Motorcycle accident cases are some of the most contested in personal injury law. The injuries are typically severe — riders have no airbags, no crumple zones, and no seatbelts. The insurance companies know this, and they fight harder. They lean on assumptions that the rider was speeding, lane-splitting (illegal in Texas), or weaving — even when the crash is unambiguously the other driver’s fault. See our motorcycle accident practice overview ?
San Antonio context.
Major Roadways
I-35 through downtown, I-10 east-west, the Loop 410 inner ring, and the Loop 1604 outer ring.
Local Courts
Bexar County Civil District Courts (100 Dolorosa) and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division.
Trauma Care
University Hospital (Level I trauma), Methodist Hospital, Baptist Medical Center, and Brooke Army Medical Center.
Why It Matters Here
San Antonio sits on two of the busiest commercial truck corridors in Texas — I-35 (the NAFTA freight route from Laredo) and I-10 (east-west to Houston). Bexar County consistently ranks high in the state for serious traffic injuries.
The bias problem.
Insurance adjusters and many jurors carry quiet assumptions about motorcyclists — that they take more risks, that they were probably going too fast, that any rider should “know what they signed up for.” Defense attorneys exploit those assumptions. We meet them with evidence: crash reconstruction, surveillance footage, witness statements, helmet and gear documentation, and — when the case calls for it — expert testimony on rider visibility and motorcycle dynamics.
Common San Antonio motorcycle crashes.
- Left-turn crashes — by far the most common scenario, where a car turning left into a rider’s path is at fault
- Rear-end collisions at intersections — drivers misjudging stopping distance behind motorcycles
- Lane-change crashes on I-35, I-10, Loop 410, and Loop 1604 — drivers who “didn’t see” the rider
- Door-opening crashes in dense areas like the Pearl, downtown, and near the riverwalk
- Road hazard cases — potholes, gravel, debris that wouldn’t impact a car
- DUI crashes at night, particularly in entertainment districts
Common motorcycle injuries.
- Traumatic brain injuries — even with a helmet, severe concussions and TBIs are common
- Spinal cord injuries — including the most catastrophic outcomes
- Compound fractures of the legs, arms, ribs, and pelvis
- Road rash — often requiring surgical debridement and skin grafts
- Internal injuries from blunt force trauma
- Amputations in catastrophic cases
- Long-term mental health impact — see our guide on surgery and injury recovery
What you can recover.
- Past and future medical expenses (typically substantial — these injuries are expensive to treat)
- Lost wages and lost earning capacity
- Property damage (motorcycle replacement and gear)
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Disfigurement damages for visible scarring
- In cases of gross negligence — particularly DUI cases — punitive damages
Texas helmet law.
Texas allows riders 21 and older to ride without a helmet if they have completed an approved safety course or carry minimum medical insurance (Tex. Transp. Code §661.003). Failure to wear a helmet is not negligence per se in Texas — it can’t be used to defeat your claim entirely — but defense attorneys will try to argue it reduced the severity of damages. We push back with evidence about the specific injuries and whether a helmet would have changed anything.
Texas deadlines.
Two years from the date of the crash (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §16.003). Texas applies modified comparative fault with a 51% bar. Don’t let bias against riders push your case toward an inflated fault percentage.