Board-certified personal injury attorney says the weeks after July Fourth are when driver attention fades, and the mistakes that cost crash victims the most should be prevented
HOUSTON, July 7, 2026 — Houston has reached the midpoint of the summer driving season, and the numbers already tell a sobering story. In the first three months of 2026, 67 people died on Houston roadways, according to Texas Department of Transportation data, more than the 49 murders the Houston Police Department reported over the same period. It is the continuation of a grim pattern: in 2025, TxDOT recorded 291 roadway fatalities in Houston, exceeding the city’s 268 murders.
Paul Cannon, a Houston attorney who is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a distinction held by only 3% of Texas lawyers, says the second half of summer deserves the same caution as the first.
“We talk about crime constantly in this city, but statistically the most dangerous thing most Houstonians do is drive to work,” Cannon said. “And the most expensive mistakes after a crash don’t happen on the road. They happen in the week that follows.”
Statewide, a reportable crash occurred every 57 seconds in Texas in 2024, and 4,150 people were killed, according to TxDOT’s annual crash statistics. Against that backdrop, Cannon points to three legal realities that catch crash victims off guard:
- Deadlines are shorter than people think. Texas generally allows two years to file an injury claim, but claims involving a city, county, state, or federal entity can require written notice in as little as 30 days.
- Evidence disappears unless it is demanded. There is no general duty to preserve video footage, inspection records, or internal reports unless a written preservation demand is sent.
- Fault percentages decide everything. Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule. A victim found more than 50% responsible recovers nothing, and insurers negotiate with that rule in mind.
Cannon recommends that anyone injured in a crash document the scene, seek medical care promptly, decline to give recorded statements to opposing insurers, and speak with a qualified attorney before signing anything.
Simmons and Fletcher, P.C., founded in Houston in 1979, represents crash victims across the Houston area, including Katy, Cypress, Spring, Sugar Land, and The Woodlands.
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