CJ-2026-00029 - Mary Jo Friday v. Roberto Lopez-Perez

What's This Case About?

Let’s get straight to the wild part: a man is dead because a wooden block—yes, a literal piece of wood—flew off the back of a truck like some kind of rogue projectile from a medieval siege engine, smashed through his windshield at 65 miles per hour, and killed him instantly. This isn’t a deleted scene from Final Destination. This is real life. In Oklahoma. On a regular Tuesday. And now, in the quiet chambers of the District Court of Kingfisher County, someone’s going to have to answer for how a work truck turned into a deadly lumber cannon.

Mary Jo Friday is suing to find out exactly who dropped the ball—literally and figuratively. She’s not just a plaintiff; she’s the widow of Brandon M. Friday, the man who was behind the wheel of a work vehicle heading west on State Highway 33 on October 23, 2025, minding his own business, obeying traffic laws, when his life ended in a split second thanks to a poorly secured load. Mary Jo is now the personal representative of his estate, which means she’s legally tasked with stepping into Brandon’s shoes and demanding justice—because Brandon can’t. The defendants? Two parties tangled up in this tragedy: Roberto Lopez-Perez, the guy behind the wheel of the truck that launched the fatal timber, and R&R Oilfield Rental Services, L.L.C., the Oklahoma-based company that apparently owns the truck, employed Lopez-Perez, and (allegedly) failed to make sure basic safety protocols were followed. This isn’t just about one driver’s mistake—it’s about whether a whole company cut corners so badly they turned a routine drive into a death sentence.

Here’s how it went down, according to the petition: On that fateful day, Lopez-Perez was hauling eastbound on State Highway 33 near Cashion, Oklahoma—a two-lane stretch where cars zip by at 65 mph and there’s not much room for error. Meanwhile, Brandon Friday was coming the opposite way, driving his own work vehicle, probably thinking about dinner or a paycheck or the weather—normal human stuff. As they approached each other near County Road N2960, something unthinkable happened. A wooden block—unsecured, unattended, unexplained—launched from the back of Lopez-Perez’s vehicle, sailed across the highway like a cursed football, and crashed through Friday’s windshield with enough force to kill him on impact. The petition doesn’t say how big the block was, but we’re talking about an object heavy and dense enough to penetrate automotive glass at highway speed. We’re not talking about a 2x4 used for home repairs. We’re talking about industrial-grade lumber, possibly used in oilfield operations—R&R’s specialty. And it wasn’t strapped down. It wasn’t covered. It wasn’t safe. It was just… loose. And lethal.

So why are we in court? Because this wasn’t an act of God or a freak tornado of wood. This was preventable. And under Oklahoma law, when someone dies because of another person’s negligence, their family can sue for wrongful death. That’s exactly what Mary Jo Friday is doing—twice over. First, she’s suing Lopez-Perez personally, claiming he was negligent in operating and loading the vehicle. Second, she’s suing his employer, R&R Oilfield Rental Services, under a legal principle called respondeat superior—which, in plain English, means “you’re responsible for your employees’ messes.” But she’s going further than that. She’s alleging R&R failed to properly hire, train, supervise, and retain Lopez-Perez. She’s saying they owned the truck, loaded it, maintained it, and still let it roll out with a death trap in the bed. That’s not just negligence—that’s systemic failure. And because the petition claims the conduct was “grossly negligent” and done with “reckless disregard,” Mary Jo is also asking for punitive damages—not to compensate her, but to punish the defendants and say, “This should never happen again.”

Now, how much is she asking for? The petition doesn’t name a specific dollar figure, but it does say the damages are “in excess of the amount required for diversity jurisdiction”—which, for non-lawyers, means more than $75,000. That’s the federal threshold for cases that cross state lines, and while this one likely stays in Oklahoma, citing that number signals this isn’t a slap-on-the-wrist lawsuit. We’re talking about serious money—enough to cover funeral costs, lost wages (Brandon was working, so his family lost future income), emotional suffering, and yes, punishment. Is $75,000 a lot? For a life cut short by a flying piece of wood? Not even close. But it’s a starting point. In cases like this, juries often award far more when they see preventable tragedy, especially when corporate corners may have been cut. And let’s be real—R&R is an oilfield rental company. They’re not some mom-and-pop trailer outfit. They’re in the business of heavy equipment, transportation, and industrial logistics. They should know better. If they didn’t have a loading checklist, if they didn’t train their drivers, if they didn’t inspect their trucks, then yeah, punitive damages are on the table. And Mary Jo wants a jury to decide just how much that negligence should cost.

