A Texas personal injury lawyer helps injured people recover compensation from the people legally responsible for the accident. Two rules shape most personal injury claims from the first day: the filing deadline and the rule on shared fault.
Our firm works on a contingency fee basis, so there is no out-of-pocket cost to secure the legal representation you need. Zinda Law Group offers a free consultation about your injury at (800) 863-5312.
Article summary
Key things to know
- A Texas personal injury lawsuit generally must be filed within two years.
- If you are more than 50 percent responsible, you generally cannot recover. At 50 percent or less, your damages are reduced by your share.
- A claim against a city, a county or a state agency generally needs notice within six months.
Free case review
Hurt in an accident and unsure of your deadline?
One conversation covers your filing date and how the fault rule applies.
What a Texas personal injury lawyer does
A personal injury lawyer investigates the accident and identifies the liable parties. The legal team gathers medical records and police reports, and works to preserve evidence before it is lost.
Witness statements and medical care records show the full extent of the injury.
Your lawyer also deals with the insurance companies and explains your legal options, so you can make informed decisions. You decide whether to settle or go to court.
Personal injury law in Texas at a glance
Most personal injury cases follow the general rules below.
| Rule | What Texas law says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Filing deadline | Generally two years from the day the claim accrues | Section 16.003(a) |
| Wrongful death deadline | The same period, generally counted from the death | Section 16.003(b) |
| Injured children | For a child’s own claim, the time before the 18th birthday is generally not counted | Section 16.001 |
| Shared fault | Damages are generally reduced by your percentage of responsibility. No recovery above 50 percent | Sections 33.001 and 33.012 |
| Claims against government | Notice is generally due within six months of the incident, and a city charter can set a shorter period | Section 101.101 |
| Exemplary damages | Generally capped by a statutory formula tied to your economic and noneconomic damages | Section 41.008 |
Section numbers are from the Civil Practice and Remedies Code. These are general rules as of October 2026, and each has exceptions.
Filing deadlines
Questions about how much time you have?
Personal injury cases we handle
Zinda Law Group is a personal injury law firm, and our practice areas cover the claims below.
Car accident cases
Car accident cases often begin with negligent drivers and their insurance companies. Examples are speeding, drunk driving, rear end collisions and running traffic signals. Whether that is reckless behavior depends on the facts. Our Texas car accident lawyer page covers these claims.
Truck accident claims
A truck accident claim can name the trucking company along with its driver when the driver was on the job. Truck accident victims often have serious injuries, because commercial trucks outweigh the cars around them.
Motorcycle accident and pedestrian injuries
A motorcycle accident leaves the rider with little protection, and pedestrian injuries happen the same way. In crashes caused by a driver’s reckless actions, witness information and video are important evidence.
Other accident and injury claims
- Vehicles. Texas bus accidents, Texas bicycle accidents, Texas train accidents, Texas boat accidents
- Property. Texas premises liability, Texas beauty salon injuries
- Products. Texas defective products
- Medical care and abuse. Texas medical malpractice, sex trafficking in Texas
Drunk driving accidents and dram shop claims
A drunk driving crash is an ordinary negligence claim against the driver, and our drunk driving car accident page covers it. Dram shop law can add a claim against the business that served the driver.
When a bar can be liable for a drunk driving crash
A business that sells or serves alcohol can be liable when, at the time of service, it was apparent to the business that the person was obviously intoxicated. The person must have been intoxicated to the extent that he presented a clear danger to himself and others. The intoxication must also be a proximate cause of the harm.
A claim against the bar does not replace the claim against the driver. Our Texas dram shop lawyer page covers claims against a bar.
Texas accident lawyers for serious injuries
Get medical attention right after an accident. A serious injury changes your work and your home life. Some injury victims with severe injuries need care for the rest of their life, so the proof has to cover a long recovery.
- Brain injuries that limit work and daily life
- Spinal cord injuries, on our spinal cord injury lawyer page
- Burns, on our burn injury lawyer page
- Falls on unsafe property, on our slip and fall accident page
- Other life changing injuries, on our catastrophic personal injury page
Accidents on the job
Texas generally lets private employers choose whether to carry workers’ compensation. With coverage, benefits are generally your only remedy against the employer, and a claim against a third party whose negligence caused the injury stays open. Without coverage, an injured worker may sue the employer for negligence, and the worker’s own negligence is not a defense.
Wrongful death claims
When an accident is fatal, the family may have a wrongful death claim. The wrongful death deadline generally runs from the death. Our Texas wrongful death attorneys page explains who can file.
What compensation covers in an injury claim
State law separates economic damages, such as medical bills and lost income, from noneconomic damages. Noneconomic damages include physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement, physical impairment and loss of enjoyment of life.
Recovery of medical expenses is limited to the amount actually paid or incurred. Fair compensation accounts for each loss the law lets you recover, and no lawyer can promise an amount.
In a drunk driving case, exemplary damages are available only if you prove by clear and convincing evidence that the harm resulted from fraud, malice or gross negligence.
Questions to ask a personal injury law firm
Injured Texans can talk with more than one law firm before hiring. Look for a lawyer with experience in personal injury cases. A law firm needs legal knowledge, and its personal injury clients need personal attention too.
Ask which lawyer will handle your case and how much personal attention it will get. Find out whether the law firm takes complex cases through trial preparation. Ask how attorney fees and upfront costs are handled.
Insurance companies for the other side do not act in your best interests. Read the agreement on attorney fees, then decide what serves your best interests before you sign.
When you are ready
Talk through the next step.
Other personal injury pages
The pages below are national.
- Accidents. traffic accidents, ATV accidents, drowning accidents, accidental shootings
- Power and utilities. blackout accidents, powerlines accidents, ERCOT claims
- Children. child injuries, child abuse
- Work, illness and products. meatpacking injuries, silicosis lung damage, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, Zantac claims
Our personal injury attorneys page gives the general overview.
Texas injury lawyers by city and county
We serve clients in these cities and counties.
- Central Texas. Austin injury lawyers, Round Rock injury lawyers, Temple injury lawyers, Waco injury lawyers, Cedar Park injury lawyers, Hutto injury lawyers, Kyle injury lawyers, San Marcos injury lawyers, New Braunfels injury lawyers, Killeen injury lawyers, College Station injury lawyers, Burnet injury lawyers, Llano injury lawyers
- Counties. Travis County injury lawyers, Williamson County injury attorneys, Hays County personal injury lawyers, Bastrop County injury attorneys, Caldwell County personal injury lawyers, Blanco County injury lawyers, Milam County lawyers
- North Texas. Dallas injury lawyers, Fort Worth injury lawyers, Arlington injury lawyers, Carrollton injury lawyers, Plano injury lawyers, Garland injury lawyers
- South Texas and the coast. Houston injury lawyers, San Antonio injury lawyers, Corpus Christi injury lawyers
- West Texas. El Paso injury lawyers, Midland injury lawyers, Lubbock injury lawyers, Amarillo injury lawyers
A free consultation with a Texas personal injury law firm
Zinda Law Group is a Texas personal injury law firm. A claim starts with a free case evaluation, where our lawyers explain your deadline and what compensation the law allows.
Once you hire us, our legal team handles the legal process while you focus on recovery.
Our firm works on a contingency fee basis, so there is no out-of-pocket cost to secure the legal representation you need.
