Texas gives you two years. That is the statute of limitations for personal injury claims arising from car accidents, and it is one of the most important deadlines in your case. If you do not file a lawsuit within two years of the date of the crash, your right to compensation is gone — permanently. It does not matter how badly you were hurt, how clearly the other driver was at fault, or how much money you are owed. Miss the deadline and the court will dismiss your case. The San Antonio car accident lawyers at Carabin Shaw have watched people lose valid claims because they waited too long, and they do not want that to happen to you.
Two years sounds like a long time when you are lying in a hospital bed after a wreck on Loop 410 or I-35. But the months move fast. You are focused on surgeries, physical therapy, getting back to work, and dealing with the insurance company. The insurance adjuster is in no hurry — in fact, delay works in their favor. The longer they can string you along with lowball offers and requests for more documentation, the closer you get to the deadline. And once that two-year window closes, they do not have to pay you anything. That is why experienced car accident attorneys tell every client the same thing: do not wait.
Beyond the two-year rule, there are several important exceptions, shorter deadlines, and special circumstances that every car accident victim in Texas needs to understand. Getting these wrong can be just as costly as missing the main deadline entirely.
The Two-Year Rule — Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003
The general statute of limitations for personal injury claims in Texas is found in Section 16.003 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code. It applies to car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, and virtually every other type of crash on Texas roads. The clock starts running on the date of the accident — not the date you discovered your injuries, not the date you finished treatment, and not the date the insurance company denied your claim. The date of the crash is day one.
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
If you attempt to file a lawsuit after the two-year statute of limitations has expired, the defendant will file a motion to dismiss, and the court will grant it. There is no grace period. There is no appeal. There is no exception for people who did not know about the deadline. The case is over. This is true even if you have overwhelming evidence that the other driver was 100 percent at fault and your injuries are catastrophic. The statute of limitations is an absolute bar, and Texas courts enforce it without exception in standard car accident cases.
The Statute of Limitations for Wrongful Death
If a family member was killed in a car accident, the wrongful death statute of limitations is also two years under Chapter 71 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code. However, the clock starts on the date of death, not the date of the crash. In most cases those are the same day, but when a victim survives the initial accident and dies days, weeks, or months later from their injuries, the distinction matters. The family has two years from the date of death to file the wrongful death claim.
Claims Involving Minors
When a child under 18 is injured in a car accident, the statute of limitations is tolled — meaning the clock is paused — until the child turns 18. At that point, the child has two years to file a lawsuit, giving them until their 20th birthday. A parent or legal guardian can also file a claim on the child’s behalf at any time before the child turns 18. This tolling provision exists because the law recognizes that minors cannot make legal decisions for themselves and should not lose their rights because a parent failed to act in time.
Claims Against the Government — The 6-Month Notice Deadline
This is where many car accident victims get blindsided. If your crash was caused by a government entity — a City of San Antonio vehicle, a TxDOT maintenance truck, a Bexar County Sheriff’s deputy, a VIA bus, or a highway defect that a government agency failed to repair — special rules apply under the Texas Tort Claims Act. You must provide formal written notice of your claim to the government entity within six months of the accident. Six months, not two years. If you fail to provide this notice, your claim against the government can be barred even though the standard two-year statute of limitations has not yet expired.
This shorter deadline catches people off guard all the time. A driver is rear-ended by a city maintenance truck on US 281. They spend the first four months recovering from surgery and physical therapy. By the time they contact a lawyer, the six-month notice window is almost closed or already gone. Government liability cases require immediate legal attention because the notice deadline is unforgiving.
The Discovery Rule — A Narrow Exception
In very limited circumstances, Texas courts apply what is called the discovery rule, which delays the start of the statute of limitations until the injured person knew or should have known about their injury. This exception rarely applies to car accident cases because the injury is usually apparent immediately — you were in a crash, you were hurt, you know about it. The discovery rule is more commonly applied in medical malpractice or toxic exposure cases where the injury is hidden. However, there are rare car accident scenarios where a latent injury — such as a slow brain bleed or a hairline fracture that was missed on initial imaging — does not manifest until well after the crash. If you discover a previously unknown injury months after your accident, talk to a car accident lawyer immediately to determine whether the discovery rule extends your filing window.
The Statute of Limitations Does Not Pause for Insurance Negotiations
This is one of the most dangerous misconceptions car accident victims have. Many people believe that because they are actively negotiating with the insurance company, the statute of limitations is on hold. It is not. The clock runs continuously from the date of the crash, regardless of what is happening with your insurance claim. The insurance company knows this. They will happily negotiate with you right up to the deadline, and if the clock runs out before you file a lawsuit, they have no legal obligation to pay you anything. They can walk away. This is not a hypothetical — it happens.
Filing a Lawsuit Is Not the Same as Settling
Filing a lawsuit within the two-year window does not mean your case goes straight to trial. The vast majority of car accident cases in Texas settle before trial. Filing the lawsuit preserves your legal rights and puts the insurance company on notice that you are serious. Settlement negotiations can and do continue after a lawsuit is filed. In fact, many cases settle faster once the other side knows they are facing an actual courtroom date rather than an informal claim they can drag out indefinitely.
Why You Should Not Wait
Even though you have two years, waiting works against you in every way. Physical evidence at the crash scene is cleaned up within hours. Surveillance footage from nearby businesses is overwritten within 48 to 72 hours. Witnesses forget details and move away. The other driver’s vehicle may be repaired or scrapped, destroying the physical evidence of the impact. Your own medical records are strongest when treatment begins immediately after the crash — gaps in treatment give the insurance company ammunition to argue your injuries are not that serious. And if your case involves a government entity, you have only six months to provide notice.
The car accident attorneys at Carabin Shaw start investigating on day one, preserve evidence before it disappears, and make sure no deadline is missed. Consultations are free and there is no fee unless they win. CALL SHAW at 800-862-1260.
