Houston Car Accident Lawyer for Serious Injury Cases

Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. They do show the level of cases we have handled and the importance we place on preparation for trial.

What I Look at First in a Serious Houston Car Accident Case

After more than four decades of handling serious injury cases, I know maximizing your compensation is built on the evidence—the facts that prove what happened, show the full impact of the injuries, and give us leverage with the insurance company.

How did the crash happen?

The police report matters, but it is only one piece of the story. I want photographs, video, witness information, vehicle damage, traffic controls, and any electronic evidence that may help explain the collision. In a disputed case, small details can become important later.

What evidence could disappear?

Houston is full of cameras, but video is not kept forever. Businesses, apartment complexes, parking facilities, toll systems, and private security systems may overwrite footage. Witnesses move, memories fade, and damaged vehicles get repaired or sold. When the injuries are serious, I would rather investigate early than try to recreate missing evidence months later.

Does the medical story fit the crash?

Insurance companies look for gaps in treatment, prior injuries, inconsistent symptoms, and anything else they can use to argue that the crash did not cause the problem. I look at the whole medical timeline: what changed after the collision, what the doctors found, what treatment is still needed, and whether the injury affects work or daily life.

Where is the insurance coverage?

In a major injury case, identifying every available policy can be as important as proving fault. The obvious driver may not be the only source of coverage. Employer policies, rideshare coverage, commercial policies, and uninsured or underinsured motorist benefits can matter depending on the facts.

What Should You Do in the First 48 Hours After a Houston Car Accident?

Protect your health first. Then protect the evidence. You do not need to build your own lawsuit from the side of the road, but a few basic steps can prevent avoidable problems.

• Get medical care when you are hurt or develop symptoms. Adrenaline can hide pain for hours.
• Call the police when required and get the crash-report information.
• Take photographs or video of the vehicles, road, traffic controls, visible injuries, and anything else that may explain what happened.
• Get witness names and phone numbers before people leave.
• Save bills, repair estimates, towing records, photographs, emails, texts, and proof of missed work.
• Be accurate when you speak. Do not guess about speed, distance, fault, or injuries you do not yet understand.
• Do not sign a release just because an insurer offers quick money before the medical picture is clear.

For a fuller step-by-step guide, read what to do after a Houston car accident. The Texas Department of Insurance’s auto-claim guidance also recommends documenting the scene, collecting driver information, and keeping claim records.

When Does It Make Sense to Hire a Houston Car Accident Lawyer?

Not every fender-bender needs a lawyer. A property-damage-only claim with no injury and no coverage dispute may be something you can handle on your own. Legal help becomes more important when the crash causes a serious injury, fault is disputed, several vehicles are involved, a business or rideshare driver may be responsible, insurance coverage is unclear, or the adjuster is pressing for a statement or quick release.

Two problems I repeatedly see throughout my career: people do not act quickly in getting the right lawyer, or they settle before they know the full extent of an injury. Getting advice early does not mean filing a lawsuit immediately. It means understanding what needs to be done before a decision becomes hard to undo.

See our more detailed guide on when to hire a car accident lawyer in Houston.

How Baumgartner Law Firm Builds a Serious Car Accident Case

A lawyer should do more than forward medical bills to an adjuster and wait for an offer. In a serious case, the work is usually more deliberate.

We investigate while the evidence is still available

We obtain the available crash records, photographs, video, witness statements, and other evidence that can help explain fault. When the facts warrant it, we consult experts and conduct additional investigation rather than just depending on the police report.

We identify the people and companies that may be responsible

Most collisions involve another driver, but some cases also involve an employer, vehicle owner, rideshare company, contractor, commercial operator, or product defect. Identifying the right defendants can change both the proof and the available insurance.

We build the medical proof around the person, not just the bills

The amount billed is not the whole case. We look at diagnosis, treatment, limitations, future care, lost income, changes in activity, and the effect on family life. For serious injuries, the future can matter more than the first emergency-room bill.

We prepare with litigation in mind

Most claims settle. That does not mean they should be prepared as if trial could never happen. When an insurer disputes fault, causation, or value, the ability to prove the case in court becomes leverage in settlement negotiations.

If you want a realistic picture of timing, read how long a Texas car accident case can take.

Where Serious Houston Car Accidents Happen

Houston car crashes are not all alike. A high-speed wreck on I-45 can present very different evidence and injury issues from a collision at a neighborhood intersection.

We see major crashes on I-45, I-10, I-69/US-59, Loop 610, Beltway 8, Highway 290, Highway 249, FM 1960, and major surface streets throughout Harris County. Freeway cases may involve several vehicles, lane-change disputes, commercial traffic, severe impact forces, and video or roadway evidence that needs to be located quickly. Intersection cases often turn on who had the light, who failed to yield, whether a driver was distracted, and whether nearby businesses captured the collision.

TxDOT publishes 2025 Texas motor vehicle crash statistics and operates the Crash Records Information System which is used for statewide crash data. Statistics help show the scope of the problem, but they do not prove why one particular crash happened. That still requires evidence from the individual case.

For a closer look at high-speed freeway cases, see our Houston highway accident guide.

What Insurance Companies Commonly Dispute

Insurance companies do not evaluate serious injury claims by simply adding medical bills. In disputed cases, adjusters and defense lawyers will focus on the following issues.

