Houston Personal Injury Lawyer

Pierce Skrabanek's Houston personal injury attorneys have recovered over $500 million for injured clients. Put this experience to work for you.​

After an injury, you need time and resources to recover. Hiring the right Houston attorney means having someone in your corner who knows how to maximize your compensation, move your case forward efficiently, and take the legal pressure off during one of the most difficult times of your life.

Take the next step: call (832) 690-7000 or reach out online now to speak with a Houston personal injury lawyer about your case.

“My experience with them was truly extraordinary, and I highly recommend them. They helped with great professionalism, patience, and dedication, and I am so grateful to them because my mother suffered a terrible accident, and they helped us with everything from day one until the very end.”

- Marcos H. | Client

See How Pierce Skrabanek Fights for Injured Clients

When Eddie was injured in a severe golf cart accident and spent a month in a coma, his family was unsure of their legal options. Hear their story and why they recommend Pierce Skrabanek to others facing serious personal injury.

Types of Personal Injury Cases Our Houston Personal Injury Lawyers Handle

Pierce Skrabanek represents seriously injured Houstonians in cases involving:

Road and Vehicle Accidents

• Car accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Truck and 18-wheeler accidents
• Distracted and impaired driving accidents
• Bicycle and pedestrian accidents

Workplace and Industrial Accidents

• Oil rig and oilfield accidents
• Maritime and offshore injuries
• On-the-job accidents

Property and Premises Accidents

• Slip and fall accidents
• Negligent security
• Swimming pool injuries
• Fires and smoke injuries

Medical Negligence

• Malpractice and misdiagnosis
• Surgical errors
• Nursing home abuse
• Birth injuries

Catastrophic Injuries

• Spinal cord injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Wrongful death

Serious Injuries Happen Every Day in Houston​

1. Someone in Texas is injured in a traffic collision every 2.56 minutes.
2. Houston reports more accidents than any other city in Texas, nearly doubling Dallas and San Antonio.
3. I-45, which runs through Houston, has the highest rate of drunk driving fatalities of any interstate in the United States.
4. Houston's Port and energy sector make it one of the most active cities in the country for maritime and workplace injury claims.

What Types of Compensation Can a Houston Injury Lawyer Help You Recover?

A bad wreck or workplace injury hits your bank account just as hard as it hits your body. Medical bills quickly pile up while your paychecks stop coming in. 

A personal injury claim isn't about getting rich; it's about making sure you aren't forced to pay out-of-pocket for someone else’s carelessness.

Under Texas law, financial recovery breaks down into two practical categories:

Economic damages, which cover the financial damage:

• Past and upcoming medical bills, therapy, and prescriptions
• Lost wages from missed workdays
• Lost future earnings if you have to change careers or work less
• Out-of-pocket receipts for equipment and travel to doctors

Non-economic damages, which account for the personal damage:

• The physical pain you endure every day
• The mental stress and trauma from the incident
• Life interruptions, like not being able to pick up your child or exercise
• Permanent scarring or physical disabilities

Why You Should Avoid an Early Settlement Check

A fast check from an insurance company is almost never a fair one. Imagine taking a $5,000 offer today, only to receive a $30,000 surgery bill two months from now.

Adjusters count on you feeling stressed about money in the first few weeks after a wreck. They dangle a quick settlement in front of you because they know if you accept it now, they get off cheap.

Here's the catch: the moment you sign that release, you lose your right to ask for another dollar. It doesn't matter if your neck pain turns out to be a torn disc, or if your doctor tells you that you can't return to work next month. You bear the entire financial burden alone. Before you sign away your future stability, let an attorney review the paperwork and show you what your claim is actually worth.

Common Injuries Our Houston Personal Injury Lawyers See

When someone else’s mistake upends your life, the physical toll is often the hardest part. We routinely help clients recover compensation for severe injuries such as:

• Back injuries
• Broken bones and fractures
• Bruises
• Burn injuries and severe chemical exposure
• Crush injuries
• Disfiguring facial injuries or scars
• Internal bleeding and internal organ damage
• Knee injuries
• Lacerations
• Limb loss
• Neck injuries
• Paralysis and spinal cord damage
• Road rash
• Shoulder injuries
• Soft-tissue damage
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
• Whiplash
• Wrist and hand injuries

Quick math from an insurance company never covers a lifetime of care. We don’t guess what your claim is worth or take early settlement lowballs. By working directly with your doctors and long-term specialists, we calculate the total impact on your health and livelihood so you aren’t left paying out-of-pocket later.

Do You Know What to Do After an Accident in Houston?

A serious injury puts your physical recovery first. While you focus on that, a few things need to happen immediately to protect your claim.

Do Not Give a Recorded Statement

Within days of your accident, you will likely receive a call from the other party's insurance company. It will sound like this:

"Hi, this is Jennifer calling from [insurance company]. I just wanted to check in and see how you are doing today."

The conversation feels casual. But what happens next matters more than most people realize. If you say:

"I'm doing okay, thanks" — that becomes evidence your injuries were not serious.

