Austin Car Accident Attorneys · 30+ Years in Texas

Austin Car Accident Lawyers

Hit on I-35 through downtown, MoPac, US-183, Loop 360, or a South Congress surface street? Patterson Law Group has recovered $100 Million+ for injured Texans. We serve Austin from our San Antonio office — phone or Zoom intake, no fee unless we win.

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How we serve Austin clients

Patterson Law Group does not maintain a brick-and-mortar office in Austin. We serve our Austin-area clients from our San Antonio office at 926 Chulie Drive (about 80 miles south on I-35) and our Fort Worth office at 2409 Forest Park Boulevard. The initial case review is by phone or Zoom — at no cost — and our attorneys travel to Austin for depositions, mediations, court hearings, and trial. We file cases in Travis, Williamson, and Hays Counties, work with Austin-area medical providers, and litigate at the Heman Marion Sweatt Travis County Courthouse like any local Austin firm.

Austin & surrounding cities we serve

We represent car-accident clients across Travis County and the surrounding Central Texas counties.

Austin Round Rock Cedar Park Pflugerville Leander Georgetown Kyle Buda

Counties covered: Travis, Williamson (Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Leander), Hays (San Marcos, Kyle, Buda), and Bastrop.

What to do after an Austin car accident

Get medical care immediately. Austin has Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas (Level I trauma — the only Level I in Central Texas, opened 2017 to replace University Medical Center Brackenridge), St. David's South Austin Medical Center, St. David's Round Rock, Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin, and St. David's North Austin Medical Center.
Report the crash. Austin PD handles inside-city crashes. Travis County Sheriff handles unincorporated county. DPS handles state highways and interstates. Get the case number.
Photograph everything. Vehicles, the scene, license plates, road conditions, traffic controls, and any visible injuries.
Get witness contact info. Independent witnesses are gold. Get a name and phone number before they leave.
Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurance company. Their adjusters are trained to limit your recovery. Refer them to us.
Call a lawyer before you sign anything. Early settlement offers are almost always low. Once you sign a release, you cannot reopen the claim.

Texas car accident law — what Austin drivers should know

Two-year statute of limitations

Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code §16.003. Government-defendant claims may have shorter notice deadlines under the TTCA.

Modified comparative fault (§33.001)

Texas follows a 51% bar rule: you can recover as long as you are 50% or less at fault.

Paid or incurred medicals (§41.0105)

Limits medical-damages recovery to amounts paid or incurred. With Level I trauma stays at Dell Seton easily running into six figures, careful documentation matters.

PIP and MedPay

Texas auto policies include PIP at a default of $2,500 unless rejected in writing.

UM/UIM coverage

UM and UIM coverage on your own policy fills the gap when the at-fault driver has no insurance or low limits.

Commercial vehicle / FMCSR overlay

If a commercial truck was involved, federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations apply. Federal minimum liability under 49 CFR §387.9 is $750,000 general freight, $1M+ hazmat.

Exemplary damages

§41.003 permits exemplary damages on clear and convincing evidence of gross negligence. §41.008 caps exemplary damages with statutory exceptions.

Hospital liens

Texas hospitals can attach liens to settlements under the Texas Hospital and Emergency Services Lien Act. Dell Seton, St. David's, and Ascension Seton lien practice is routine. We negotiate liens down.

Austin's most crash-prone car-accident corridors

I-35. The single highest-volume corridor in the city. NAFTA freight from Laredo to Dallas runs through downtown Austin. The stretch from Stassney Lane through downtown to US-290 produces the bulk of our Austin caseload.
MoPac Expressway (Loop 1). The west-side parallel to I-35. Express-lane merging and the recently-added MoPac South toll lanes produce high-speed merging crashes.
US-183 / Research Boulevard / Loop 1 toll. The northwest commuter spine through Cedar Park and Leander.
SH-130 toll. The I-35 east-side bypass. High posted speeds (85 mph in stretches — the highest in the U.S.) and heavy commercial-truck volume.
Loop 360 (Capital of Texas Highway). Tight curves through the hill country on the west side. Severe high-speed crashes.
US-290. The east-west connector to Houston. Construction zones produce rear-end and merging crashes.
SH-71 (Ben White Boulevard / Bastrop Highway). Surface arterial from Bee Cave through south Austin to Bastrop.
FM-2222 and FM-620 / RR-620. Hill-country commuter routes around Lake Travis with curves and grade-change crashes.

