In a state where traffic injuries occur at a staggering rate, a Houston personal injury law firm is raising alarms about a common misstep that can cost crash victims dearly: talking to insurance companies before understanding their legal rights. (713) A-B-O-G-A-D-O | Abogados de Accidentes, a well-established Houston law firm, is urging people hurt in car, truck and rideshare crashes to learn their rights before they give a statement to an insurance company or sign any paperwork. The warning comes as too many injured people accept the first offer they get, often within days of the crash, without knowing what their claim is really worth.
The problem is especially acute in Texas. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, one person was injured in a Texas traffic crash every 2 minutes and 9 seconds in 2025, and 3,769 people died on Texas roads that year. With so many crashes, insurance adjusters frequently contact victims quickly, hoping to lock in low settlements before the full extent of injuries is known.
"A lot of what we do is just making sure that people don't sign something that will take away their right to receive the true value of their case," says attorney Corey Gomel. "They should know what their options are before an insurance company tells them what to do."
The firm outlines several key rights that every injured driver and passenger should know. First, you do not have to give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurance company. Adjusters often call within a day or two of a crash, and anything said on that call can later be used to argue that injuries were minor or that the injured person was partly at fault. Second, signing a release usually ends the claim. Once a person accepts a settlement and signs, they generally cannot ask for more money, even if they later learn they need surgery or more time off work.
Fault can be shared under Texas law. An injured person can still recover damages as long as they are not more than 50% responsible for the crash, though the amount is reduced by their share of fault. Insurance companies sometimes overstate a driver's share of fault to lower what they pay. There is also a deadline: most personal injury claims in Texas must be filed within two years of the date of the injury. Ride-share crashes follow different rules. Uber and Lyft carry larger insurance policies, but which coverage applies depends on whether the driver was logged in to the ride-share app, heading to pick up a rider or carrying a passenger at the time of the crash. People hurt in an Uber or Lyft accident in Houston often have to deal with more than one insurance company.
Language should not be a barrier. Most of the people who contact (713) A-B-O-G-A-D-O | Abogados de Accidentes speak Spanish, and the firm is happy to work with every client either in Spanish or English. "We only represent people. Not insurance companies, not businesses," Gomel said. "Just people who got hurt because someone else was careless."
The firm handles Houston car accident cases, truck accident claims and rideshare injury cases, and its past results include a $4.5 million car accident recovery and a $2.1 million truck accident recovery. For English-speaking clients, the firm can be reached through 713lawsuit.com. Consultations are free, and the firm works on a contingency fee basis, so clients pay nothing unless the firm recovers money for them.
