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Galveston Personal Injury Lawyers

Galveston County reported 34 fatal crashes and 39 traffic deaths in 2024, along with another 181 wrecks that left people seriously injured, according to the Texas Department of Transportation’s Crash Records Information System (CRIS). Eleven of those fatal crashes involved alcohol-impaired drivers. The county logged more than 6,600 reportable crashes overall, most of them on or feeding into Interstate 45 and Seawall Boulevard.

Galveston is also unlike anywhere else in Texas. It’s an island, a port, the busiest cruise embarkation hub on the Gulf Coast, and the home of the only Level I Trauma Center for a nine-county region of southeast Texas. That mix produces a kind of personal injury caseload no inland city sees: car wrecks on the Causeway, pedestrian crashes on the Seawall, slip-and-falls at the outlets and the Pleasure Pier, cruise passenger injuries, dock and longshore worker cases, and offshore claims.

You shouldn’t have to take an insurance company’s first offer just because medical bills are piling up. You deserve an attorney who knows Galveston County, knows the courts at the Justice Center on 59th Street, and isn’t afraid to push back when an insurer won’t pay what your case is worth.

At DJC Law, our Galveston personal injury lawyers help accident victims and their families recover after serious injuries. If you were hurt in a wreck on I-45, struck while crossing Seawall Boulevard, injured at a hotel or a Galveston attraction, or harmed in any kind of accident on or near the water, we can help.

We work on contingency. You pay nothing unless we win. Call us today for a free, no-obligation consultation. Hablamos español.

What Is Personal Injury Law?

Personal injury law lets people who’ve been hurt by someone else’s negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct seek financial compensation for their losses. These are civil claims, separate from any criminal charges. They hold the responsible party accountable and help injured victims recover the money they need for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages.

Most personal injury cases come down to negligence. To win a negligence claim, you have to prove four things: that the defendant owed you a duty of care, that they breached that duty, that the breach caused your injuries, and that you suffered actual damages.

That sounds simple enough on paper. In practice, insurance companies spend a lot of time and money working to deny, delay, and minimize claims. Galveston cases can also pull in federal maritime law, cruise-line ticket contracts, and short notice deadlines that don’t exist in ordinary Texas cases. An experienced personal injury attorney can level the conversation and improve your chances of a fair recovery.

Why Choose DJC Law

Not every personal injury firm is the same. Here’s what sets DJC Law apart.

You Pay Nothing Unless We Win

We take personal injury cases on contingency. There are no upfront fees and you owe us nothing unless we recover compensation for you. Our payment comes out of your settlement or verdict, so we only get paid when you do.

Personal Attention From Your Attorney

You won’t get handed off to a paralegal or left wondering what’s going on with your case. Our attorneys stay involved at every stage. We return calls. When you have a question, you’ll get an answer from the lawyer actually handling your case.

Bilingual Representation

Your attorney should never be a barrier to understanding your own case. Our team works in English and Spanish, so you can ask questions and make decisions in the language you’re most comfortable with.

Experience With Tourist and Visitor Cases

Galveston isn’t just a city of 53,000 residents. It’s a destination for millions of visitors a year, with 1.5 million-plus cruise passengers passing through the port and a steady stream of beachgoers, day-trippers from Houston, and Mardi Gras and Lone Star Rally crowds. We routinely represent out-of-state clients who got hurt while visiting Galveston and need their case handled here without having to fly back for every step. We coordinate with their hometown medical providers, take statements remotely when appropriate, and only ask clients to travel when it actually moves the case forward.

Trial-Ready Representation

Insurance companies pay attention to which firms actually take cases to court. When they know we’re prepared to try a case, they’re a lot more willing to settle for a fair number. If they aren’t willing, we’re ready to put your case in front of a Galveston County jury.

Local Knowledge, Local Commitment

We know the courts at the Galveston County Justice Center, the judges who hear these cases, and the roads where these crashes keep happening. From the I-45 Causeway down to FM 3005 on the West End, we work cases here regularly.

