Clear Lake Car Accident Lawyer

Types of Car Accidents We Handle in Clear Lake

Our Clear Lake car accident lawyers have represented clients injured in all types of crashes, including:

• Rear-end collisions
• Head-on collisions
• T-bone and intersection accidents
• Sideswipe accidents
• Multi-vehicle pileups
• Rollover accidents
• Drunk driving accidents
• Distracted driving accidents
• Hit-and-run accidents
• Wrong-way driver accidents

After a crash, most people are managing medical appointments, missed work, and an insurance company looking for reasons to pay less. Pierce Skrabanek takes on the legal side so you don't have to.

Common Causes of Car Accidents in Clear Lake

Traffic in Clear Lake includes local drivers, commuters heading to and from work, and vehicles moving between major Houston roads. These are some of the most common causes of Clear Lake car accidents.

• Distracted driving. Drivers who look at phones, adjust navigation, eat, or handle objects inside the vehicle divert attention from traffic and braking vehicles ahead.
• Speeding. Driving above the posted limit reduces the time available to react when traffic slows or stops. Higher speeds also increase the force of impact, which often leads to more severe injuries.
• Drunk and impaired driving. Alcohol and drugs affect judgment, coordination, and reaction time. Collisions involving impairment frequently involve serious injuries and raise clear liability issues.
• Intersection violations. Running red lights or failing to stop exposes crossing traffic to side-impact collisions with little opportunity to avoid impact.
• Aggressive driving. Tailgating, unsafe lane changes, and road rage increase the likelihood of loss of control and multi-vehicle collisions.
• Drowsy driving. Fatigue can delay reaction time and lead to drifting, missed signals, or late braking.
• Failure to yield. Pulling into traffic without adequate clearance, turning across lanes, or entering from side streets without yielding often leads to preventable collisions.

In 2024, Harris County recorded more fatal car crashes than any other county in Texas. TxDOT reported 546 fatal crashes and more than 2,280 crashes involving serious injuries. These figures reflect ongoing risks on the roads that Clear Lake drivers use every day.

What Should You Do After a Clear Lake Car Accident?

How you respond in the hours and days after a crash affects both your medical recovery and what you can pursue legally. These steps matter.

• Call 911. A police report creates an official record before accounts conflict and details get disputed. Request one even when damage appears minor, since injuries and liability questions are not always apparent right away.
• Get a medical evaluation the same day. Concussions, herniated discs, and soft tissue injuries often show no immediate symptoms, and waiting to see a doctor gives the insurance company grounds to argue your injuries came from somewhere else. A same-day evaluation documents your condition while the connection to the crash is still clear.
• Photograph the scene. Document both vehicles, road conditions, skid marks, and any visible injuries from multiple angles before anything is moved or cleared away.
• Write down everything you remember. What was said at the scene, road conditions, weather, and how the crash unfolded can all support your claim.
• Get the other driver's information. Collect their name, insurance carrier, policy number, license plate, and driver's license number. Ask any witnesses for their contact information, as someone who saw the crash can confirm your account of what happened.
• Keep the conversation at the scene brief. Don't speculate about fault or apologize. What you say at the scene can come up later in ways that work against you.
• Call Pierce Skrabanek before speaking with the adjuster. The other driver's insurer will reach out soon after the crash. Talk to a Clear Lake car accident attorney first.

What Not to Do After a Clear Lake Car Accident

• Do not post about the crash on social media. Photos, comments, and location check-ins are discoverable. Defense attorneys and adjusters routinely review accident victims' accounts for anything that undermines their injury claims.
• Do not accept the first settlement offer. Early offers are not based on what an injury actually costs in the long term. Medical treatment, lost income, and the full impact on your life take time to understand. Once you accept, you cannot go back, even if your condition worsens.
• Do not give a recorded statement. Adjusters are trained to ask questions that generate answers useful to their side. What sounds like a routine follow-up call is a recorded interview. Let your Clear Lake car crash lawyer handle that call.

Insurance adjusters move quickly after a crash, and their initial offer isn't their best. Pierce Skrabanek has spent over 30 years ensuring injured Texans receive compensation that reflects every medical bill, lost paycheck, and the long-term impact of a serious collision.​

Before you respond to the adjuster, contact Pierce Skrabanek at (832) 690-7000 or online.