Whether the crash caused the injury

A prior neck, back, shoulder, or knee problem does not automatically defeat a claim, but the medical history will matter. The key question is often what changed after the collision and whether the medical evidence connects that change to the crash.

Whether treatment was reasonable and necessary

The insurer may question the length of treatment, specialist referrals, injections, surgery recommendations, or gaps in care. That is why consistent medical documentation matters.

Whether you share part of the blame

In Texas, even a partial-fault argument can change the amount recovered. Adjusters know that, so disputed lane changes, speed, following distance, and right-of-way issues often receive close attention.

Whether future losses are actually proven

Future medical care, reduced earning ability, impairment, and long-term limitations need evidence. A serious claim is stronger when the future is supported by medical, vocational, employment, or other reliable evidence rather than estimates alone.

How Much Is a Houston Car Accident Claim Worth?

There is no honest average that tells you what your case is worth. Value usually turns on the seriousness of the injury, clarity of fault, available insurance, medical proof, lost income, future needs, and whether you share responsibility for the crash.

A case involving temporary soreness and a full recovery is different from a case involving surgery, permanent impairment, brain injury, spinal injury, or loss of earning capacity. The same diagnosis can also produce very different results depending on the person’s job, prior health, recovery, and available coverage.

For more detail about the factors that drive value, see our Houston car accident settlement guide.

What if You Were Partly at Fault?

You may still recover damages if your share of responsibility is 50% or less. Your percentage of fault reduces your recovery. If your percentage exceeds 50%, Texas law bars recovery.

For example, if proven damages were $100,000 and you were found 20% responsible, the recoverable amount would be reduced to $80,000. That is why evidence about speed, right of way, lane position, signals, and driver conduct can have a direct financial effect.

The rule is found in Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 33, including the 51% bar in Section 33.001.

Types of Houston Car Accident Cases We Handle

The type of collision can affect fault, evidence, insurance, and injury severity. We handle serious cases involving:

• Rear-end collisions and chain-reaction crashes
• T-bone and side-impact collisions
• Intersection and failure-to-yield accidents
• Highway and freeway crashes
• Distracted-driving and texting accidents
• Speeding and unsafe lane-change crashes
• Hit-and-run accidents
• Uninsured and underinsured motorist claims
• Passenger injury claims
• Drunk-driving collisions
• Rideshare and company-vehicle crashes

If the at-fault driver had no insurance, too little insurance, or left the scene, review our Houston uninsured and underinsured motorist claim guide.

Common Injuries After a Serious Car Accident

Car crashes can cause injuries that are obvious at the scene and others that appear later. Common claims involve neck and back injuries, herniated discs, fractures, shoulder and knee injuries, nerve damage, internal injuries, concussion, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord damage.

One lesson I have learned is not to judge an injury only by how the person feels in the first hour. Adrenaline can mask symptoms. At the same time, a legal claim should be based on medical evidence, not assumptions. Prompt evaluation and accurate follow-up give both the patient and the case a clearer picture.

For a detailed discussion, see common car accident injuries in Houston. Serious head injuries may also require comprehensive tests. See our Houston brain injury lawyer page.

How Long Do You Have to File a Car Accident Lawsuit in Texas?

In most Texas personal injury cases, the statute of limitations is two years from the date the claim accrues. Not meeting that deadline can end the right to sue even when the underlying case is strong.

The general rule appears in Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003. Some cases can involve different or shorter notice requirements, so the safest approach is not to use the two-year date as an investigation deadline.

From a practical standpoint, waiting also creates a separate problem: evidence can disappear long before the statute expires.

A Different Approach From High-Volume Car Accident Firms

I founded Baumgartner Law Firm in 1985. Over the years, I made a deliberate choice not to build a practice around volume. Serious injury cases take time. The facts need to be learned, the medical evidence needs to be understood, and the client deserves to know who is making the important decisions.

That does not mean every case should become a lawsuit or every settlement offer should be rejected. It means the decision should be based on the case, not on pressure to close a file.

When we accept a serious car accident case, our approach is simple: investigate it carefully, identify the available coverage, document the damages, prepare your case so the other side understands we can prove it, and give you clear advice along the way.

Why Hire Greg Baumgartner for a Serious Houston Car Accident?

I have handled personal injury cases for more than 40 years. I hold two law degrees and am a graduate of the Trial Lawyers College. My practice focuses on serious injury and wrongful death cases, and I remain personally involved in the matters my firm accepts.

• Houston personal injury practice founded in 1985
• 40+ years of personal injury experience
• Dual law degrees
• Trial Lawyers College graduate
• AV Preeminent recognition
• Super Lawyers recognition
• National Trial Lawyers Top 100 recognition
• Selective, low-volume caseload
• Free consultation and no attorney fee unless we recover compensation

Talk Directly With Greg Baumgartner

If a Houston car accident caused a serious injury or death, you can speak with us about what happened before you make major decisions with the insurance company. We will explain whether the case is one we can help with, what evidence should be protected, and what your next steps should be.

Call (281) 587-1111 for a free consultation. You pay no attorney fee unless we recover money for you.

If the crash caused a death, see our Houston wrongful death lawyer page.

Baumgartner Law Firm
6711 Cypress Creek Pkwy
Houston, Texas 77069