Personal Injury in Galveston: By the Numbers

Galveston Island gets squeezed between long-distance traffic moving north and south on I-45 and millions of tourists, cruise passengers, and day-trippers moving around inside the city. Add a busy commercial port, a major academic medical center, and a beach community that doubles in size on summer weekends, and the injury picture takes shape. According to the Texas Department of Transportation and other public sources:

    • Galveston County reported 34 fatal crashes and 39 traffic fatalities in 2024, along with 181 suspected serious injury crashes that left 218 people seriously hurt.
    • The county logged 6,667 reportable crashes overall in 2024, including 856 wrecks that produced minor injuries and another 607 with possible injuries.
    • Drunk driving played a role in 11 of those Galveston County fatal crashes, killing 14 people, with another 19 DUI wrecks producing serious injuries countywide. That’s a rate substantially higher than the statewide DUI fatal-crash share for a county Galveston’s size.
    • The Port of Galveston is the fourth-busiest cruise embarkation port in North America, hosting more than 1.5 million cruise passengers in 2024, with cruise lines including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Disney, Norwegian, MSC, and Princess sailing from the wharves.
    • Galveston welcomes more than 6,000 hotel rooms’ worth of overnight visitors plus day-trippers from Houston, with major events like Mardi Gras, the Lone Star Rally, the Iron Man Triathlon, and 80-plus annual festivals concentrated along Seawall Boulevard and The Strand.

Dangerous Roads and Locations in Galveston

If your wreck happened on one of these corridors, you’re not alone. They show up in TxDOT crash data and local news coverage year after year:

    • Interstate 45 and the Galveston Causeway: The only road on or off the island for most travelers, and the site of regular wrong-way and rear-end fatal crashes near Tiki Drive and the base of the bridge. The Causeway also handles a heavy share of long-haul truck traffic moving freight between Galveston-area refineries and the rest of Texas.
    • Seawall Boulevard: Galveston’s iconic beachfront thoroughfare and one of the most dangerous pedestrian corridors in the city. Fatal hit-and-run pedestrian wrecks, DWI crashes, and tourist-driver collisions are a recurring problem along Seawall, including a deadly New Year’s Day 2025 wreck that killed one person and injured four others, and a fatal collision in spring 2024 that led to an arrest warrant.
    • Broadway Avenue (Avenue J): The main east-west arterial across central Galveston, running from the Causeway approach to Seawall. The 27th and Broadway intersection produced a fatal wreck that killed two people in November 2024.
    • FM 3005 / Termini-San Luis Pass Road: The road running west along the island toward Jamaica Beach and San Luis Pass. Long stretches with limited shoulders and frequent tourist traffic produce a regular flow of wrecks, including the West End scene of multiple recent injury cases.
    • Harborside Drive: The main road serving the Port of Galveston, the cruise terminals, and The Strand Historic District. Heavy mixed traffic of cruise passengers, port commercial vehicles, and tourists produces a steady flow of pedestrian and vehicle conflicts.
    • 61st Street, 25th Street, and the major north-south streets: Connect Broadway to Seawall and carry a high volume of resident and tourist traffic, particularly during high-tourism weekends and on Lone Star Rally weekend, when motorcycle traffic spikes.
    • I-45 mainland corridor in Galveston County: The stretch from League City through Texas City and into the Causeway approach is one of the busiest commuter routes in the Houston metro and the site of multiple multi-vehicle pileups, wrong-way wrecks, and pedestrian fatalities each year.

Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle

Our Galveston personal injury attorneys take on a wide range of cases. If you’ve been hurt because of someone else’s negligence, we can help.