Our take? The most absurd part isn’t even the wooden block. It’s that this happened at all. In 2025. On a public highway. With commercial vehicles. How does a company let something that dangerous go unchecked? We’ve all seen tarps flapping, cargo shifting—but a full-on projectile? That’s not an accident. That’s a failure of culture. A failure of oversight. A failure of common sense. And while we can’t know the full story yet—remember, these are allegations, not verdicts—the picture painted here is horrifyingly simple: someone didn’t do their job, and a man is dead. We’re rooting for accountability. Not vengeance, not bloodlust, but real, meaningful responsibility. If R&R was cutting corners on safety to save five minutes or ten bucks, then they need to answer for it. And if Lopez-Perez was driving a known hazard, then he bears responsibility too. But let’s not pretend this is just about one guy forgetting to tie down a load. This is about a system that allowed it. And in a state where oilfield traffic is everywhere, where highways are shared by commuters and heavy haulers, this case could set a tone. Either: “Hey, load your trucks or people will die.” Or: “Meh, it was just a piece of wood.” We know which message we hope the jury sends.

One thing’s for sure—this isn’t just a lawsuit. It’s a warning. To every company, every driver, every supervisor: secure your loads. Because next time, it might not be a wooden block. It might be a tire. A tool. A pipe. And next time, we’ll all be asking the same question: Who thought this was okay?

Case Overview

Jury Trial Petition

Jurisdiction

District Court of Kingfisher County, Oklahoma

Filing Attorney

Marcus Mears

Cunningham & Mears, P.C.

