Defendant COFFEYVILLE. 7. That at all material times mentioned herein, Defendant Fredric operated the commercial motor vehicle at issue with the permission of Defendant COFFEYVILLE. 8. That at all material times mentioned herein, Defendant COFFEYVILLE and Defendant Fredric were subject to the Parts, Rules, and Regulations of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration located in Title 49 C.F.R. Transportation, Subtitle B, Chapter III, Subch. B. Parts 390-399, inclusive, referred to herein as the “FMCSR,” and that said Parts, Rules, and Regulations have been adopted by Oklahoma in Okla. Admin. Code § 595:35-1-4. FIRST CAUSE OF ACTION: NEGLIGENCE/GROSS NEGLIGENCE – DEFENDANT FREDRIC 9. The Plaintiff incorporates by reference the above stated paragraphs and further alleges the following: 10. That at all material times mentioned herein, Defendant Fredric operated the commercial motor vehicle in a negligent manner by, including but not limited to, the following: a. By traveling at an excessive speed; b. By failing to maintain control of the commercial motor vehicle; c. By driving in a careless and/or prohibited manner; d. By driving at a speed that was greater than what was reasonably and prudent under the circumstances. e. By failing to keep a careful lookout; f. By following too closely; g. By failing to change lanes safely. 11. That upon information and belief, Defendant Fredric acted with reckless disregard to the rights and safety of others, warranting the imposition of punitive damages. 12. That as a direct and proximate result of the negligence/gross negligence of Defendant Fredric, the Plaintiff has sustained bodily injuries, has incurred medical expenses, has incurred property damage, all in an amount in excess of $75,000.00, and is entitled to punitive damages in an amount in excess of $75,000.00. SECOND CAUSE OF ACTION: VICARIOUS LIABILITY – DEFENDANT COFFEYVILLE 13. The Plaintiff incorporates by reference the above stated paragraphs and further alleges the following: 14. That at all material times mentioned herein, and upon information and belief, the commercial motor vehicle at issue was operated under the DOT operating authority of Defendant COFFEYVILLE. 15. That at all material times mentioned herein, and upon information and belief, Defendant Fredric was the employee, statutory employee, agent, and/or servant of Defendant COFFEYVILLE. 16. That all actions or omissions of Defendant Fredric, specified herein, occurred within the course and scope of such employment, statutory employment, and/or agency of Defendant COFFEYVILLE. 17. That under the doctrine of respondeat superior, Defendant COFFEYVILLE is vicariously liable for the negligence/gross negligence acts and/or omissions of Defendant Fredric. 18. That under the doctrine of respondeat superior, Defendant COFFEYVILLE is liable for the punitive damages of its employee and/or agent, Defendant Fredric. THIRD CAUSE OF ACTION: NEGLIGENCE – DEFENDANT COFFEYVILLE 19. The Plaintiff incorporates by reference the above stated paragraphs and further pleads the following: 20. That upon information and belief, Defendant COFFEYVILLE negligently hired, trained, supervised, and retained Defendant Fredric. 21. That Defendant COFFEYVILLE negligently entrusted Defendant Fredric with the commercial motor vehicle at issue, and knew or should have known, that Defendant Fredric was incompetent to operate the commercial motor vehicle. 22. That Defendant COFFEYVILLE knew or should have known that Defendant Fredric was careless, reckless, unqualified, and incompetent to safely operate a commercial motor vehicle, and was likely to use said commercial motor vehicle in a manner involving unreasonable risk of bodily harm to others. 23. That as a motor carrier, Defendant COFFEYVILLE had certain duties and responsibilities defined by the FMCSR, State trucking safety regulations, and trucking industry standards, including, but not limited to, the duties to properly qualify, train, supervise, monitor, inspect and maintain its vehicles, and to otherwise establish and implement appropriate management controls and systems for the safe operation of its commercial motor vehicles. 24. That Defendant COFFEYVILLE’s failure to properly hire, supervise, and train Defendant Fredric was negligent, grossly negligent, reckless, and caused the Plaintiff’s damages described herein. 25. That upon information and belief, such negligence, gross negligence, and/or recklessness, warrants the imposition of punitive damages in an amount in excess of $75,000.00. 26. That as a direct and proximate result of the negligence/gross negligence of Defendant COFFEYVILLE, the Plaintiff has sustained bodily injuries, has incurred medical expenses, has incurred property damage, all in an amount in excess of $75,000.00, and is entitled to punitive damages in an amount in excess of $75,000.00. WHEREFORE, the Plaintiff, Keegan Howell, prays for judgment against the Defendants, Coffeyville Resources Crude Transportation and Jacobi A. Fredric, for personal injuries and property damage in an amount in excess of $75,000.00, plus interest, costs, and attorney fees, and punitive damages in excess of $75,000.00, and all such other and further relief as to which Plaintiff may be entitled. Respectfully Submitted, CAIN LAW OFFICE Attorney for Plaintiff MONTY L. CAIN, OBA #15891 PARKER M. LELAND, OBA #35167 P.O. Box 892098 Oklahoma City, OK 73189 (405) 759-7400 – Phone (405) 759-7424 – Facsimile [email protected] ATTORNEY’S LIEN CLAIMED