What To Do After A Car Accident In Houston (2026)

Steps to Take After a Car Accident in Houston

Car accidents can be stressful and disorienting. If you’ve been in a crash, do your best to take the following steps:

Check for Injuries and Contact Paramedics

Before doing anything else, you must assess your injuries. If you have hit your head or are in significant pain, it’s vital to avoid moving too much.

Call emergency services. When paramedics get to the scene, allow them to evaluate you. This ensures that you get immediate assistance for your injuries while also beginning a record of what you suffered.

Call the Police

You will need a police report to begin a personal injury claim against the other party, so getting law enforcement to the scene is essential. The Houston police accident report creates an official record of what happened, which insurers and lawyers often rely on when evaluating fault and damages. Give them as much information as possible on how the accident occurred.

Exchange Details and Gather Evidence

Exchange details with the other party involved in the accident and begin gathering evidence from the scene. Because Texas is a fault state, you will need to prove that the other party was responsible for the crash. To do so, you can rely on photos, traffic camera footage and witness statements.

Alert Your Insurer and Hire a Lawyer

Let your insurer know that you were in an accident. Don’t mention fault or the type of injuries you suffered. Immediately after, contact a lawyer to assist you through the next steps of what to do after a car accident in Houston.

Attorneys are essential for most types of collisions, but they are particularly important if you were partly responsible for the accident. Texas has modified comparative negligence laws, which allow you to recover losses as long as your level of liability doesn’t rise beyond 50%. Your winnings will be proportionally reduced, however.

4 Mistakes to Avoid After a Houston Car Accident

Understanding what not to do after a car accident is just as important as knowing the right steps. Here are four common mistakes that could sabotage your case:

1. Admitting Fault or Apologizing at the Scene

When you file an insurance claim, you’ll be assigned a claims adjuster. In most cases, adjusters work for the insurance company, so they’ll often take any opportunity to devalue your claim.

Unfortunately, adjusters often twist injured people’s words against them to “prove” they were at fault. Imagine you’re involved in a minor fender bender. You can’t tell who caused the crash, but when you get out of the car, you reflexively say, “I’m sorry.”

Even if you didn’t cause the accident, an insurance adjuster could use your statement as “evidence” that you were at fault and try to deny your claim.

2. Making a Recorded Statement Without Talking to a Lawyer

Insurance adjusters often ask for recorded statements after an accident. They might say that they need your account of the accident to complete an investigation, but in actuality, they’re trying to identify anything they can use against you. These are a few examples of seemingly harmless statements that could be damaging to your case:

• “I’m doing a little better.”
• “I might have been speeding a little.”
• “I didn’t see the other car.”
• “The other drive came out of nowhere.”
• “I must have been distracted.”

It’s important to understand that you aren’t required to give a recorded statement. If an adjuster asks you for one, you should politely but firmly decline giving any statement without consulting an attorney.

3. Posting About the Crash on Social Media

Many people post extensively on social media. If you’re used to keeping family and friends apprised of what you’re doing, you might be tempted to post about your accident.

However, when investigating your claim, the insurance company might comb through your social media for anything to use against you. Many lawyers suggest avoiding posting about a crash until your claim has been resolved.

4. Accepting the First Settlement

Depending on the circumstances of a collision, Houston car accident settlements can take several months or more. Insurance companies know that injured people are often anxious about their finances, so they try to convince them to accept lowball settlements early on.

Insurers do this in hopes that you accept before you understand how much your case may be worth. For that reason, you should never accept a settlement without talking to a car accident lawyer.

Start a Claim With Help From Experienced Houston Lawyers

If you were in a car crash in Houston, one of the first things you should do is hire an attorney to represent you. At ConsumerShield, we can connect you with trusted local lawyers. Contact us to speak with our team about finding a lawyer.