Car accidents are the single most common cause of serious injury in Galveston. Distracted driving, speeding, drunk driving, and fatigue cause thousands of crashes in Galveston County every year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) identifies all four as leading contributors to fatal crashes nationwide. [internal-link: car-accidents]

Truck accidents involving 18-wheelers and other commercial vehicles are a major part of our practice in Galveston County. The I-45 corridor between Houston and the island moves heavy commercial freight, and the Texas City and Galveston petrochemical complexes generate a steady volume of tanker truck traffic. These cases involve federal regulations enforced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), including hours-of-service rules, drug and alcohol testing, and maintenance standards. There are usually multiple parties who can be held liable, including the driver, the motor carrier, brokers, shippers, and maintenance providers. [internal-link: truck-accidents]

Motorcycle accidents tend to leave riders with severe injuries because they don’t have the protection of an enclosed vehicle. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has long reported that motorcyclists are killed at far higher rates than passenger-vehicle occupants per mile traveled. Insurance companies often try to use that risk against riders, and we push back hard. The Lone Star Rally weekend each November draws tens of thousands of bikes to Seawall Boulevard, and the immediate aftermath always produces a wave of motorcycle injury cases. [internal-link: motorcycle-accidents]

Pedestrian accidents can leave victims with devastating injuries. Drivers have a duty to watch for pedestrians, and we hold them responsible when they don’t. Crosswalks along Seawall Boulevard, around The Strand, and near the cruise terminals see steady pedestrian traffic from tourists who often don’t know the local roads, which produces recurring fatal and serious injury crashes. [internal-link: pedestrian-accidents]

Bicycle accidents can cause serious harm to cyclists who share the road with much larger vehicles. Beach cruisers and rental bikes on the Seawall, plus year-round riders along Broadway and the East End neighborhoods, produce a steady flow of bicycle-vehicle conflicts. We represent injured cyclists and pursue full compensation under Texas law. [internal-link: bicycle-accidents]

Bus accidents, including crashes involving Island Transit, school buses, charter buses, cruise shuttles, and tour operators, come with their own complications. Public transit cases can run into governmental immunity issues, and bus operators are held to a higher common-carrier duty of care. [internal-link: bus-accidents]

Premises liability cases come up when a dangerous condition on someone else’s property causes an injury. In Galveston that often means slip and falls at hotels, cruise terminal facilities, the Pleasure Pier, Moody Gardens, the outlet mall in Texas City, and restaurants along Seawall and Pier 21. It also covers inadequate security at hotels and short-term rentals, swimming pool incidents at Gulf-front properties, and beach-related premises issues. Texas premises liability law is governed in part by Chapter 95 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code for certain property owners, along with case law that draws distinctions between invitees, licensees, and trespassers. [internal-link: premises-liability]

Maritime, cruise, and offshore cases are a category Galveston has that almost no other Texas city has at this scale. Injuries that happen on navigable waters, on cruise ships, on offshore drilling rigs, on barges and tugboats, or in ports and harbors are governed by federal maritime law rather than ordinary Texas tort law. Different statutes apply to different workers and different situations, including the Jones Act for seamen, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) for dock and shipyard workers, the Death on the High Seas Act for fatalities more than three nautical miles offshore, and general maritime law for many cruise passenger claims. Cruise ship tickets also typically include forum selection clauses requiring suit in a specific jurisdiction (often federal court in Florida) and shortened notice and filing deadlines, sometimes as short as one year. We evaluate maritime cases carefully and bring in qualified counsel where the case calls for it. [internal-link: maritime-injuries]

Dog bites can cause serious physical injuries and lasting emotional trauma. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year in the United States, with hundreds of thousands needing emergency care. We help victims pursue full compensation under Texas dog bite law. [internal-link: dog-bites]

Workplace and refinery accidents are a real issue in Galveston County given the petrochemical complex along the Gulf Coast. The chemical plants, refineries, and terminals in Texas City, La Marque, and the Houston Ship Channel produce serious workplace injuries every year, including burns, chemical exposures, falls from heights, and crush injuries. Many of these cases involve violations of OSHA workplace safety standards as well as third-party contractor liability. [internal-link: construction-accidents]

Product liability cases involve injuries caused by defective or dangerous products. That includes vehicle defects (which can sometimes be tracked through NHTSA’s recall database), defective marine equipment, and dangerous consumer goods regulated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. [internal-link: product-liability]

Wrongful death claims allow surviving family members to seek compensation when a loved one is killed because of another party’s negligence or misconduct. These claims are governed by Chapter 71 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, with maritime fatalities covered by the Death on the High Seas Act, the Jones Act, or general maritime law depending on where and how the death occurred. [internal-link: wrongful-death]

If your situation isn’t on this list, call us anyway. Personal injury law covers a lot of ground, and we’d rather hear about your case and tell you straight whether we can help.

