What to Do If You Were Run Off the Road in Houston

How a Car Accident Lawyer Can Help You Hold Negligent Drivers Accountable

You’re driving down I-45 or one of Houston’s busy surface roads when it happens—another driver swerves into your lane, cuts you off, or forces you to take evasive action. Maybe you hit a guardrail. Maybe you leave the roadway completely. Either way, you’re left injured, your car is wrecked, and the driver who caused it is nowhere to be found.

Run-off-the-road accidents are more common than many people realize, especially in fast-moving traffic areas like Houston. They can cause serious injuries and expensive damages—and they’re not always straightforward to handle legally. If you’ve been run off the road, the Houston car accident attorneys at Smith & Hassler are ready to fight for the justice and compensation you deserve.

We know Houston’s roads, and we know how to win tough cases—even when the driver disappears or tries to deny responsibility.

How Run-Off-the-Road Accidents Happen

Run-off-the-road crashes can happen in a split second. A moment of inattention, a reckless maneuver, or aggressive driving can force another vehicle off the pavement, often with devastating results.

Common causes include:

Aggressive lane changes without signaling
Drifting into adjacent lanes due to distracted or impaired driving
Cutting off another driver at high speeds
Merging improperly onto highways
Pushing into shoulders on crowded roadways
Intentional road rage incidents

Many of these accidents are considered single-vehicle crashes, but that doesn’t mean the other driver isn’t at fault. Texas law allows injured drivers to pursue a claim against another party if their negligent actions forced you off the road—even if there was no physical contact between the vehicles.

Can You Still File a Claim If There Was No Contact?

Yes. In Texas, you can still hold another driver responsible for a run-off-the-road accident even if they never touched your vehicle. These are called no-contact accidents, and they’re treated seriously under the law.

The key is proving that:

Another driver’s negligent or reckless behavior caused you to leave the road
You took reasonable action to avoid a collision
You suffered real injuries or damages as a result

Insurance companies will often push back hard in these cases, arguing that you lost control of your car or that they can’t verify the other driver’s role. That’s where having an experienced law firm like Smith & Hassler makes the difference. We know how to gather evidence, find witnesses, and reconstruct what really happened to hold negligent drivers accountable.

What If the Other Driver Fled the Scene?

In many run-off-the-road accidents, the at-fault driver doesn’t stop. They might not even realize they caused a crash—or they may choose to flee to avoid consequences.

If the driver leaves the scene and can’t be found, you may still have options. Texas requires all drivers to carry uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage unless they reject it in writing. This coverage can pay for your damages in a hit-and-run or phantom vehicle case.

At Smith & Hassler, our Houston car accident lawyers help clients pursue UM/UIM claims when the at-fault driver can’t be identified. We fight to maximize every available source of compensation—whether that means tracking down the driver or negotiating with your own insurance company.

Understanding UM Coverage and Phantom Vehicle Rules in Texas

To make a UM claim in Texas for a run-off-the-road accident, there must be physical contact between your vehicle and the other driver’s vehicle.

This requirement exists to prevent phantom vehicle claims—situations where a driver crashes but falsely blames an unidentified vehicle.

Without physical contact, a UM claim is generally not available under Texas law, even if a real driver caused the crash by forcing you off the road. In these no-contact cases, you would need to identify the driver through other means, like witnesses or video evidence, to pursue a traditional liability claim against them.

This is one of the reasons it’s critical to document the crash scene carefully and report everything to the police immediately. Our legal team understands the complex rules that apply to UM claims, and we know how to navigate the system to help our clients recover the compensation they’re entitled to.

Proving Fault in a Run-Off-the-Road Accident

One of the biggest challenges in a run-off-the-road crash is proving the other driver’s role—especially when there was no direct collision. Insurance companies are quick to argue that without contact, there’s no proof.

That’s not true.

An experienced attorney can use a combination of:

Witness testimony: Passengers, other drivers, or bystanders who saw the incident
Surveillance footage: Many intersections and businesses have cameras that may have captured the event
Vehicle damage analysis: Scrapes, tire marks, and crash dynamics can tell a story even without direct impact
Accident reconstruction experts: Professionals who can scientifically recreate what happened based on physical evidence

At Smith & Hassler, we understand that cases like these require more than a standard police report. We dig deeper, building strong claims backed by hard evidence to prove that a reckless driver forced you off the road—and that they should be held responsible.

Common Injuries in Run-Off-the-Road Accidents

Leaving the roadway at high speeds can cause serious injuries, even if there’s no direct collision with another vehicle. Common injuries include:

Head trauma and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
Broken bones and fractures
Whiplash and neck injuries
Internal bleeding and organ damage
Severe cuts and lacerations
Psychological trauma and PTSD

These aren’t just minor bumps and bruises. Victims often face months of recovery, lost wages, and a permanent impact on their quality of life. That’s why it’s so important to demand full and fair compensation—not just for immediate medical bills, but for the long-term costs of the accident.

What Compensation Can You Recover After a Run-Off-the-Road Accident?

If you were forced off the road by another driver’s negligence, you have the right to seek compensation for:

Medical expenses (current and future)
Lost income and reduced earning capacity
Pain and suffering
Mental anguish and emotional distress
Property damage (repair or replacement of your vehicle)
Punitive damages in cases of extreme recklessness

Smith & Hassler has recovered over $1 billion for injured Texans. We know how to put a dollar amount on the damage a crash like this can cause—and we don’t settle for less than you deserve.

What to Do If You’re Run Off the Road in Houston

The steps you take immediately after a run-off-the-road accident can make or break your claim:

Call 911 and report the crash, even if the other driver left the scene.
Seek medical attention as soon as possible, even if you feel okay.
Document the scene: Take photos of the road, your injuries, and vehicle damage.
Look for witnesses who saw what happened and get their contact information.
Contact a Houston car accident lawyer who has experience handling no-contact and hit-and-run claims.

Don’t trust the insurance company to do the right thing. Their goal is to minimize what they pay out. Our goal is to maximize what you recover.

Why You Shouldn’t Chase After the Driver

After being run off the road, your first instinct might be to chase down the driver who caused it—especially if they don’t stop. But chasing after another driver can be dangerous, and it can hurt your case.

Here’s why you should avoid pursuing the driver:

Safety First: High-speed chases can easily lead to more accidents, putting you and others at risk.
Legal Risks: Taking matters into your own hands can complicate liability. If an accident occurs during the pursuit, you could be found partially at fault.
Better Evidence: Staying at the scene allows you to document the crash properly—photographing damage, skid marks, and the surrounding area while details are still fresh.
Police Involvement: It’s their job to investigate and find the at-fault driver. Leaving the scene can make it harder for law enforcement to do their job and may even be seen as abandoning the accident.

The best thing you can do is stay calm, call 911, and focus on gathering as much information as possible—such as a description of the vehicle, license plate number (if you saw it), and the direction the driver fled. Let the professionals handle the rest.

At Smith & Hassler, we help victims handle the aftermath the right way—so your safety and your rights are protected from day one.

Contact Smith & Hassler for Your Run-Off-the-Road Accident Case

Smith & Hassler has been fighting for injured Texans for over 30 years. Our attorneys have built a reputation in Houston for being aggressive, relentless advocates who get results. Whether it’s negotiating a fair settlement or taking your case to trial, we’re prepared to do what it takes to win.

If you were forced off the road by a careless or reckless driver, don’t face the legal battle alone. Let us put our experience and resources to work for you. Contact Smith & Hassler today for a free consultation. We deliver justice—and we’re ready to deliver it for you.

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