Pedestrians have no airbags, no seatbelt, no steel frame — just whatever the driver who hit them was doing wrong. If that's what happened to you in Laredo, the questions come fast: why did this happen, who's responsible, and can you trust what the insurance company is offering. You shouldn't have to figure that out alone while you're still recovering.
The Longhorn Law Firm handles pedestrian accident claims throughout Laredo and Webb County. See our full overview of the injury cases we handle →
Laredo pedestrian context.
Local Courts
Webb County Courthouse and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Laredo Division.
Trauma Care
Laredo Medical Center and Doctors Hospital of Laredo.
Border Foot Traffic
Laredo's international bridges carry heavy pedestrian volume every day — the Gateway to the Americas Bridge alone sees over 11,000 pedestrian crossings daily. That concentration of foot traffic near bridge approaches and downtown crossings creates real risk where pedestrians and vehicles compete for the same limited space.
Why It Matters Here
Laredo's mix of dense downtown crossings, heavy commercial truck traffic, and constant cross-border pedestrian activity creates conditions you won't find in most Texas cities. A pedestrian struck near an international bridge or a congested downtown intersection faces a different fact pattern than one struck in a typical suburban crosswalk — and the case should be built accordingly.
How common are pedestrian accidents in Texas?
Source: TxDOT 2025 Texas Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Facts, and TxDOT's Pedestrian Safety Campaign (2024 data).
That last figure is the one worth sitting with: pedestrians make up a tiny fraction of the crashes that happen in Texas, but nearly a fifth of the people who die on Texas roads. When a 4,000-pound vehicle hits someone with no protection at all, the outcome is rarely minor.
What causes most Laredo pedestrian accidents.
Fault in a pedestrian crash isn't always one-sided — TxDOT's own data points to failures on both sides of the crosswalk. The most common contributing factors we see:
- Failure to yield the right of way — by drivers turning across a crosswalk, or at intersections where pedestrians have the right of way
- Speeding, which reduces a driver's reaction time and increases the severity of impact
- Distracted driving — a driver looking at a phone for even a few seconds can miss a pedestrian entirely
- Running red lights or stop signs, particularly at busy downtown intersections
- Drunk or impaired driving
- Poor visibility — nighttime crossings, inadequate lighting, or vehicles with large blind spots
Some factors aren't about driver behavior at all — a lack of marked crosswalks, damaged sidewalks forcing pedestrians into the road, or intersections without adequate signal timing for pedestrians. We investigate all of it, because the cause of your accident shapes who can be held responsible.
Common pedestrian injuries.
- Traumatic brain injuries — from direct impact or from the secondary fall
- Spinal cord injuries, including cases resulting in permanent paralysis
- Fractures — legs, hips, and pelvis are especially common in pedestrian strikes
- Internal injuries from blunt-force impact
- Severe road rash and soft-tissue trauma
- Wrongful death in the most severe cases
Adrenaline masks pain. Some of the most serious pedestrian injuries, including internal bleeding and traumatic brain injury, don't show obvious symptoms right away. Getting evaluated quickly protects your health and creates the medical record your claim will depend on.
What your case could be worth.
It depends on the severity of your injuries, the available insurance coverage, and how the crash happened. Texas law recognizes two broad categories of compensation:
Economic Damages
Past and future medical expenses, lost wages and reduced earning capacity, and the cost of rehabilitation or in-home care if you need it.
Non-Economic Damages
Pain and suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life. In cases involving gross negligence, punitive damages may also be available.
We'll give you an honest range during your free consultation, once we understand what actually happened.
Can I recover if I was partly at fault?
Possibly, yes. Texas applies modified comparative fault: you can still recover compensation as long as you were 50% or less responsible for the accident, with your award reduced by your percentage of fault. Crossing outside a marked crosswalk, for example, doesn't automatically end your claim — a driver who was speeding, distracted, or ran a light can still bear most of the responsibility. This is exactly the kind of question worth a real conversation rather than a guess.
Texas deadlines.
Two years from the date of the accident to file (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §16.003). Cases against governmental entities require notice within much shorter windows — sometimes as little as six months. More on comparative fault →
What we do differently.
Founder Shawn Barnett has personally been hit by a drunk driver and, separately, struck on the side of his truck by an 18-wheeler — he understands what recovery actually takes. We investigate the facts, consult the right experts when a case calls for it, and prepare every case as if it's headed to trial. We handle cases throughout Texas and New Mexico, work in English and Spanish, and don't charge anything unless we win.
Laredo pedestrian accident questions.
Do you handle Laredo pedestrian accident cases?+
Who is usually at fault in a pedestrian accident?+
What if I was crossing outside a crosswalk?+
What does it cost to hire a Laredo pedestrian accident lawyer?+
Nearby service areas.
We also handle pedestrian accident cases in these nearby Texas communities:
Del Rio Pedestrian Accident Lawyer · Eagle Pass Pedestrian Accident Lawyer