Clear Creek runs through Friendswood, and it’s also the county line. South of the creek, Friendswood is in Galveston County. North of it, you’re in Harris County. That line decides which county your wreck happened in, and that county is always one place your case can be filed: the Galveston County Justice Center on the island, or the Harris County civil courthouse at 201 Caroline in downtown Houston. A Texas injury suit can also be filed where the at-fault driver lived, or where a company defendant has its main Texas office (Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 15.002). We look at where you were hit and who hit you before we pick the courthouse, because the courthouse changes what the insurance company is willing to pay.
Call (713) 664-4000. The consultation is free, and there’s no fee unless we recover for you. If we don’t recover, you don’t owe us for case expenses either. If the other driver’s insurer calls you, don’t give a recorded statement until you’ve talked to us.
Stop-and-go traffic on FM 518
FM 518 is Friendswood’s main street, and it carries traffic between Pearland and League City right past the city’s shopping centers and schools. FM 528 and FM 2351 (Edgewood) both head northeast to the Gulf Freeway, 528 in Webster and 2351 at Clear Lake City Boulevard. None of those roads was built for the number of people who live along them now. Most of the Friendswood wrecks we see are rear-end crashes in stop-and-go traffic on 518 and left turns across it.
Friendswood police write the report inside city limits, on either side of the creek. The insurer starts with that report, and the officer usually built it from whoever stuck around. We compare it with the photos, the damage, the witnesses and the cars’ event data recorders. Businesses along 518 eventually record over their video, so we ask for it early.
Friendswood has no trauma center of its own
Friendswood doesn’t have its own trauma center. Serious injuries usually go a few miles east to Webster, where HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake and UTMB’s Clear Lake campus are both Level II trauma centers, or to the Level I trauma centers in the Texas Medical Center or at UTMB in Galveston. Wherever you end up, the adjuster will read that first chart. Tell the doctor everything that hurts, and don’t skip the follow-up.
What a Friendswood claim can recover
Who caused it? Your recovery shrinks by your percentage of fault, and if a jury puts you over 50 percent, you get nothing (Civil Practice and Remedies Code §§ 33.001, 33.012). So when an adjuster asks whether you saw the other car coming, he’s working on that number.
How much insurance is out there? The Texas minimum is $30,000 per injured person and $60,000 per crash (Transportation Code § 601.072), and a serious injury goes through that fast. We look for the vehicle owner’s policy, the driver’s employer if he was working, a trucking company’s if a commercial vehicle hit you, and a rideshare company’s if one was involved.
What does your own policy add? Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, unless someone on your policy rejected it in writing. It pays when the other driver has no insurance or not enough (Insurance Code § 1952.101). Your personal injury protection pays medical bills and lost wages no matter who caused the wreck (§ 1952.155). Texas insurers have to put it in every auto policy unless someone named on the policy turned it down in writing (§ 1952.152). The standard amount is $2,500 per person, and plenty of policies carry more. If you were riding as a passenger, you’re covered by that car’s PIP (§ 1952.151).
What about the bills? The law counts what was actually paid or is still owed for your care, not the full amount billed (Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 41.0105). How your treatment gets paid for matters from the first week.
Deadlines after a Friendswood wreck
Two years from the wreck is the general deadline to file suit (Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003). If your claim is against a government body, like a school district over a bus crash or a city over one of its vehicles, notice is due within six months, and a city charter can require it sooner (§ 101.101).
What we’ve gotten for injured clients
For a client hit by a driver who ran a red light, we recovered $100,000. For a client rear-ended by a commercial truck driver who was following too closely, we recovered a $2.95 million settlement. See all of our settlements and verdicts. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Galveston and Harris County cases from Friendswood
Jay Blass Cohen was born and raised in Houston and has practiced here since 2009. We take injury cases in Galveston and Harris counties, and we prepare every one as if it’s going to trial. For wrecks next door, see our Pearland and League City car accident pages. If an 18-wheeler hit you, see our truck accident page.
Call (713) 664-4000. Call before the other side’s investigator does all the talking.
Reviewed by Jay Blass Cohen, founder of Blass Law PLLC, ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist, certified Drug Recognition Expert, and SFST instructor, serving Houston since 2009. This article is general information, not legal advice for your situation. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.