Common Injuries in Personal Injury Cases

Accidents can cause anything from temporary pain to permanent disability. We represent clients who have suffered:

    • Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
    • Broken bones and fractures
    • Back, neck, and whiplash injuries
    • Herniated discs and soft tissue damage
    • Internal organ damage
    • Burns, chemical exposures, and scarring
    • Amputation and loss of limbs
    • Drowning, near-drowning, and submersion injuries
    • Knee, shoulder, and joint injuries
    • Cuts, lacerations, and disfigurement
    • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychological injuries

Some injuries are obvious right away. Others, like concussions, internal bleeding, and soft tissue damage, can take days or even weeks to fully show up. That’s why getting medical attention as soon as possible after an accident matters. It protects your health, and it documents your injuries early. The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) John Sealy Hospital on the Galveston campus is the only Level I Trauma Center in a nine-county southeast Texas region and the only Level I trauma center in the area that’s also a Verified Burn Center accredited by the American Burn Association. UTMB also operates Level III trauma centers at its League City and Clear Lake campuses and a Level IV facility at Angleton-Danbury, with Shriners Burns Hospital for Children on the Galveston campus handling pediatric burn cases.

Compensation Available in a Texas Personal Injury Case

Texas law lets injured victims recover both economic and non-economic damages. Depending on the case, punitive damages may also be available. Maritime cases and cases under federal statutes like the Jones Act follow their own damages rules, which we’ll walk through with you if those laws apply.

Economic Damages

These are the financial losses you can document with bills, pay stubs, and receipts:

    • Medical expenses: Past and future treatment, hospital stays, surgeries, medication, rehab, and home care
    • Lost wages: Income you couldn’t earn while recovering
    • Loss of earning capacity: Reduced ability to earn in the future because of permanent impairments
    • Property damage: Repair or replacement of your vehicle and other damaged belongings
    • Out-of-pocket expenses: Transportation to medical appointments, home modifications, and other accident-related costs

Non-Economic Damages

These are losses that don’t come with a receipt but are just as real:

    • Pain and suffering: Physical pain caused by your injuries and their treatment
    • Mental anguish: Emotional distress, anxiety, depression, and psychological trauma
    • Disfigurement: Permanent scarring or physical changes to your appearance
    • Loss of enjoyment of life: Inability to take part in activities and hobbies you used to enjoy
    • Loss of consortium: The impact your injuries have had on your relationship with your spouse
    • Physical impairment: Limitations on your physical abilities and daily activities

In cases that involve gross negligence or intentional misconduct, you may also be entitled to exemplary (punitive) damages under Chapter 41 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code. These are meant to punish the wrongdoer and deter similar conduct. Texas caps them in most cases at the greater of (1) two times economic damages plus non-economic damages up to $750,000, or (2) $200,000.

How Texas Negligence Law Works

Understanding the basics of Texas negligence law helps you understand your case. Here are the key ideas.

Proving Negligence

To win a personal injury case, you have to prove four things:

Duty of care. The defendant had a legal obligation to act reasonably to avoid causing harm. Drivers have to operate their vehicles safely. Property owners have to keep their property in safe condition. Manufacturers have to produce safe products. Vessel operators have additional duties under maritime law.

Breach of duty. The defendant didn’t live up to that duty. Running a red light, texting while driving (which is prohibited statewide under Texas Transportation Code § 545.4251), or ignoring a known hazard are all examples of a breach.

Causation. The breach actually caused your injuries. There has to be a clear connection between what the defendant did wrong and the harm you suffered.

Damages. You suffered real losses as a result. That can mean medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and other categories of harm.

Modified Comparative Negligence (the 51% Bar Rule)

Texas follows what’s called “modified comparative negligence,” set out in Chapter 33 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code. In plain terms, you can still recover compensation if you were partially at fault for the accident, as long as your share of responsibility is 50% or less.

