The minutes after a wreck on the Katy Freeway or the 610 Loop are the worst possible time to work out what you're supposed to do. This is the order to do it in — including the parts specific to Houston and Texas that national advice leaves out.
- Call 911 and make sure an officer documents the crash.
- Photograph everything before vehicles are moved, if it's safe.
- See a doctor the same day, even if you feel fine.
- Texas gives you two years to sue — but evidence disappears in days.
- You are never required to give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement.
1. Get to safety, then call 911
If vehicles are drivable and you're on a highway like I-45 or US-59, Texas law generally expects you to move them out of the travel lanes. Houston freeway traffic doesn't stop for a wreck, and secondary collisions are a real danger.
Call 911 even when damage looks minor. A police-documented crash creates an independent record of what happened, who was where, and what each driver said. Without it, a straightforward case becomes your word against theirs — and insurers know it.
2. Photograph more than you think you need
Before anything is towed or moved:
- All four corners of every vehicle, plus wide shots showing final positions
- Skid marks, debris, and fluid on the pavement
- Traffic signals, signs, and anything blocking sight lines from your approach
- The other driver's license, insurance card, and plate
- Visible injuries — and again at 48 hours, when bruising fully develops
One Houston detail worth knowing: many intersections and freeway corridors carry city or TxDOT cameras, and businesses along the feeders run exterior video. That footage is often overwritten within days. It's a leading reason to involve a lawyer early — a preservation letter has to go out before the footage cycles.
3. See a doctor the same day
Adrenaline masks injury. Soft-tissue damage, concussions, and disc injuries routinely surface a day or two later. Beyond your health, a gap between crash and first treatment is the single most common argument an adjuster uses to devalue a claim — they'll say something else caused it.
Houston has the Texas Medical Center and emergency departments across every part of the metro. Go the same day, and describe every symptom instead of toughing it out.
4. Get your Texas crash report (CR-3)
The officer's report is a CR-3 — the Texas Peace Officer's Crash Report. You don't get it at the scene. Texas distributes crash reports through TxDOT's Crash Records Information System (C.R.I.S.):
- Reports can take up to about 14 days to appear after the crash.
- Search by name, driver's license number, or the vehicle's VIN.
- A regular copy runs about $8; certified copies cost a few dollars more.
- Access is limited by state law to people involved in the crash or with a proper interest.
The portal is at cris.dot.state.tx.us. If we take your case, we pull it for you.
5. Be careful with the other driver's insurer
Expect a call within a day or two — often friendly and sympathetic. Understand the frame: that adjuster works for the company that pays your claim, and part of the job is limiting what it costs.
You generally must cooperate with your own insurer under your policy. You are not obligated to give the other driver's carrier a recorded statement, and doing it before you know the extent of your injuries is usually a mistake. Two phrases do real damage: "I'm fine," and any guess about speed or distance you can't actually verify.
Treat early settlement offers the same way. A check that arrives before treatment is finished is almost always below what the claim is worth, and accepting it typically closes the matter for good — including for problems that surface later.
6. Know the Texas deadline — and why waiting still hurts
Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003, you generally have two years from the date of the crash to file suit. Miss it and courts will almost always refuse the case no matter how clear the other driver's fault was.
Two years sounds generous. The useful evidence has a far shorter life: video is overwritten, skid marks wash away in the next Gulf Coast downpour, witnesses move and memories fade. Cases involving a government vehicle — a METRO bus, a city truck — can carry notice requirements measured in months, so those need attention immediately.
What it looks like when it goes right
Our strongest cases share a profile: police report on file, photos from the scene, medical care starting the same day and continuing consistently, and no recorded statement given before the client had representation. None of that takes legal training — just knowing what matters before the moment passes.
Common Questions
This article provides general information about Texas law and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws change and every case turns on its own facts — speak with a licensed attorney about your specific situation. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.