Texas posted 650 large truck fatalities in 2023, and Harris County followed in 2024 with 6,313 commercial vehicle crashes that killed 41 people and left hundreds more seriously injured. For people trying to sort out what comes next after a wreck, truck accident lawyers say the clock starts immediately.
Every reputable truck accident firm in Houston offers a free initial consultation, and there are no upfront fees unless the firm recovers compensation. That matters because Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 33 can wipe out a claim if a victim is found 51 percent or more at fault, while anyone found less than 51 percent responsible sees compensation reduced by that share.
Texas law also gives injury victims two years to file under Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003, and wrongful death claims carry the same two-year window from the date of death. In a state with dense traffic, heavy freight movement and rapid urban growth, that deadline can arrive before families have even finished gathering the records they need.
The evidence problem is just as unforgiving. Electronic logging device data and black box records can be overwritten within days once a truck returns to service, and surveillance footage from nearby businesses typically disappears within 30 to 90 days. By the time a case is ready for court, the most useful proof may already be gone unless it was preserved early.
That urgency is one reason Houston firms push immediate contact after a crash. Sutliff & Stout describes itself as the most credentialed truck accident firm operating in Houston, and its founders carry unusual weight in Texas injury law. Graham E. Sutliff and Hank Stout both hold Board Certification in Personal Injury Trial Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and both have appeared on the Texas Super Lawyers list every year since 2012.
The firm says it has recovered more than $1 billion in verdicts and settlements for Texas injury victims over its 17-year history, and it offers free consultation 24/7 by phone, text and online form. That kind of availability reflects the reality of truck cases in Texas: the facts can vanish fast, the filing deadline is fixed, and the person most affected may have only one chance to get the claim right.
