Houston Car Accident Attorneys · 30+ Years in Texas

Houston Car Accident Lawyers

Hit on the Katy Freeway, Gulf Freeway, 610 Loop, Beltway 8, or a Galleria-area surface street? Patterson Law Group has recovered $100 Million+ for injured Texans. We serve Houston from our Fort Worth office — phone or Zoom intake, no fee unless we win.

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How we serve Houston clients

Patterson Law Group does not maintain a brick-and-mortar office in Houston. We serve our Houston-area clients from our Fort Worth and San Antonio offices. The initial case review is by phone or Zoom — at no cost — and our attorneys travel to Houston for depositions, mediations, court hearings, and trial. Signed retainers, medical authorizations, deposition prep, and settlement signings can all be handled remotely when that is what you prefer. When your case calls for an in-person attorney at the Harris County Civil Courthouse or across the mediation table, we are there.

Greater Houston cities we serve

We represent car-accident clients across the entire Houston metro — Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Galveston, Brazoria, and Waller counties.

Houston Sugar Land Katy The Woodlands Pearland Pasadena Spring Cypress

Counties covered: Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Galveston, Brazoria, and Waller.

What to do after a Houston car accident

Get medical care immediately. Houston has more high-acuity trauma capacity than almost any U.S. city — Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center (Level I, the busiest in Texas), Ben Taub Hospital (Level I, Harris Health System), Memorial Hermann The Woodlands (Level I), Memorial Hermann Southwest, HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake, Memorial Hermann Northeast (Humble), and Memorial Hermann Sugar Land.
Report the crash. Houston PD handles crashes inside the City of Houston; smaller cities like Sugar Land, Katy, Pearland, Pasadena, Missouri City, and League City have their own departments. Harris County Sheriff and Constable Precincts handle unincorporated Harris County. DPS handles state highways and tollways. 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 the scene.
Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurance company. Their adjusters are trained to get you to say things that 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, even if your injuries turn out to be worse than expected.

Texas car accident law — what Houston drivers should know

Two-year statute of limitations

Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code §16.003 gives you two years from the date of the crash. Claims against the City of Houston, Harris County, METRO, or other governmental defendants may have Texas Tort Claims Act notice deadlines as short as six months.

Modified comparative fault

Under §33.001, Texas follows a 51% bar rule: you can recover damages as long as you are 50% or less at fault.

Paid or incurred medical bills

§41.0105 limits medical-bill recovery to amounts actually paid or incurred — particularly important for clients with substantial Memorial Hermann TMC or Ben Taub trauma stays.

PIP and MedPay

Texas auto policies include PIP at a default of $2,500 unless rejected in writing. PIP pays medical bills and a portion of lost wages regardless of fault.

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. Texas insurers must offer UM/UIM unless rejected in writing.

Commercial vehicle / FMCSR overlay

If a commercial truck was involved, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (49 CFR Parts 350–399) apply on top of Texas law. Minimum federal liability under 49 CFR §387.9 is $750,000 for general freight, $1M+ for hazmat.

Exemplary damages

§41.003 permits exemplary damages on clear and convincing evidence of fraud, malice, or 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. Memorial Hermann and HCA hospital liens are routine in Houston cases. We negotiate liens down.

Houston's most crash-prone car-accident corridors

I-10 (Katy Freeway). The widest freeway in the world at 26 lanes through the Energy Corridor. Constant commuter traffic between downtown and Katy.
I-45 (Gulf Freeway south / North Freeway north). Repeatedly ranked among the most dangerous interstates in the country. The stretch from downtown to Galveston produces some of the most severe crashes we work.
I-69 / US-59 (Eastex / Southwest Freeway). Commuter routes through Sugar Land, Stafford, Missouri City to the southwest and Humble, Kingwood, Cleveland to the northeast.
610 Loop (Inner Loop). Tight curves on the West Loop near the Galleria and the East Loop interchange with I-10 create chronic merging crashes.
Beltway 8 / Sam Houston Tollway. 88 miles around the city. 65–70 mph speed limits, heavy commercial truck traffic.
Grand Parkway (SH-99). The newest outer ring. High speeds and a growing share of commuter traffic from Cypress, Katy, and Spring.
SH-288. Connects downtown to Pearland and Lake Jackson. Recent toll-lane additions have shifted crash patterns.
Hardy Toll Road and Westpark Tollway. Designed for speed; crashes here tend to be severe.

Where greater-Houston car accident cases are heard

Harris County

The Harris County Civil Courthouse at 201 Caroline Street, Houston. The 11th, 55th, 61st, 80th, 113th, 125th, 127th, 129th, 133rd, 151st, 152nd, 157th, 164th, 165th, 189th, 190th, 215th, 234th, 269th, 270th, 280th, 281st, and 295th District Courts handle the civil docket.

Fort Bend & Montgomery

Fort Bend County cases (Sugar Land, Missouri City, Stafford, Katy on the Fort Bend side, Richmond) go to the Fort Bend County Justice Center, 1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Richmond. Montgomery County cases (The Woodlands, Conroe) go to the Montgomery County Courthouse, 301 N Main St, Conroe.

Federal court (S.D. Tex.)

Cases with diversity of citizenship or substantial federal-law issues can be filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division.

Galveston County cases go to the Galveston County Courthouse at 600 59th Street, Galveston. Brazoria County cases go to the Brazoria County Courthouse at 111 E Locust Street, Angleton.

Other Houston injury cases we handle

Common questions from Houston car accident clients

What is the deadline to file a Houston 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 Houston, Harris County, METRO, or the State of Texas — can trigger Texas Tort Claims Act notice deadlines as short as six months under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §101.101.

What if I was partially at fault for the Houston 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-10, I-45, 610 Loop, and Beltway 8 corridors.

Where will my Houston car accident case be filed?

Most Harris County civil cases are heard at the Harris County Civil Courthouse, 201 Caroline Street, Houston. The 11th, 55th, 61st, 80th, 113th, 125th, 127th, 129th, 133rd, 151st, 152nd, 157th, 164th, 165th, 189th, 190th, 215th, 234th, 269th, 270th, 280th, 281st, and 295th District Courts handle the civil docket. Fort Bend County cases (Sugar Land, Missouri City, Stafford, Katy) go to the Fort Bend County Justice Center, 1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Richmond. Montgomery County cases (The Woodlands, Conroe) go to the Montgomery County Courthouse, 301 N Main St, Conroe. Galveston County cases go to the Galveston County Courthouse. Federal claims can be filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division.

How much is a Houston 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 Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center or Ben Taub easily running into six figures, careful documentation matters. We give an honest valuation after we review the records, not before.

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. We handle the carrier communications so you do not have to.

How does PIP and MedPay coverage work after a Houston 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. Both can be tapped while the liability claim is pending.

Does Patterson Law Group have an office in Houston?

We do not have a brick-and-mortar office in Houston. We serve Houston-area clients from our Fort Worth office at 2409 Forest Park Boulevard and our San Antonio office at 926 Chulie Drive. The initial case review is by phone or Zoom — at no cost — and our attorneys travel to Houston for depositions, mediations, court hearings, and trial. Most Houston 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 a Houston car accident 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, and we advance investigation, expert, and litigation costs out of pocket until the case resolves. Se habla español.

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