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Houston Car Accident Lawyer
If you were hurt in a crash on the Katy Freeway, the Loop, or a side street in your own neighborhood, you are suddenly dealing with an insurance adjuster whose job is to close your file cheaply. Drew Shirley handles that conversation so you can go back to healing.
- No fee unless we win
- Free, no-obligation consultation
- Harris, Fort Bend & Montgomery counties
What a Houston car accident lawyer actually does for you
A Houston car accident lawyer investigates how the crash happened, proves who was at fault under Texas law, documents the full extent of your injuries and losses, and negotiates with the insurance companies on your behalf — filing suit in Harris County if the insurer will not pay fairly. In Texas you generally have two years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit, and you can still recover money as long as you were 50% or less at fault.
Below is what that process looks like in practice, the Texas rules that decide your case, and the questions we are asked most often. If you would rather just talk to someone, call 281-888-8137.
Do you actually need a lawyer for this?
Drew’s honest triage: when you can handle a wreck yourself, when you should call, and why a fast offer from an adjuster is not good news.
Send a message
Give me the basics and I will call you back.
A few details is all I need to tell you whether you have a case worth pursuing. Free, no obligation, and what you send here stays between us. If it is urgent, phone is faster — 281-888-8137.
What to do after a car accident in Houston
The first few days shape everything that follows. If you are reading this from a hospital bed or your couch, start wherever you are — it is not too late to do the rest.
- 1
Get medical care, even if you feel okay
Adrenaline hides a lot. Soft-tissue injuries and concussions often show up a day or two later, and a gap between the crash and your first appointment is the first thing an adjuster will point to.
- 2
Report the crash and get the report number
Houston Police, the Harris County Sheriff, or the responding agency will generate a Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report (CR-3). You will need it, and so will we.
- 3
Photograph everything while it still exists
Both vehicles, the intersection, skid marks, debris, the weather, your visible injuries. Scenes get cleared and cars get repaired within days.
- 4
Get names, not just insurance cards
Witnesses disappear fast. A phone number written on the back of a receipt has saved more cases than you would think.
- 5
Be careful what you say to the other insurer
You are not required to give the other driver’s insurance company a recorded statement. Those calls are friendly on purpose. “I’m fine” and “I didn’t see them” both get used against you later.
- 6
Keep every piece of paper
Bills, discharge instructions, mileage to appointments, pay stubs showing missed work. Damages you cannot document are damages you generally cannot recover.
The Texas rules that decide your car accident case
- How long do I have to file?
- Two years from the date of the crash, for most Texas personal injury claims. The full set of Texas filing deadlines covers the shorter ones that can apply. Miss that window and the claim is generally gone no matter how strong it was. Claims against a governmental unit — a METRO bus, a city vehicle — can require written notice in a matter of months, so those need attention immediately.
- Who pays if the other driver caused it?
- Texas is an at-fault state. The driver responsible for the crash — through their liability insurance — is responsible for the harm they caused. There is no “no-fault” system here.
- What if I was partly at fault?
- Texas uses modified comparative fault with a 51% bar. If you are found 50% or less responsible, you can still recover, reduced by your share. At 51% or more, you recover nothing. This is exactly the number insurers push on, which is why the fault investigation matters so much.
- What if the at-fault driver had no insurance?
- Texas minimum liability coverage is only $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 per crash, and $25,000 for property damage — and plenty of drivers carry none at all. Your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage may then be the source of recovery. It is worth having someone read your policy rather than assuming you are out of luck.
- Does a police report decide fault?
- No. An officer’s opinion on a CR-3 is evidence, not a verdict, and it is often written in fifteen minutes at a chaotic scene. Fault can be re-established with vehicle damage, scene geometry, camera footage, and witness accounts.
What you recover if you were partly at fault
Texas uses modified comparative fault with a 51% bar. Your recovery is reduced by your share of the blame — and disappears entirely once that share passes half. This is the single number an insurance adjuster works hardest to push up.
What a Texas car accident claim can cover
No honest lawyer can quote you a number from a web page — the value of a claim depends on your injuries, your treatment, the available insurance, and how clearly fault can be shown. These are the categories Texas law allows you to pursue. A separate question — who pays your medical bills while the case is still open — has its own answer, and it matters long before any of this does. If you have no health insurance, a letter of protection is usually how people get treated in the meantime.
Medical expenses
Emergency care, imaging, surgery, physical therapy, and the future treatment your doctors say you will still need.
Lost income
Wages you missed while recovering, and reduced earning capacity if you cannot return to the work you did before.
Physical pain and suffering
What the injury has actually cost you, in the past and going forward, and how Texas puts a number on it.
Physical impairment and disfigurement
Lasting limits on what your body can do, and visible scarring.
Mental anguish
The anxiety, sleeplessness, and fear behind the wheel that a serious crash leaves behind.
Property damage
Repair or replacement of your vehicle and the personal property destroyed in it.
Crashes we handle
Rear-end collisions
The most common crash in Houston and the one insurers most often try to reframe as a “minor impact” to discount your injuries.
Intersection and left-turn crashes
Fault frequently comes down to light sequencing, camera footage, and who had the protected turn.
Highway and freeway wrecks
I-10, 610, 45, 59, and the Grand Parkway produce high-speed impacts with serious injuries and multiple vehicles.
Hit-and-run and uninsured drivers
When the at-fault driver leaves the scene or carries nothing, your own coverage often becomes the path forward.
Rideshare accidents
Uber and Lyft crashes involve layered commercial policies that turn on whether the app was on and a ride had been accepted.
18-wheeler and commercial truck crashes
Federal regulations, driver logs, and corporate defendants make these a different kind of case entirely.
