Galveston Car Accident Lawyer

We get the crash report and the scene evidence, document your treatment from the first emergency visit, identify every insurance policy that can pay, and file in Galveston County if the insurers will not pay fairly. The at-fault driver may carry only Texas’s minimum of $30,000 per injured person, which is why your own coverage often matters.

The report and the investigating agency. A crash with an injury, a death or a vehicle that cannot be driven safely must be reported at once to the local police department when it happens inside a city, and to the sheriff’s office or the nearest Department of Public Safety office outside one (Transportation Code § 550.026(a)). On the island that usually means the Galveston Police Department, based at the Joe Max Taylor Law Enforcement Center, 601 54th Street (City of Galveston). The investigating officer must file a written report within 10 days when a crash causes injury, death or apparent property damage of $1,000 or more (§ 550.062), and anyone involved in the crash, or that person’s authorized representative, can obtain it on written request and payment of the fee (§ 550.065(c)).

Medical records from day one. Seriously injured people on the island are often taken to UTMB’s Galveston emergency department, which UTMB describes as a Level I Trauma Center certified by the American College of Surgeons (UTMB Health). The emergency record is usually the first document an adjuster reads, so we make sure every later visit connects back to it.

Every policy, not just the other driver’s. Texas minimum liability limits are $30,000 for one person, $60,000 for two or more people and $25,000 for property damage (Transportation Code § 601.072(a-1)). Your own auto policy includes uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage unless a named insured rejected it in writing (Insurance Code § 1952.101(c)). When alcohol was involved, as alleged in the Broadway crash, our drunk driving accident page and our dram shop page explain when a bar or restaurant that served the driver can be part of the claim.

Fault and deadlines. Texas bars recovery only when your share of responsibility is greater than 50 percent, and reduces it by your percentage below that (Civil Practice and Remedies Code §§ 33.001, 33.012(a)). Suit must generally be filed within two years of the crash (§ 16.003(a)), and a claim involving a government vehicle can carry an earlier notice deadline.

For a crash with an 18-wheeler on I-45 or near the port, see our Galveston truck accident page. Injuries on the water or the docks are covered on our Galveston maritime and personal injury page, and the Houston car accident page describes how we handle car cases across the region. If a family member was killed, see our wrongful death page.