If you’re found partly at fault, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of responsibility. For example, if you’re 20% at fault and your damages total $100,000, you’d recover $80,000.

If you’re found more than 50% responsible, you don’t recover anything. That’s why insurance companies work so hard to push fault onto victims. Even a few percentage points can knock you across that 51% line. Our attorneys fight to keep that from happening. Maritime law uses a different rule called pure comparative fault, which lets injured workers recover even when they’re more than 50% at fault, with their recovery reduced by their share of responsibility.

The Personal Injury Claims Process

Every case is a little different, but most personal injury claims follow a similar path.

Investigation and evidence gathering. We dig into how the accident happened. That includes police reports (Galveston Police Department crash reports can be requested in person at the Joe Max Taylor Law Enforcement Center or online through the city’s records system, and a Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report can be ordered directly from the TxDOT C.R.I.S. portal), medical records, witness statements, photographs, and any other evidence that supports your claim. For maritime cases we also work to preserve incident reports, deck logs, voyage data recorders, and CCTV footage before they get overwritten.

Medical treatment documentation. We work to make sure your injuries are fully documented by medical professionals. Solid documentation is what proves the value of your damages later.

Demand and negotiation. Once we know the full extent of your damages, we send a demand to the insurance company and negotiate for fair compensation.

Filing a lawsuit. If the insurer won’t make a fair offer, we file suit. Most personal injury cases are filed in the Galveston County District Courts at the Galveston County Justice Center, 600 59th Street in Galveston. Civil filings go through the Galveston County District Clerk’s Office using the statewide eFileTexas system. Federal cases involving Galveston County, including most maritime claims and cases involving out-of-state defendants, can be filed in the Galveston Division of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, which is housed in the historic federal building downtown.

Discovery. Both sides exchange information, take depositions, and gather more evidence under the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure or the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, depending on the court.

Mediation or settlement. A lot of cases settle during litigation, often through mediation. Mediation is a structured negotiation with a neutral third party who helps both sides find common ground.

Trial. If the case doesn’t settle, we present it to a jury and ask for the verdict your case deserves.

Through all of this, we keep you in the loop. You’ll always know what’s happening and what your options are.

Dealing with Insurance Companies

After an accident, you’ll probably hear from an insurance adjuster who sounds friendly and concerned. Don’t read too much into the tone. The adjuster’s job is to keep their company from paying any more than it has to. The Texas Department of Insurance publishes consumer guides and complaint procedures if you ever feel an insurer is treating you unfairly.

Common insurance company tactics include:

    • Asking for a recorded statement they can later use against you
    • Requesting broad medical authorizations so they can dig for pre-existing conditions
    • Pushing a quick settlement before you know the full extent of your injuries
    • Disputing how serious your injuries are or claiming they aren’t related to the accident
    • Dragging things out, hoping you’ll accept less out of financial pressure
    • Trying to shift fault onto you to push you over the 51% comparative fault bar

Before you talk to any insurance company, talk to an attorney first. Once we’re involved, we handle communications with insurers for you. Cruise lines and maritime employers also have dedicated claims handlers whose job is to minimize your case. The same advice applies.

Statute of Limitations: How Long You Have to File

Texas sets strict deadlines for filing personal injury claims. Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003, you generally have two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. Miss that deadline and you usually lose your right to recover, period.

Some situations have different deadlines, and Galveston cases hit several of them more often than inland cases.

Cruise ship claims are typically governed by the cruise ticket contract, which is enforceable as a maritime contract. Most major cruise lines require written notice within six months of the injury and require any lawsuit to be filed within one year, often in a specific federal court. Miss those deadlines and your case is over before it starts.

Jones Act and general maritime claims have a three-year statute of limitations under federal law, but evidence preservation issues mean cases need to be opened much earlier than that.

Claims against government entities, like the City of Galveston, Galveston County, the Port of Galveston, or a state agency, typically require formal written notice within six months or less under the Texas Tort Claims Act. Many city charters require notice even sooner.

