Wrong-way crashes on Houston freeways and toll roads are often head-on and catastrophic, and many involve impaired drivers. Your claim is against the wrong-way driver, possibly a bar that served them, and your own coverage if theirs is too small. Owsley Law Firm handles Houston wrong-way cases and charges no fee unless it wins.
Where do wrong-way crashes happen in Houston?
Wrong-way drivers usually enter a freeway or toll road through an exit ramp, often late at night. Houston’s long freeway network and toll roads give a confused or impaired driver many chances to enter the wrong way, and high speeds make the resulting crashes severe.
Most wrong-way crashes happen in the late night and early morning hours, when traffic is light, speeds are high, and impaired drivers are most likely to be on the road. Exit ramps that sit close to entrance ramps, confusing interchanges, and poorly lit ramps can all play a part.
What is Houston doing about wrong-way drivers?
TxDOT and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute have installed flashing wrong-way warning signs at some ramps in Houston and other Texas cities, and the Harris County Toll Road Authority uses wrong-way detection on its system. Those systems can also create records of the crash timing.
Those warning systems help, but they do not stop every driver. When a crash happens, the records from detection systems, toll transactions, and traffic cameras can establish when and where the wrong-way driver entered, which supports both the fault case and any dram shop timeline.
Why are wrong-way crashes so serious?
Head-on collisions combine the speed of both vehicles. Injuries often include traumatic brain injury, spinal injury, and multiple fractures, and many victims are treated at Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center or Ben Taub Hospital. Fatal wrong-way crashes are investigated by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
Survivors often face months of treatment and rehabilitation. A full claim accounts for future surgeries, therapy, home care, and the loss of the ability to work, which is why the firm uses medical and economic experts in these cases.
Who pays after a Houston wrong-way crash?
The wrong-way driver’s insurance pays first, but Texas minimum coverage of $30,000 per person is rarely enough. Your underinsured motorist coverage may add to it. If the driver was intoxicated and had been served at a bar while obviously intoxicated, a dram shop claim under Alcoholic Beverage Code Chapter 2 may be available, and exemplary damages may apply.
What evidence matters?
Evidence comes from the road systems and the driver’s night.
- Toll road and TxDOT camera or detection records
- The crash report and toxicology results
- Bar receipts and video from earlier in the night
- Vehicle data from both cars
- Witness 911 calls reporting the wrong-way driver
How is fault proven in a Houston wrong-way crash?
Fault is usually clear, since the wrong-way driver was traveling against traffic. The harder questions are why it happened and who else is responsible. Toxicology, bar records, and the driver’s route earlier in the night can support a dram shop claim. Ramp design, signage, and lighting may also be examined in rare cases.
911 calls are valuable evidence. Many wrong-way drivers are reported by other motorists before the crash, and those calls fix the time and place the driver entered the freeway.
How is a Houston wrong-way claim valued?
Wrong-way crashes frequently cause life-changing injuries or deaths. Value includes medical care, rehabilitation, lost earning capacity, impairment, disfigurement, and mental anguish, and exemplary damages may apply. Because the wrong-way driver’s coverage is often small, the firm looks for every other source, including your own underinsured motorist coverage and any dram shop defendant.
What should a family do after a Houston wrong-way crash?
Focus on medical care and keep every record. If a family member was killed, Texas allows a wrongful death claim by the spouse, children, and parents, and a survival claim by the estate. Call the firm for a free review; phones are answered 24/7.
If the wrong-way driver also died, the claim can still proceed against the driver’s estate and insurance. The firm handles the estate process needed to bring the claim.
Go deeper
More on wrong-way driver accidents in Houston and Texas.
Common questions
Houston wrong-way driver accidents questions
Who investigates wrong-way crashes in Houston?
The Houston Police Department, the sheriff or constables, or Texas DPS, depending on where the crash happened.
Can I recover more than the driver’s minimum coverage?
Your underinsured motorist coverage and a dram shop claim may add to it.
Are punitive damages possible?
Yes, for gross negligence, and the usual cap does not apply to certain intoxication felonies.
What if my family member was killed?
The spouse, children, and parents can bring a wrongful death claim, and the estate a survival claim.
How long do we have to file?
Generally two years from the date of the crash or the death.