A wreck in Pearland raises a question most people never think about: which county did it happen in? Most of Pearland is in Brazoria County, but parts of the city sit in Harris County and Fort Bend County, and the county lines run through neighborhoods people drive every day. That matters, because it helps decide which courthouse your case can be filed in and which jury pool would hear it. The insurance company knows how that plays out, and so do we.
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. Don’t give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer before you talk to us.
Pearland wrecks and the first hospital visit
Most of Pearland’s traffic runs on SH 288 and Broadway (FM 518), and the interchange where they meet mixes highway speed with shopping-center traffic. Pearland Parkway and the stretch of FM 1128 (Manvel Road) south of Broadway see their share of crashes too. Inside the city limits, the Pearland Police Department usually writes the crash report. Outside them, it may be a sheriff’s deputy or a state trooper. Either way, the report is a Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report, and it’s the first thing the insurer reads. Officers get details wrong, so we check the report against the photos and the witnesses. Video from the businesses along the road helps too, if we get it before it’s recorded over.
People hurt in Pearland usually go to the ER at HCA Houston Healthcare Pearland or Memorial Hermann Pearland. The most serious injuries go up 288 to the Level I trauma centers in the Texas Medical Center. Wherever you went, the insurer will read that first chart and see if you went back when your doctor told you to. It treats a gap in care as proof you weren’t really hurt.
18-wheeler wrecks on 288 and Highway 35
Trucks run SH 288 and SH 35 all day, hauling between Houston and the plants and warehouses to the south. An interstate freight carrier has to carry at least $750,000 in liability coverage (49 C.F.R. § 387.9), so the money is usually there. Federal rules also limit how long the driver can be behind the wheel. The truck’s electronic logging device tracks those hours, and the engine data shows speed and braking. The company only has to keep the driver’s hours records for six months (49 C.F.R. § 395.8), so we send a preservation letter in the first week, before anything gets thrown out.
Brazoria County or Harris County courthouse
A Texas injury suit can be filed in the county where all or a substantial part of the crash happened, or in the county where the at-fault driver lived when it happened. If the defendant is a company, it can be filed where the company has its principal office in Texas (Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 15.002). For most Pearland crashes, that means the Brazoria County district courts at 111 E. Locust in Angleton or the Harris County civil courthouse at 201 Caroline in downtown Houston. A crash on the Fort Bend side, or with a Fort Bend driver, can also go to the Justice Center in Richmond. We choose the venue on purpose, because the courthouse changes what an insurer is willing to pay to avoid it.
Valuing a Pearland crash claim
Every policy in play. A Texas driver only has to carry $30,000 per injured person and $60,000 per crash (Transportation Code § 601.072), and a serious injury goes past that fast. We look for every other policy that applies: the vehicle owner’s, the driver’s employer if they were on the job, a rideshare company’s if one was involved, and your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage (Insurance Code § 1952.101). Your personal injury protection pays medical bills and lost wages no matter who caused the crash (Insurance Code § 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.
Your treatment costs. Only what was actually paid or is still owed for your care counts, not the full amount billed (Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 41.0105). Health insurance, Medicare, PIP or a letter of protection each changes that number, so we plan it with you from the first week.
Everything the wreck took. Lost income, lost earning capacity, pain and what the injury took from your life at home all count if the medical records back them up. We make sure your doctors write it down.
Your share of the blame. Texas cuts your recovery 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). That’s why the adjuster wants you talking about how fast you were going. We answer with the vehicles’ crash data and the witnesses, not your memory of a few seconds.
When a city or county vehicle hits you
The deadline to file suit is generally two years from the crash (Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003). If a city or county vehicle hit you, written notice of the claim is due within six months, and a city charter can require it even sooner (Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 101.101). Don’t wait on either one.
Cases we’ve resolved
We recovered $100,000 for a client hit by a driver who ran a red light. A bigger case, a client rear-ended by a commercial truck driver who was following too closely, ended in a $2.95 million settlement. See all of our settlements and verdicts. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Get help with your Pearland crash
Jay Blass Cohen was born and raised in Houston and has practiced here since 2009. We handle injury cases across Brazoria County and the rest of the Houston area, and we prepare every case as if it’s going to trial. We also take Pearland cases for people hurt by a drunk driver or on unsafe property, and our 18-wheeler page covers truck cases in more depth. If you were charged after a crash, see our Pearland criminal defense page.
Call (713) 664-4000. Evidence from a wreck has a short shelf life. Call while we can still get it.
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.