Relief Sought

$1 Punitive

Plaintiffs

Mary Jo Friday individual
Rep: Marcus Mears

Defendants

Roberto Lopez-Perez individual
R&R Oilfield Rental Services, L.L.C. business

Claims

#	Cause of Action	Description
1	wrongful death	fatal auto collision
2	wrongful death	negligence of Defendant R&R

Petition Text

1,198 words

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF KINGFISHER COUNTY STATE OF OKLAHOMA MARY JO FRIDAY, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Brandon M. Friday, Plaintiff, vs. ROBERTO LOPEZ-PEREZ and R&R OILFIELD RENTAL SERVICES, L.L.C., Defendants. PETITION COMES NOW the Plaintiff, for cause of action against the above styled Defendants, and alleges as follows: 1. This case arises from a fatal auto collision on October 23rd, 2025, in which an unsecured load was ejected from Defendants’ vehicle, and crashed through the windshield of a vehicle driven by Brandon M. Friday, thereby killing Brandon M. Friday, (hereinafter, “Friday.”) 2. The fatal collision at issue occurred on State Highway 33 in the vicinity of the intersection with County Road N2960, (hereinafter “crash site.”) PARTIES The parties to the lawsuit are as follows: 3. Plaintiff Mary Jo Friday is the widow and duly appointed Personal Representative of the Estate of Brandon M. Friday.¹ 4. Defendant Roberto Lopez-Perez was the driver of Defendants’ vehicle. 5. Defendant R&R Oilfield Rental Services L.L.C., is an Oklahoma limited liability company, (hereinafter “R&R.”). ¹ In the Matter of the Estate of Brandon M. Friday, Canadian County District Court Case No. PB-2026-12. VENUE & JURISDICTION 6. The subject incident occurred in the County of Kingfisher County, State of Oklahoma. 7. Defendant Lopez-Perez is a resident of the State of Oklahoma. 8. Defendant R&R Oilfield Rental Services, L.L.C is an Oklahoma L.L.C., headquartered in Ringwood, Oklahoma. FIRST CAUSE OF ACTION – DEFENDANT LOPEZ-PEREZ COMES NOW the Plaintiff, reaffirms the foregoing allegations, and further states as follows: 9. On October 23rd, 2025 Defendant Lopez-Perez was driving his truck eastbound on State Highway 33, near Cashion, Oklahoma, in the County of Kingfisher County. 10. Brandon M. Friday was lawfully driving his work vehicle westbound on State Highway 33, near the intersection with County Road 2960, and approaching Defendant Lopez-Perez. 11. As the two vehicles approached the crash site from opposite directions, a wooden block was launched from Defendants’ vehicle, at highway speeds, into oncoming traffic. 12. State Highway 33 is a two-lane highway with a posted speed limit of sixty-five (65) miles per hour at the crash site. 13. The wooden block so launched from the Defendants’ vehicle crashed through Friday’s windshield. 14. The wooden block struck Friday, causing grievous bodily injury, (hereinafter “subject fatality.”). 15. Friday was killed as a direct result of the impact with of the Defendants’ wooden block. 16. Defendant Lopez Perez was negligent in his operation of his motor vehicle, and such negligence was the cause of Friday’s death. 17. Defendant Lopez-Perez was negligent in the maintenance and loading of his vehicle and such negligence caused Friday’s death. 18. As a direct cause of the negligence of Defendant Lopez-Perez, Plaintiff seeks damages including but not limited to those allowed under Oklahoma’s wrongful death statute: (i) Medical and burial expenses; (ii) Pain and anguish suffered by the Deceased, to be distributed to surviving heirs; (iii) Pecuniary loss to the Deceased’s surviving heirs, based on properly admissible evidence including but not limited to the Deceased’s age, occupation, earning capacity, health habits and probable duration of Deceased’s life; (iv) Grief and loss of companionship of the Deceased; (v) Other damages to be set forth after discovery; all of which are in excess of the statutory amount for diversity jurisdiction pursuant to Title 28 U.S.C. §1332. 19. In causing the death of Friday, Defendant Lopez-Perez acted with malice and in reckless disregard of the rights and safety of Friday. The conduct of Defendant Lopez-Perez was grossly negligent and willful under the circumstances and caused the death of Friday. Plaintiff hereby seeks punitive damages against Defendant Lopez-Perez. WHEREFORE, the Plaintiff prays for judgment against Defendant Lopez-Perez in excess of the amount required for diversity jurisdiction pursuant to United States Code Title 28 §1332, her attorney fees, costs, interest and other such relief as the Court shall deem equitable and proper. SECOND CAUSE OF ACTION – DEFENDANT R&R OILFIELD RENTAL SERVICES, L.L.C COMES NOW the Plaintiff for her second cause of action against the Defendant R&R Oilfield Rental Services, L.L.C.; Plaintiff reaffirms all forgoing allegations, and further state as follows: 20. At all times pertinent to this action Defendant Lopez-Perez was acting within his scope of employment with Defendant R&R. 21. As alleged herein, Defendant R&R is liable for the negligence of Defendant Lopez-Perez under the theory of Respondeat Superior. 22. Defendant R&R owned Defendants’ vehicle driven by Lopez-Perez at the time the subject fatality. 23. Defendant R&R operated Defendants’ vehicle driven by Lopez-Perez at the time of the subject fatality. 24. Defendant R&R maintained Defendants’ vehicle driven by Lopez-Perez at the time of the subject fatality. 25. Defendant R&R caused Defendants’ vehicle to be loaded with the wooden block that struck and killed Friday. 26. Defendant R&R caused the wooden block that killed Friday to be unsecured in Defendants’ vehicle. 27. Defendant R&R caused the unsecured wooden block to be launched from Defendants’ vehicle and strike Friday. 28. Defendant R&R was negligent in its acts and omissions related to R&R’s operation, maintenance and loading of Defendants’ vehicle driven by Lopez-Perez, and that such negligence caused the death of Friday. 29. Defendant R&R was negligent its hiring of Defendant Lopez-Perez. 30. Defendant R&R was negligent in its training of Defendant Lopez-Perez. 31. Defendant R&R was negligent in its supervision and retention of Defendant Lopez-Perez. 32. Defendant R&R’s negligence in its hiring, training, supervision and retention of Lopez-Perez, and such negligence caused the death of Friday. 33. Defendant R&R was negligent in its entrustment of the vehicle driven by Defendant Lopez Perez, and such negligence caused the death of Friday. 34. As a direct cause of the negligence of Defendant R&R Oilfield Rental Services, L.L.C., Plaintiff seeks damages including but not limited to those allowed under Oklahoma’s wrongful death statute: (i) Medical and burial expenses; (ii) Pain and anguish suffered by the Deceased, to be distributed to surviving heirs; (iii) Pecuniary loss to the Deceased’s surviving heirs, based on properly admissible evidence including but not limited to the Deceased’s age, occupation, earning capacity, health habits and probable duration of Deceased’s life; (iv) Grief and loss of companionship of the Deceased; (v) Other damages to be set forth after discovery; all of which are in excess of the statutory amount for diversity jurisdiction pursuant to Title 28 U.S.C. §1332. 35. In causing the death of Friday, Defendant R&R Oilfield Rental Services, L.L.C. acted with malice and in reckless disregard of the rights and safety of Friday. The conduct of Defendant R&R was grossly negligent and willful under the circumstances and caused the death of Friday. Plaintiff hereby seeks punitive damages against Defendant R&R Oilfield Rental Services, L.L.C. WHEREFORE, the Plaintiff prays for judgment against Defendant R&R Oilfield Rental Services, L.L.C. in excess of the amount required for diversity jurisdiction pursuant to United States Code Title 28 §1332, her attorney fees, costs, interest and other such relief as the Court shall deem equitable and proper. Attorney Lien Claimed Jury Trial Demanded By: ______________________ Marcus Mears, OBA # 16430 CUNNINGHAM & MEARS, P.C. 5104 N. Francis Avenue, Suite 102 Oklahoma City, OK 73118 Tel. (405) 232-1212 Fax. (405) 232-1675 [email protected] Attorney for the Plaintiff