Medical malpractice claims have additional procedural rules under Chapter 74 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, including a 60-day pre-suit notice requirement and an expert report requirement. Claims against UTMB or other state-affiliated facilities raise additional notice issues under the Tort Claims Act.

Claims involving minors may have extended deadlines under Texas tolling rules.

Don’t sit on your case waiting to see if your injuries get better. Even if you’re not ready to file a lawsuit, talking to a lawyer early makes sure you understand your deadlines.

Steps to Take After an Accident in Galveston

If you’ve been hurt in any kind of accident, the steps you take afterward can protect both your health and your legal rights.

    1. Get medical attention right away. Call 911 if anyone is seriously hurt. For severe trauma, the only Level I Trauma Center in southeast Texas is the UTMB John Sealy Hospital on the Galveston campus. UTMB also operates Level III trauma facilities at its League City and Clear Lake campuses, with Shriners Burns Hospital for Children on the Galveston campus for pediatric burn cases.
    2. Report the accident. If the crash happened inside Galveston city limits, call 911 to get an officer to the scene. For minor crashes with no injuries, the Galveston Police Department‘s main line is (409) 765-3702. Crashes in unincorporated parts of Galveston County are handled by the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office. Crashes inside the port and cruise terminal area are worked by the Port of Galveston Police Department, and crashes on the UTMB campus by UTMB Police. Crashes on I-45, the Causeway, and other state highways are sometimes worked by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
    3. Document everything. Take photos of the accident scene, your injuries, property damage, road conditions, and traffic signs. Note the time of day, the weather, and the direction you were traveling.
    4. Get witness information. Collect names, phone numbers, and email addresses from anyone who saw what happened. For tourist-heavy locations like Seawall, the Pleasure Pier, the Strand, and the cruise terminal, witnesses often live out of state, so get the contact info before they leave the island.
    5. Request your crash report. Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Reports (Form CR-3) are usually available 7 to 14 days after the wreck through the TxDOT C.R.I.S. public portal for $6 (or $8 certified). Galveston Police Department reports can also be requested in person at the Joe Max Taylor Law Enforcement Center, 601 54th Street, Galveston, TX 77551.
    6. Keep records. Save all medical bills, prescription receipts, mileage logs to and from appointments, and pay stubs that show the work you missed.
    7. For cruise ship and maritime injuries, ask for a written incident report on the vessel before you disembark. Save your ticket, your boarding documents, and any photos of the hazard. Get the names and ratings of crew witnesses if you can.
    8. Don’t give a recorded statement. If the other driver’s insurance company or a cruise line claims handler asks for one, politely say no until you’ve spoken with an attorney.
    9. Don’t sign anything. Insurance companies and cruise lines sometimes hand over releases or settlements that look routine but quietly waive your rights. Have a lawyer look at it first.
    10. Call a personal injury attorney. The sooner you have legal representation, the better protected your case is.

How Our Galveston Personal Injury Lawyers Help

Trying to handle a personal injury claim while you’re still recovering from a serious injury is exhausting. Our team takes the legal work off your plate so you can focus on getting better.

We investigate the accident, gather the evidence we need to prove liability and damages, and handle every conversation with the insurance companies. When a case calls for it, we bring in medical experts, accident reconstructionists, marine engineers, and economists to help build it.

We also calculate the full value of your losses, including future expenses and the kinds of non-economic damages that are easy to undercount. Then we negotiate hard for fair compensation. We also prepare every case as if it’s going to trial, because the cases that look ready for trial almost always settle for more.

If the insurance company won’t pay what your case is worth, we go to court.

Frequently Asked Questions About Galveston Personal Injury Cases

How much does it cost to hire a personal injury lawyer in Galveston?

Nothing upfront. We work on contingency, which means we only get paid if we recover compensation for you. Our fee comes as a percentage of your settlement or verdict. If we don’t win, you don’t pay. The consultation is free.

How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Texas?

Generally two years from the date of injury under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003. Cruise ship and many maritime cases run on much shorter contractual deadlines, often one year. Claims against government entities can have notice deadlines as short as six months. Don’t assume your deadline based on the general rule. Have an attorney confirm it.

I got hurt on a cruise that left from Galveston. Where do I sue?

