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Most Texas personal injury lawsuits must be filed within two years of the date of the injury. That rule comes from Section 16.003 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, and it sits at the center of the Texas statute of limitations for personal injury claims.
Two years is the starting point, and your own deadline can look different. The clock can start on a day other than the accident date, some claims follow their own rules, and a few exceptions can pause or extend the time. Other deadlines arrive well before the two-year mark, including notice periods measured in months for claims against a city or another government body.
This guide walks through when the clock starts, how the deadline applies to each type of claim, the exceptions Texas law allows, and the shorter deadlines that catch many injured people off guard. At the Law Office of Joe Brad Brock in Corpus Christi, we see every day how much a clear picture of these dates helps a family plan its next steps.
What Is the Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury in Texas?
A statute of limitations is the deadline to bring a lawsuit. The personal injury statute of limitations in Texas says a person must bring suit not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues. When that date passes, the claim is barred. A court can dismiss the lawsuit however strong the evidence is and however serious the injuries are.
The two-year rule covers the everyday injury claims people bring in the Coastal Bend. Those include car accident claims, truck and 18-wheeler accident claims, motorcycle accident claims, pedestrian accident claims and Uber and rideshare accident claims. In 2025, 244,534 people were injured in Texas motor vehicle traffic crashes, which works out to one person every 2 minutes and 9 seconds.
The same two years apply to injuries on someone else's property, such as a slip and fall in a store or apartment complex, to a dog bite, and to harm from a defective product.
Because evidence and memories fade, the law sets a deadline so that courts decide claims while witnesses can still recall what happened and records still exist. A deadline also gives the person who may be responsible a fair chance to defend the case before it grows too old to answer.
When the Two-Year Clock Starts and How to Count It
In most injury cases, the clock starts on the day of the injury. Lawyers call this accrual. If a driver runs a red light and hurts you on March 14, 2026, your lawsuit must be filed by March 14, 2028.
When that last day falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, Texas extends the period to the next day county offices are open for business. A careful count still matters, and filing several days ahead of the date leaves no room for a missed filing window or a clerk's office problem.
How long you have to file a personal injury claim in Texas depends on which kind of filing you mean. The two years apply to a lawsuit filed in a court. Opening a claim with an insurance company is a separate step, and the clock keeps running while an adjuster reviews your file, requests records or makes an offer. Only a filed lawsuit stops it.
Filing on time also means getting the defendant served. Texas courts expect the person who files to use diligence in having the defendant served with the lawsuit, so a petition filed before the deadline and then left unserved for months can still be challenged as late. Prompt filing followed by prompt service keeps the claim safely inside the limitations period.
Texas Filing Deadlines by Type of Injury Claim
The deadline that applies to you depends on what kind of claim you have. The table gives a quick reference for the most common types.
| Type of claim | Deadline to file suit | When the clock starts |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle accidents (car, truck, motorcycle, pedestrian, rideshare) | Two years | Date of the crash |
| Premises liability and dog bites | Two years | Date of the injury |
| Product liability | Two years, with a 15-year outer limit | Date of the injury; the outer limit runs from the date the product was sold |
| Wrongful death | Two years | Date of death |
| Medical malpractice | Two years, with a 10-year outer limit | Date of the breach or completion of treatment; the outer limit runs from the act or omission |
Product liability claims carry two clocks. The two years run from the injury, and a separate outer limit called a statute of repose sets the final cutoff. Under Texas law, a products liability action against a manufacturer or seller must be commenced before the end of 15 years after the date the defendant sold the product. An older product that fails can leave an injured person with no claim even when the injury happened last month. Our page on product liability claims covers how these cases work.
Wrongful death claims run two years from the date of death. That date matters when a person survives for weeks or months after the injury, because the family's clock starts at the death and the injured person's own claim started at the accident. Families can read more about these cases on our wrongful death page.
Medical malpractice has its own rule in Chapter 74. A health care liability claim must be filed within two years from the breach or tort, or from completion of the treatment, and not later than 10 years after the act or omission.
Exceptions That Can Pause or Extend the Deadline
Texas law stops or delays the clock in a few narrow situations. Courts apply these exceptions strictly, and the person asking for extra time carries the burden of showing the exception fits.
Injured Minors
A person younger than 18 is under a legal disability, and the limitations period does not run during the disability. The two years begin on the 18th birthday, so a child hurt at age 10 generally has until age 20 to file. A parent or guardian can still file sooner on the child's behalf.
