Houston Personal Injury Lawyer

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.

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.

Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule. You can still recover compensation even if you were partly responsible for the accident, as long as your share of fault does not exceed 50 percent. Your percentage of responsibility reduces your recovery proportionally, which gives the other side a strong incentive to argue that you share the blame.

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.

"Our work focuses on getting answers, holding the right parties accountable, and making sure our clients have the support they need to move forward. That's what they've trusted us to do for decades."

— Michael Pierce, Pierce Skrabanek

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