Probably not where you’d expect. Most major cruise lines, including Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Disney, include forum selection clauses in their passenger ticket contracts requiring lawsuits to be filed in a specific federal court, often in Florida, regardless of where you boarded. Those clauses are generally enforceable. The clauses also typically include a one-year deadline to file suit and a six-month notice deadline. We can review your ticket and your facts and tell you what court has jurisdiction and what deadlines apply.

I’m a seaman, longshoreman, or offshore worker. Do I have a workers’ comp claim or a Jones Act claim?

That depends on your job and where you were hurt. Texas workers’ compensation generally doesn’t apply to most maritime workers. Instead, federal laws kick in. The Jones Act covers seamen, defined as workers who spend at least 30 percent of their time on a vessel afloat in navigable waters, and lets them sue their employer for negligence. The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act covers most dock workers, longshoremen, ship repair workers, and shipyard employees. Section 905(b) of the LHWCA also lets some maritime workers bring negligence claims against vessel owners. Each statute has different deadlines and different remedies, and getting them right is critical to your recovery.

Is Texas a no-fault state for car accidents?

No. Texas is an at-fault (or “tort”) state. The driver who caused the wreck, and that driver’s insurance company, is responsible for the damages. That’s different from no-fault states, where each driver typically files with their own insurer regardless of who caused the wreck. In Texas, fault investigation and the police crash report often shape the outcome of your case.

What is the minimum auto insurance required in Texas?

According to the Texas Department of Insurance, drivers have to carry at least 30/60/25 liability coverage. That’s $30,000 per injured person, up to $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage. These minimums often aren’t enough to cover serious injuries, which is why uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage matters so much.

How long will my case take?

It depends. Some cases settle within months. Others take a year or more, especially if litigation is needed. Cases with disputed liability, severe injuries, commercial defendants, or maritime law components generally take longer. We work to resolve your case as quickly as we reasonably can without rushing it past a fair result.

What if I was partially at fault for my accident?

You can still recover compensation as long as your share of fault is 50% or less in a Texas state-law case. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault. Maritime cases use a different rule, called pure comparative fault, where injured workers can recover even when they’re more than 50% responsible, with their recovery reduced by their share of fault.

Should I accept the insurance company’s settlement offer?

Not without talking to an attorney first. Initial offers are almost always far below what your case is worth. Once you sign a release, you can’t reopen the claim, even if your injuries turn out to be more serious than you thought. Have a lawyer review any offer before you sign anything.

How much is my case worth?

Every case is different. Value depends on the severity of your injuries, your past and future medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, the strength of the evidence, and the available insurance coverage. We can give you a more accurate range after we review the specifics of your case in a free consultation.

Are personal injury settlements taxable in Texas?

According to IRS Publication 4345, the part of a personal injury settlement that compensates you for physical injuries or physical sickness is generally not taxable. Portions allocated to lost wages, interest, or punitive damages can be taxable. Texas itself has no state income tax, but you should always confirm tax treatment with a CPA.

What if the other driver doesn’t have insurance?

You may still have options. Your own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage may apply. Other parties, like an employer if the at-fault driver was on the job, may share liability. We look at every angle for compensation, including stacking applicable policies where Texas law allows.

Where do I get my Galveston accident report?

You can request your crash report online through the TxDOT Crash Report Online Purchase System or in person at Galveston Police Department, 601 54th Street, Galveston, TX 77551. Standard reports cost $6, with additional fees for certified or mailed copies. If we represent you, we’ll handle getting the report as part of our investigation.

Helpful Galveston and Texas Resources

If you’ve been hurt in an accident in Galveston, these public resources may be useful:

Contact Our Galveston Personal Injury Attorneys Today

If you’ve been hurt because of someone else’s negligence, you don’t have to take on the insurance companies on your own. The Galveston personal injury lawyers at DJC Law have the experience and the resources to go to bat for you.

Reach out for a free consultation. We’ll listen to your story, walk you through your options, and help you figure out what to do next. There’s no obligation, and you don’t pay us anything unless we win. Hablamos español.

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