Unsound Mind
The same statute covers a person of unsound mind. When that condition existed at the time of the injury, the clock is suspended for as long as it continues. Medical records carry most of the weight in these cases, and the exception ends when the person regains legal capacity.
The Discovery Rule
Some injuries stay hidden. A surgical item left inside a patient or an illness from a toxic exposure that develops quietly over years are examples. When an injury could not have been found with reasonable diligence, the clock runs from the date of discovery. The rule covers hidden injuries. A person who knew they were hurt and waited to see a doctor stays on the original clock. Texas courts use the discovery rule sparingly.
Defendant Absent From Texas
When the at-fault party leaves the state, the running of the limitations period is suspended for the period of absence. Time spent outside Texas can be excluded from the count.
Fraudulent Concealment
When the at-fault party hides the wrongdoing, a court can delay the clock until the concealment ends or the injured person could reasonably have found out. Proof of deliberate hiding is required, and ordinary silence does not qualify.
Shorter Deadlines That Come Due Before Two Years
Some of the most consequential dates arrive long before the second anniversary of an injury. Three situations come up often for people in Corpus Christi.
Claims against a government body fall under the Texas Tort Claims Act. A governmental unit is entitled to receive notice of a claim not later than six months after the day of the incident. The two-year filing deadline still applies on top of that notice.
The City of Corpus Christi adds its own rule in its City Charter. Before the city is liable for personal injury damages, written notice must be filed with the City Secretary within 180 days after the injury. The notice describes the injury and its time, manner and place, and the charter exempts the city from liability when notice is missing. The rule reaches injuries involving city vehicles, city property or city employees, such as a crash with a city truck or a fall on a city sidewalk.
Workplace injuries bring a third set of dates. For a workers' compensation claim, an injured worker must report the injury to the employer within 30 days and file DWC Form-041 with the Division of Workers' Compensation within one year. A claim against a non-subscriber employer or a negligent third party, such as a contractor, equipment manufacturer or driver, follows the two-year personal injury rule. A workplace injury can involve several types of claims depending on whether the employer carries Texas workers' compensation insurance, and we represent workers hurt in workplace, construction, oilfield and refinery and industrial accidents. Our post on what to do after a workplace injury lays out the first steps.
Maritime and Port Injuries Around Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi is home to one of the nation's busiest ports, and the ship channel, the docks and offshore work put many people on or near the water every day. Injuries on navigable waters, aboard vessels or in maritime work can fall under federal maritime law instead of Texas law.
Federal law sets its own period for these claims. A civil action for damages for personal injury or death arising out of a maritime tort must generally be brought within 3 years after the cause of action arose, except as otherwise provided by law.
The label on the claim decides which deadline applies. A deckhand hurt aboard a vessel, a worker hurt on a dock and a driver hurt on a port road can each sit under a different legal system, and some federal programs for maritime workers carry shorter notice and filing periods of their own. Someone hurt in port, ship channel or offshore work benefits from having the claim classified before any deadline is counted. Our firm handles accidents involving maritime-related operations, and sorting out which rules govern is part of the first review of a case.
Why Waiting Until the Deadline Hurts Your Claim
Two years can be too late in practice. Surveillance footage gets overwritten, often within days or weeks. Physical evidence is repaired, cleaned or thrown away. Witnesses move, change phone numbers or forget details. Our posts on what evidence matters most in a Texas injury claim and on how surveillance footage affects a case show how much a case can rest on proof that disappears quickly.
Medical records carry equal weight. A gap in treatment gives an insurer room to argue the injury is unrelated to the accident. Some symptoms also appear days later, and a visit to the doctor soon after the accident creates a record that ties them to the event, as our post on injuries that do not show symptoms right away explains.
A few early steps protect a claim. Get medical care promptly. Keep every bill, record and receipt. Decline a recorded statement and hold off on any early settlement offer until the full value of the claim is known, because a signed release generally ends the claim.
When needed, our investigations begin right away. We gather surveillance footage, witness statements and physical evidence while they still exist, and our office handles communication with the insurance companies so that requests for statements and early offers come to us.
Get Your Texas Deadline Reviewed in Corpus Christi
The deadline that applies to you depends on the type of claim, who caused the injury and where it happened. Some notice periods are measured in months, and a few run out long before the two-year mark.
Our consultation is free. We handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee, with no upfront attorney fees, and we collect a fee only if we recover compensation for you. We serve Corpus Christi, Nueces County, the Coastal Bend and South Texas.
Your next step is simple: Get A Free Consultation.