"My head doesn't hurt as much today as it did yesterday" — that becomes evidence that your condition is improving, and your injuries are minor.

"I have a doctor's appointment later this week" — that tells them you have not been seen yet, which they will use to argue a lack of urgency about your injuries.

Every answer is logged. The call may be recorded. All of it can be used to lower your claim's value. You don't have to answer or give a recorded statement. Tell them your attorney will respond, then call a Houston personal injury lawyer.

See a Doctor and Keep Every Appointment

Along with not giving a recorded statement, make getting medical attention your top priority. You may feel fine due to adrenaline, but concussions, herniated discs, and internal injuries can take hours or days to appear.​

Get evaluated as soon as possible, follow through on all recommended care, and do not stop treatment until your providers clear you.

Document Your Injuries and Recovery

Keep a daily record of pain, limitations, missed work, and medical visits. Note daily activities you could not do and how the injury affects your life.

​Here is an example of what those entries might look like:

Day 1: Left shoulder and neck are in severe pain. Went to the ER. They took X-rays and told me to see an orthopedic specialist this week. Could not drive home.

Day 2: Slept about three hours. The pain woke me up every time I shifted positions. Called my manager — I cannot sit at a desk. My shoulder has significant bruising that was not visible yesterday.

‍Day 3: Orthopedic appointment this afternoon. The doctor ordered an MRI and mentioned a possible rotator cuff tear. My wife had to drive me. I cannot lift my arm above my waist.

Photograph Everything

If possible, photograph the scene from every angle before anything is moved or cleaned up. If not, ask someone you trust to do it promptly.

Key things to document include:​

• The exact location where the injury occurred;
• Any hazard, defect, or condition that contributed to the accident;
• Signage, warnings, or the absence of them;
• Equipment, vehicles, or objects involved; and
• Your visible injuries at the scene.

Visible injuries often look worse two or three days after the accident than at first. Bruising deepens, swelling spreads, and the injury's extent becomes clearer. Start injury photos on the accident day and continue daily during recovery.

Can Social Media Hurt My Houston Personal Injury Claim?

Insurance adjusters and defense attorneys review the social media profiles of people who file injury claims, and they are not just looking at what you post. Content connected to your accounts can be used against you, including:

• A post asking friends for specialist recommendations or home remedies for pain tells them you have not received proper medical care.
• A photo a neighbor tags you in at a neighborhood gathering suggests you are mobile and socializing normally.
• A picture your spouse posts of you outside with your kids gets used to argue your injuries are not as limiting as claimed.
• Posts about the accident itself can be taken out of context or used to contradict your account of what happened.

The safest approach after a serious injury is to go dark on all platforms and ask the people close to you to avoid posting publicly about you as well.

If you have been seriously injured and are not sure where to turn, a Houston injury attorney at Pierce Skrabanek can review your case at no cost. Call (832) 690-7000 or contact us online.

How Is Negligence Proven in a Houston Injury Case?

Negligence is proved by showing someone had a duty to act carefully, failed to do so, and that failure caused your injury. In Houston cases, that means showing:

• Who was responsible. A driver, property owner, employer, medical provider, or another party had a legal duty to act with reasonable care.
• What they did wrong. They breached that duty through a specific action or failure to act, such as running a red light, ignoring a known hazard, or failing to meet a standard of care.
• How it caused your injury. The breach directly caused the harm you suffered, not a pre-existing condition or unrelated event.
• What it cost you. Your injuries resulted in measurable losses: medical expenses, lost income, pain, and the disruption to your daily life.

Understanding Texas’s Modified Comparative Negligence Rule

When you are in an accident in Houston, the other party might try to turn things around and blame you. Texas handles these situations using a law called "modified comparative negligence." Under this rule, you can still collect money for your injuries as long as you were not more than 50% at fault for what happened.

If you are found to be 50% or less at fault, your final check is reduced by your percentage of blame. For instance, if a jury decides your losses total $100,000, but you were 20% to blame for the crash, you would receive $80,000. But if the insurance company manages to pin 51% or more of the blame on you, Texas law blocks you from recovering any money at all. That is why insurance companies work so hard to push blame onto you, and why having a Houston injury attorney in your corner to protect your side of the story is so important.

Pierce Skrabanek investigates every aspect of a case to establish clear liability and push back against attempts to shift fault onto our clients.

What Evidence Supports a Personal Injury Claim in Houston?

To prove negligence in a Houston personal injury case, you need evidence establishing fault and damages. Texas law requires showing that another party's negligence caused your injuries and led to measurable harm. Here's how evidence can support that:

1. Medical Records

Doctors' notes, imaging results, specialist evaluations, and treatment history tie your injuries directly to the accident and show how your condition has changed over time.

• Emergency records: Hospital charts and ER notes from your initial visit connect the injury to a specific date and incident.
• Ongoing care: Physical therapy records, rehabilitation plans, and prescription history reflect what recovery has actually required.