Common Car Accident Injuries

A collision at any speed can cause injuries that require months of treatment and leave lasting effects. The injuries our Clear Lake attorneys see most often include:

• Traumatic brain injuries. A TBI can alter memory, concentration, and personality in ways that do not fully resolve. The effects often develop gradually, making them easy for insurance companies to dispute without proper medical documentation.
• Spinal cord injuries. The force of a rear-end or side-impact collision can herniate discs, fracture vertebrae, or damage the spinal cord itself. Recovery ranges from months of physical therapy to permanent disability, depending on the location and severity of the injury.
• Broken bones. Shattered wrists, fractured ribs, and broken legs are common in high-speed crashes. Many require surgery and extended time away from work before any return to normal function is possible.
• Soft tissue injuries. Whiplash and muscle tears are frequently dismissed in the days after a crash. Without proper diagnosis and treatment, they develop into chronic pain conditions that affect work, sleep, and daily life long after the accident.
• Internal injuries. The blunt force of a seatbelt or steering wheel impact can rupture organs with no visible signs at the scene. These injuries demand immediate medical attention and are among the most dangerous because they go undetected without imaging or surgical evaluation.
• Burn injuries. Fuel ignition and electrical fires in serious crashes cause injuries requiring skin grafts, reconstructive procedures, and long recovery periods that stretch past the initial hospitalization.
• Psychological injuries. Nightmares, avoidance behaviors, and severe anxiety following a traumatic crash are symptoms of PTSD, a recognized and compensable injury. Many accident victims experience psychological harm that continues long after their physical recovery is complete.

Injured in a Crash? Here's What Our Clear Lake Car Accident Attorneys Do Behind the Scenes

What Compensation Can You Seek After a Clear Lake Car Accident?

The full cost of a serious crash goes well past the initial emergency room bill. A Clear Lake car accident attorney can help you pursue compensation for every loss the crash produced, including projected future medical treatment and long-term income impacts that are not always obvious in the weeks right after a collision.

Punitive damages can also apply when the at-fault driver's conduct was especially reckless. Texas courts may award these in cases involving drunk driving, street racing, or other behavior that goes beyond ordinary negligence. Their purpose is accountability, not just compensation.

What Pierce Skrabanek Has Recovered for Car Accident Clients

According to Martindale-Nolo research, accident victims with legal representation received close to three times more on average than those who handled their own claims. Here is what that has looked like for Pierce Skrabanek clients.​

$117 million. Mike Pierce was one of the lead attorneys on a case involving a 21-year-old mother of two who suffered catastrophic injuries when an ambulance driver caused a crash during her transport to the hospital. The recovery addressed the full cost of her lifelong care.

$2 million. Pierce Skrabanek served as trial counsel in an automobile accident case that resulted in roughly five times the defense's highest pretrial offer.

"We take every case seriously because behind every crash is a real person whose life was changed. We're here to help make things right."​

— Michael Pierce | Firm Partner

How Texas Comparative Fault Law Affects Your Car Accident Case

Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule, which means your compensation is reduced by the percentage of fault assigned to you. If an insurer argues you were partially responsible for the crash, that finding directly affects what you can recover.

Consider a driver who is rear-ended on Bay Area but whose brake lights were not functioning at the time of the crash. A jury might find the other driver predominantly at fault for following too closely, but assign a percentage of fault to the injured driver as well. Under Texas law, that percentage comes off the top of any award. Recovery is only barred when fault reaches 51% or higher.

Insurers raise comparative fault arguments routinely, often pointing to speed, following distance, or distraction. Our Clear Lake car accident attorneys address those arguments using the full record of what happened.

How to Prove Liability After a Car Accident in Clear Lake

A successful car accident claim requires proving that another driver's negligence caused the crash and your injuries.

1. Establish Negligence

Four legal elements must be proven:

• Duty of care. Every driver on Texas roads is legally required to operate their vehicle safely and follow traffic laws.
• Breach of duty. The at-fault driver violated that obligation. Speeding, running a red light, driving while impaired, or texting while driving each constitutes a breach.
• Causation. The breach directly caused the crash and your injuries. This connection is established through medical records, physical evidence, and in complex cases, testimony from accident reconstruction specialists.
• Damages. The crash resulted in documentable losses, including medical bills, lost wages, and the personal impact of a serious injury.

2. Gather Relevant Evidence

A Clear Lake auto accident attorney can assist with this if you have not already done so. Key evidence includes:

• The Texas Peace Officer's Crash Report (CR-3), which provides an official account of the collision;
• Photos and video from the scene documenting vehicle damage, skid marks, and road conditions;
• Cell phone records that can establish distracted driving at the time of impact;
• Event data recorders, which capture vehicle speed and braking patterns in the seconds before a crash; and
• Accident reconstruction analysis for cases where the cause of the crash is disputed.

Car accident victims in Clear Lake have two years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit. Missing the deadline generally means losing the right to pursue compensation entirely, regardless of how strong the case is. A Clear Lake car accident lawyer can confirm the applicable deadline for your case.