Where Austin car accident cases are heard

Travis County

Heman Marion Sweatt Travis County Courthouse, 1000 Guadalupe Street, Austin. The 53rd, 98th, 126th, 200th, 201st, 250th, 261st, 299th, 345th, 353rd, 419th, and 459th District Courts handle the civil docket.

Williamson & Hays Counties

Williamson County cases (Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Leander) go to the Williamson County Justice Center, 405 MLK Jr Street, Georgetown. Hays County cases (San Marcos, Kyle, Buda) go to the Hays County Government Center, 712 S Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos.

Federal court (W.D. Tex.)

Cases with diversity of citizenship or substantial federal-law issues can be filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division, at 501 W 5th Street.

Other Austin injury cases we handle

Common questions from Austin car accident clients

What is the deadline to file an Austin car accident lawsuit?

Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code §16.003 sets a two-year statute of limitations for most personal injury and wrongful death claims. The clock runs from the date of the crash. Claims against governmental entities — the City of Austin, Travis County, CapMetro, the State of Texas, or the University of Texas — can trigger Texas Tort Claims Act notice deadlines as short as six months under §101.101.

What if I was partially at fault for the Austin crash?

Texas follows modified comparative fault under §33.001. You can recover damages as long as you are 50% or less at fault. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault. The defense will push fault hard — we counter with reconstruction evidence, downloaded ECM data, and traffic-camera footage from the I-35, MoPac, US-183, and Loop 360 corridors.

Where will my Austin car accident case be filed?

Most Travis County civil cases are heard at the Heman Marion Sweatt Travis County Courthouse, 1000 Guadalupe Street, Austin. The 53rd, 98th, 126th, 200th, 201st, 250th, 261st, 299th, 345th, 353rd, 419th, and 459th District Courts handle the civil docket. Williamson County cases (Round Rock, Cedar Park, Georgetown) go to the Williamson County Justice Center, 405 MLK Jr Street, Georgetown. Hays County cases (San Marcos, Kyle, Buda) go to the Hays County Government Center, 712 S Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos. Federal claims can be filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division, at 501 W 5th Street.

How much is an Austin car accident case worth?

It depends on the severity of the injuries, the available insurance limits, the strength of liability, and the credibility of the medical record. Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code §41.0105 limits medical-bill recovery to amounts paid or incurred. With Level I trauma stays at Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas easily running into six figures, careful documentation matters.

Will my own insurance rates go up if I make a claim and I wasn't at fault?

In Texas, a carrier generally cannot raise your rates for a claim where you were not at fault. If you use your own PIP, MedPay, or UM/UIM coverage after a wreck caused by someone else, that is what you paid premiums for.

How does PIP and MedPay coverage work after an Austin wreck?

Texas auto policies include Personal Injury Protection (PIP) at a default of $2,500 unless you rejected it in writing. PIP pays your medical bills and a portion of lost wages regardless of fault. MedPay is optional and works similarly but does not cover wages.

Does Patterson Law Group have an office in Austin?

We do not have a brick-and-mortar office in Austin. We serve Austin-area clients from our San Antonio office at 926 Chulie Drive (about 80 miles south) and our Fort Worth office at 2409 Forest Park Boulevard. The initial case review is by phone or Zoom — at no cost — and our attorneys travel to Austin for depositions, mediations, court hearings, and trial. Most Austin clients never need to leave their home or hospital room to get their case started.

How much does it cost to hire Patterson Law Group for an Austin car case?

Nothing up front. We take car-accident cases on contingency — you pay no attorney fees unless we recover for you. The consultation is free and confidential. Se habla español.

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