2. Visual and Physical Evidence

Photos and video show what conditions were like at the time of the accident.​

• Scene photos: Images of the location, hazardous conditions, property damage, or equipment involved.
• Surveillance and traffic footage: Video from nearby businesses, traffic cameras, or doorbell cameras recorded at the time of the incident.
• Physical items: Damaged property, torn clothing, or defective products connected to the injury.

3. Official Reports and Records

Third-party reports provide an independent record of the incident.​

• Police reports: Citations issued, witness statements, and an initial assessment of fault.
• Incident reports: Filed by employers, businesses, or property managers following workplace or premises accidents.
• Safety records: Maintenance logs and prior complaints that show a history of known hazards.

4. Witness and Expert Testimony

• Eyewitness accounts: Independent statements from bystanders who observed the accident.
• Expert testimony: Accident reconstructionists, medical professionals, and industry safety specialists whose findings support or explain your injuries and their cause.
• Personal impact statements: Accounts from family or colleagues describing how the injury has changed your daily life.

5. Financial and Personal Records

• Proof of lost income: Pay stubs, tax returns, and employer letters confirming missed work and reduced earning capacity.
• Out-of-pocket expenses: Receipts for medical bills, prescriptions, and transportation to appointments.
• Personal injury journal: Your daily record of pain levels, physical limitations, and emotional impact supports pain and suffering claims.

When Should I Contact a Houston Personal Injury Lawyer?

Handling an injury claim on your own can quickly turn into a full-time job you never asked for. Reaching out to a law firm right after your accident ensures someone is actively protecting your interests while you focus on your health.

It is time to contact a Houston personal injury attorney if:

• Your injuries require long-term care or surgery: Major injuries mean high medical bills and long absences from your job. A strong claim makes sure your payout reflects your total recovery needs, not just your first hospital visit.
• You are coping with the wrongful death of a relative: Losing a family member creates immediate emotional and financial upheaval. Texas law allows families to seek recovery for funeral expenses, lost income, and emotional loss.
• Medical bills and daily expenses are piling up fast: Financial panic makes it easy to fall for quick settlement offers. Insurance adjusters take advantage of that pressure to pay out as little as possible.
• The insurance adjuster is playing hardball or denying your claim: Whether they are blaming you for the crash or delaying answers, having a law firm handle all communication keeps them honest.
• You want straightforward answers about your legal options: You don't have to figure this out alone. A free case review lets you talk through what happened and learn what your claim might be worth without risking a dime.

What Are the Steps in a Houston Personal Injury Lawsuit?

If you have been dealing with insurance companies on your own and getting nowhere, a lawsuit may be the next step. Here is how that process works in Texas.

• Consultation and case review. Your attorney reviews the facts, evaluates liability and damages, and explains your legal options. Pierce Skrabanek offers free consultations with no obligation.
• Investigation. Your attorney gathers evidence, obtains police and incident reports, interviews witnesses, and identifies all liable parties before anything is filed.
• Demand Letter. Once your injuries are documented and your treatment is underway, your attorney sends a formal demand letter to the at-fault party's insurer outlining the facts, your injuries, and the compensation sought.
• Negotiation. The insurance company responds with a counteroffer. Your attorney negotiates on your behalf. Many cases resolve here without ever going to court.
• Filing the lawsuit. If negotiations stall or the offer is unacceptable, your attorney files a lawsuit in the appropriate Texas court. Filing does not mean a trial is inevitable, as settlement negotiations often continue throughout.
• Discovery. Both sides exchange evidence, answer written questions under oath, and take depositions. This phase can take several months, depending on the complexity of the case.
• Mediation. Most Texas courts require mediation before trial. A neutral mediator works with both sides to reach a resolution. A significant number of cases settle here.
• Trial. If mediation does not yield a fair resolution, the case goes before a Houston jury. Pierce Skrabanek prepares every case for trial from day one, and that preparation consistently leads to stronger settlements and verdicts.

According to research from Martindale-Nolo, people who hired a personal injury attorney recovered nearly 3.5 times more compensation than those who handled their claims on their own, even after accounting for legal fees. Pierce Skrabanek's results reflect that difference.

• $117 million personal injury verdict
• $16.9 million maritime verdict
• $11.6 million for a catastrophic workplace injury
• $4.8 million wrongful death verdict after a unanimous jury award
• $2.5 million in a product liability case where the defendant's initial offer was $0

Why Should You Pay For Someone Else's Mistake?

Recovering from a serious injury is hard enough without shouldering the financial cost of someone else's negligence. Pierce Skrabanek fights to make sure you don't have to.

How Long Do You Have to File a Houston Personal Injury Claim?

In Texas, the deadline for filing a personal injury lawsuit is two years from the date of your injury. Your particular circumstances can influence that timeline. There may be exceptions for children, cases involving government entities, or certain medical malpractice injuries.

Because every situation is different, it is important to speak with a Houston personal injury attorney as soon as possible.

Proudly Representing Houston Residents