Situations that change the answer
Not every crash is you, in your own car, hit by another private driver. These come up constantly, and each one changes which insurance policy is actually on the hook.
You were a passenger
You are usually the most straightforward claimant in the whole case, because your fault is not in question. You may have a claim against either driver, or both, regardless of which one you were riding with.
You were driving for work
Your employer’s commercial policy and workers’ compensation may both come into play alongside the at-fault driver’s insurance. These interact in ways that are easy to get wrong.
You were in a rental car
Coverage can come from the rental company, from the credit card you booked with, or from your own policy following you into the rental. It is worth finding out before you pay anything.
Your car was parked
Fault is rarely disputed, but identifying the driver often is — and if they left the scene, your uninsured motorist coverage may be the route to recovery.
A multi-vehicle pileup
Fault gets divided among several drivers, and each insurer argues someone else caused it. These take longer and reward early evidence gathering more than any other type.
You have a prior injury
A pre-existing condition does not bar your claim. Texas law recognizes that a defendant takes you as they find you — but expect the insurer to argue your pain predates the crash.
How long will this take, and will I have to go to court?
Most car accident claims in Texas settle without anyone filing suit, and most of the ones that are filed still settle before trial. Very few clients ever see a courtroom.
Timing depends far more on your medical treatment than on the legal process. A claim cannot be valued sensibly until you have finished treating or your doctors can say what care you will still need, because that is the number the whole case depends on. Settling before that point means guessing, and the guess is almost always low. A straightforward claim with clear fault and a finished course of treatment can resolve in a few months. A disputed-liability case, or one involving surgery, takes considerably longer.
If a case does need to be filed, that is not a failure of the process — it is usually the only thing that makes an insurer move. Filing suit and going to trial are different steps, and the first one frequently produces a fair offer without reaching the second.
Where we practice
The office is in Houston, and most cases are filed in Harris County. We also handle crashes throughout the surrounding counties — Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria, Galveston, and Waller — including in Sugar Land, Katy, Missouri City, Pearland, The Woodlands, Spring, Cypress, Humble, Stafford, and Baytown.
Where a case gets filed matters more than people expect. It affects the jury pool, how quickly a case moves, and sometimes the value of the claim itself. If you were hurt in one county and live in another, that is worth a conversation early rather than late.
Northwest of the city, Cypress sits in unincorporated Harris County, which means no city police force and a crash report filed by the sheriff, a constable or DPS.
Before you discuss numbers with anyone, it is worth knowing how much insurance Texas actually requires a driver to carry — the minimum is 30/60/25, and it runs out quickly.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a lawyer for a car accident in Houston?
Not always. If nobody was hurt and the only issue is a bumper, you can usually handle it yourself. It is worth talking to a lawyer when there are real injuries, when fault is disputed, when the insurer is delaying or has denied the claim, or when the settlement offered does not come close to your medical bills.
How long do I have to file a car accident lawsuit in Texas?
Generally two years from the date of the crash. Certain claims, including those against a city, county, or transit authority, carry much shorter notice deadlines, so do not wait to find out which applies to you.
Can I still recover if the crash was partly my fault?
Yes, as long as you were 50% or less at fault. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of responsibility. At 51% or more, Texas law bars recovery entirely.
Should I accept the insurance company’s first offer?
Rarely, and never before you know the full extent of your injuries. Early offers arrive while you are still treating, precisely because your bills are not finished yet. Once you sign a release, the claim is closed for good.
What if the other driver was uninsured?
Your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage may apply, and many Texas drivers have it without realizing it. Bring your policy to the consultation and we will read it with you.
How long does a car accident case take?
It depends far more on your medical treatment than on the legal process. Most cases are not ready to value until you have finished treating or reached maximum medical improvement. Straightforward claims can resolve in a few months; disputed-liability and serious-injury cases take longer.
How much is my car accident case worth?
Nobody can tell you honestly from a web page. Value depends on the seriousness of your injuries, the treatment you needed, how much insurance is available, and how clearly fault can be proven. Anyone who quotes you a figure before seeing your medical records is guessing.
Will I have to go to court?
Probably not. Most Texas car accident claims settle without a lawsuit, and most filed cases still settle before trial. Filing suit is often what makes an insurer move, and that is a different step from going to trial.
What if I was a passenger?
You are usually in the strongest position of anyone in the case, because your own fault is not in question. You may have a claim against either driver, or both, regardless of which car you were riding in.
Will my insurance rates go up if I use my own coverage?
Using benefits you already paid for, such as PIP or medical payments coverage, for a crash you did not cause is not the same as an at-fault claim. Those are first-party benefits and should not be treated as your fault.
Client Reviews
What Houston clients say about working with me.
Different wrecks, different years, people who have never met each other. The thing each of them mentions is the same — they always knew what was happening with their case.
From the beginning, Drew explained the entire process to me and it went exactly as he predicted. He always kept us updated and looked out for our best interest. Always gave us his advice while letting us make the decision.
I’m incredibly grateful for the support and dedication my attorney Mr. Shirley showed throughout my auto injury case. From the very beginning, they kept me informed, answered every question, and truly fought to make sure I was treated fairly.…
After my accident, I was overwhelmed, stressed, and unsure about what to do next.… Every time I had questions or felt anxious about the process, they were patient, reassuring, and always kept me updated.…
Where to find me
The office is at 4900 Woodway Drive, Suite 900, in Uptown Houston, just inside the 610 Loop. Most of this can be handled over the phone — but if you would rather sit down with the paperwork in front of you, the door is open.
Tell me what happened
The consultation is free, there is no obligation, and you will speak with an attorney — not a call center. If we take your case, you owe nothing unless we recover for you.