A Texas car accident lawyer at The Morgan Law Group can help injured drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and families understand their rights after a serious motor vehicle collision. The Morgan Law Group represents eligible accident victims throughout Texas in claims involving medical expenses, lost income, vehicle damage, disputed liability, and insurance coverage.
Texas generally follows an at-fault system for car accident claims. This means the person or company whose negligence caused the collision may be held financially responsible for the resulting injuries and losses. Establishing that responsibility may require evidence showing how the accident happened, who contributed to it, what insurance coverage is available, and how the injuries have affected the victim’s life.
Our attorneys investigate accidents, preserve evidence, evaluate insurance policies, calculate supported losses, and communicate with insurers on behalf of our clients. Visit our Texas Legal and Insurance Resource Center or explore the Personal Injury Resource Center for additional information.
Texas generally provides two years to file a personal injury lawsuit, although exceptions and shorter notice requirements may apply.
Compensation may be reduced based on responsibility, and a claimant found more than 50% responsible generally cannot recover damages.
Texas generally requires at least $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage.
Texas insurers must offer PIP and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, but a policyholder may reject these coverages in writing.
Speak with The Morgan Law Group about the collision, the insurance coverage involved, your injuries, and the legal options that may be available.
Unlike a no-fault state, Texas generally requires injured people to establish that another person or company was legally responsible before recovering liability damages from that party.
A successful claim typically requires evidence supporting four central elements:
Negligence may involve speeding, distracted driving, intoxication, unsafe lane changes, following too closely, failure to yield, driver fatigue, defective vehicle components, inadequate vehicle maintenance, or dangerous conduct by a commercial driver or employer.
Insurance companies may dispute any of these elements. They may argue that their insured did not cause the accident, that another driver was partly responsible, that the injuries existed before the crash, or that the requested compensation is excessive. Evidence should therefore be preserved as early as possible.
The available insurance policies can significantly affect how medical bills, vehicle repairs, lost income, and other damages are addressed.
The Texas Department of Insurance explains that drivers are generally required to carry minimum liability coverage commonly described as 30/60/25.
| Coverage | How It May Apply |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability | Minimum coverage generally provides up to $30,000 for one injured person and $60,000 total for injuries involving multiple people in one accident. |
| Property damage liability | Minimum coverage generally provides up to $25,000 for vehicle and other property damage caused in one accident. |
| Personal Injury Protection | PIP may help with qualifying medical expenses, lost income, and other covered costs regardless of who caused the accident. It must generally be offered unless rejected in writing. |
| Uninsured motorist coverage | UM coverage may apply when an at-fault driver has no liability insurance or cannot be identified after a qualifying hit-and-run accident. |
| Underinsured motorist coverage | UIM coverage may apply when the responsible driver’s liability limits are insufficient to address the supported damages. |
| Collision coverage | Collision coverage may pay for repairs to the insured vehicle, subject to the policy terms and deductible. |
| Commercial coverage | A separate commercial policy may apply when a driver was working or operating a business-owned vehicle at the time of the crash. |
Minimum coverage may be inadequate after a collision involving hospitalization, surgery, extended rehabilitation, multiple injured people, or extensive property damage. A complete coverage investigation should examine the at-fault driver’s policy, the vehicle owner’s coverage, applicable employer or commercial policies, and the injured person’s own insurance.
Our guide explaining who may pay after a Houston car accident provides additional information about potential sources of recovery.
The steps taken after a collision can protect personal safety, preserve evidence, and reduce avoidable insurance complications.
Call 911 when someone may be injured, a vehicle cannot be moved safely, traffic is obstructed, or significant property damage has occurred.
Document the accident before vehicles, debris, skid marks, or other physical evidence are removed, provided it is safe to do so.
Prompt evaluation can identify injuries that may not be obvious at the scene and create documentation connecting the condition to the collision.
Preserve records showing what happened and how the accident has affected your health, employment, property, and daily activities.
Before providing a detailed or recorded statement, understand which insurer is requesting it and how the information may be used. Read our guide about what not to say to an insurance company after an accident.
Texas collisions occur on congested urban freeways, rural highways, neighborhood streets, intersections, frontage roads, construction zones, and commercial transportation corridors.
Distraction, speeding, congestion, and following too closely can cause neck, back, head, and shoulder injuries.
Unsafe turns, red-light violations, failure to yield, and obstructed visibility frequently cause serious side-impact crashes.
Phones, navigation systems, passengers, food, and other distractions can prevent a driver from recognizing roadway hazards.
High speeds, traffic congestion, work zones, commercial trucks, and unsafe lane changes can produce severe multi-vehicle accidents.
Alcohol and drugs can affect coordination, judgment, reaction time, and the ability to operate a vehicle safely.
When a driver leaves the scene, recovery may depend on identifying the vehicle or examining uninsured motorist and other available coverage.
The Texas Danger Index examines roadway, city, weather, and insurance risks across the state. Drivers can also explore national collision patterns through our Car Accident Danger Index.
Responsibility may extend beyond the driver who struck another vehicle. A complete investigation should identify every person, business, policy, and dangerous condition that contributed to the crash.
Potentially responsible parties may include:
Evidence may include the Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report, photographs, surveillance footage, vehicle data, electronic logging information, mobile-phone records, maintenance records, witness statements, medical documentation, and expert analysis. Read more about evidence that may help prove accident liability.
The Morgan Law Group can investigate the collision, identify potentially responsible parties, and examine the insurance policies that may apply.
Texas uses a modified comparative-fault system known as proportionate responsibility. An insurance company may attempt to place additional blame on an injured person to reduce or defeat the claim.
Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 33.001, a claimant may not recover damages when their percentage of responsibility is greater than 50%. When the claimant is 50% or less responsible, an eligible recovery is generally reduced according to the assigned percentage of fault.
| Example Responsibility | Potential Effect on Recovery |
|---|---|
| 0% responsible | Compensation is not reduced based on the injured person’s responsibility. |
| 20% responsible | A supported damages award may generally be reduced by 20%. |
| 50% responsible | A supported damages award may generally be reduced by 50%. |
| More than 50% responsible | The claimant generally cannot recover damages under the proportionate-responsibility rule. |
Fault should be determined through evidence rather than assumptions. Vehicle damage, roadway evidence, video, witness accounts, traffic laws, and expert analysis may challenge an insurer’s version of the accident.
The value of a claim depends on the available evidence, severity of the injuries, insurance limits, recovery period, future medical needs, effect on employment, and percentage of responsibility assigned to each party.
| Category | Examples of Potential Losses |
|---|---|
| Medical expenses | Emergency transportation, hospital treatment, surgery, diagnostic testing, rehabilitation, medication, assistive devices, and reasonably anticipated future care. |
| Lost income | Missed wages, reduced hours, lost employment benefits, and diminished future earning capacity. |
| Property damage | Vehicle repairs, total-loss value, towing, storage, rental transportation, and personal property damaged in the collision. |
| Physical impairment | Limitations affecting mobility, independence, employment, recreation, and the ability to complete ordinary activities. |
| Pain and suffering | Physical pain, mental anguish, inconvenience, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life when supported by the evidence. |
| Wrongful death losses | Eligible family members or representatives may have claims for losses allowed under Texas law when an accident causes a death. |
There is no universal settlement amount for a Texas car accident. Online calculators cannot account for the insurance policies, medical evidence, liability disputes, future losses, and individual circumstances involved. Review our guide to factors affecting car accident claim value.
Legal deadlines can expire while medical treatment, insurance negotiations, or vehicle repairs are still underway.
Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003, a lawsuit for personal injury generally must be filed within two years. The correct deadline may depend on the accident date, identity of the defendant, age of the injured person, type of claim, and other circumstances.
Claims against state or local government entities may involve additional notice requirements that expire much sooner. Wrongful death, product liability, and claims involving minors may also present different issues.
Waiting can create practical problems even when the filing deadline has not expired. Surveillance video may be overwritten, vehicles may be repaired or destroyed, electronic data may be lost, and witnesses may become difficult to locate.
Texas law enforcement agencies submit qualifying crash reports to the Texas Department of Transportation. According to TxDOT’s crash-report guidance, the former Driver’s Crash Report, Form CR-2, is no longer retained by TxDOT. Qualifying investigated crashes are generally documented through the Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report.
A crash report can provide useful information about the drivers, vehicles, roadway, witnesses, citations, and responding agency. However, it may not contain every fact required to resolve liability. Photographs, video, witness statements, vehicle data, and other evidence may still be necessary.
Explore statewide and city-focused resources addressing Texas road risks, insurance issues, liability, and accident claims.
Access Texas-specific personal injury, insurance, legal, and claim information.
Review roadway, city, severe-weather, population, and insurance risks across Texas.
Learn which insurance policies and responsible parties may provide compensation after a Houston collision.
Understand liability and potential compensation after an accident caused by an impaired driver in Dallas.
Serious accident claims may involve multiple insurers, disputed evidence, commercial defendants, medical documentation, legal deadlines, and pressure to settle before the full consequences are known.
The Morgan Law Group can help by:
Learn more about our personal injury representation, review examples of our results, and read client reviews of The Morgan Law Group.
Our guide comparing a Texas personal injury settlement with a trial explains how some claims are resolved and why preparation matters throughout the process.
Tell us what happened. The Morgan Law Group can review the information you provide and help you understand the next step.
Use these guides to learn more about crash evidence, claim value, insurance communications, interstate accidents, and roadway risks.
These answers provide general information. The correct answer for a particular claim depends on the facts, policies, parties, and applicable law.
Move to a safe location when possible, call 911, request medical assistance, exchange information, photograph the scene, identify witnesses, and report the collision to the appropriate insurer. Avoid speculating about fault or minimizing possible injuries before receiving a medical evaluation.
Yes. Texas generally follows an at-fault system in which the person or company whose negligence caused the collision may be financially responsible for the resulting injuries and losses.
Possibly. Texas generally reduces an eligible recovery according to the claimant’s percentage of responsibility. A claimant found more than 50% responsible generally cannot recover damages under the state’s proportionate-responsibility rule.
Texas generally requires liability limits of at least $30,000 for injuries to one person, $60,000 total for injuries involving multiple people, and $25,000 for property damage in one accident. This is commonly called 30/60/25 coverage.
Potential options may include uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, PIP, health insurance, collision coverage, and claims against other responsible parties. The available recovery depends on the policies and circumstances involved.
You should understand who is requesting the statement, why it is being requested, and how it may be used before proceeding. The other driver’s insurer may use inconsistencies, estimates, or incomplete descriptions to dispute liability or damages.
Texas generally provides two years to file a personal injury lawsuit, but exceptions and shorter notice requirements may apply. Claims involving government entities can require action substantially earlier, so the specific deadline should be evaluated promptly.
The Morgan Law Group offers free consultations for potential car accident claims. Personal injury matters may be handled on a contingency-fee basis, meaning legal fees are generally collected only if compensation is recovered. The specific terms are explained in the written representation agreement.
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