Every year in Houston, pedestrians are struck by vehicles, and pickup trucks are among the most dangerous. Their high front ends, heavy frames, and elevated bumpers make them especially deadly when they hit someone on foot. If a pickup truck hit you or someone you love near the Galleria, along Westheimer, on I-45, or anywhere in the Houston area, you need to understand your rights, what the law says, and how to pursue the compensation you deserve. Gustin Law Firm, with its principal office in Houston, Texas, is ready to help you through every step of this process. Attorney-responsible content is provided by Gustin Law Firm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Houston’s streets are among the most dangerous in the country for people on foot. In 2024, Houston experienced a significant increase in pedestrian fatalities, with 119 pedestrians losing their lives on city streets, a substantial portion of the 345 total traffic deaths that year. That is nearly one pedestrian death every three days in a city where millions of people walk to work, school, and public transit every single day. In 2025, 99 pedestrians were killed in Houston traffic crashes, along with 10 cyclists. While that number is lower than 2024, it still represents nearly two pedestrian deaths every week in one city alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pickup trucks make these crashes worse because of their size and design. A standard full-size truck like a Ford F-150 or Chevy Silverado sits much higher off the ground than a sedan. When a truck strikes a pedestrian, the impact often hits the torso or head instead of the legs. That changes the injury picture entirely. Broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, and internal injuries are common outcomes. In the most severe cases, these crashes are fatal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Analysis of NHTSA data reaffirms troubling trends regarding deaths of people on foot happening in hit-and-runs, at night, in crashes with SUVs and pickups, and where there are no sidewalks. Houston has all of these risk factors in abundance. Wide arterial roads like Westheimer, Bellaire Boulevard, and Gulf Freeway lack adequate crosswalk infrastructure in many stretches. Pedestrians have no choice but to cross where conditions are already dangerous. When a pickup truck driver is distracted, speeding, or impaired, the results can be catastrophic for anyone on foot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you were hit by a pickup truck in Houston, the data confirms you are not alone, and the law gives you real options. Working with a personal injury lawyer<\/a> who handles these cases in Harris County can make a measurable difference in your outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Texas law gives pedestrians meaningful protections, and violating those protections can be the foundation of a civil injury claim. Under Texas Transportation Code Section 545.256, a driver emerging from an alley, driveway, or building in a business or residence district must stop before crossing a sidewalk, yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian or sidewalk user to avoid a collision, and yield to approaching vehicles before entering the roadway. This law was last amended effective September 1, 2025, and it applies directly to situations where a pickup truck backs out of a parking lot or driveway and strikes someone walking on a sidewalk near places like Midtown, Montrose, or the Heights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Texas Transportation Code Section 545.428 goes further. Under that provision, a person commits a criminal offense if they operate a motor vehicle with criminal negligence within the area of a crosswalk and cause bodily injury to a pedestrian. The offense rises to a state jail felony if the pedestrian suffers serious bodily injury. This means the same conduct that injures you can also result in a criminal charge against the driver, and that criminal record can become powerful evidence in your civil case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Texas also defines “pedestrian” clearly under Transportation Code Section 541.001 as a person on foot. That definition matters because it determines who gets the legal protections built into the Transportation Code. If you were walking, you qualify. The law also covers sidewalk users operating bicycles, scooters, and similar devices, so the protections extend to a broad range of vulnerable road users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Texas follows a modified comparative negligence rule under Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 33. You can still recover damages even if you were partially at fault, as long as your share of fault does not exceed 50 percent. Insurance adjusters frequently try to push fault onto the pedestrian to reduce or eliminate a payout. An experienced truck accident lawyer<\/a> can push back on those arguments with evidence and legal authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Liability in a pedestrian-pickup truck case often goes beyond the driver behind the wheel. Texas law recognizes several parties who may share responsibility, and identifying all of them matters because it directly affects the amount of compensation available to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The driver is the most obvious starting point. Driver negligence, including distracted driving, speeding, failure to yield, drunk driving, and drug impairment, is the leading cause of pedestrian crashes in Houston. TxDOT data confirms that failing to yield to pedestrians and speeding are among the most frequent causes of these collisions. If the driver ran a red light near the Texas Medical Center, was texting on the Southwest Freeway, or was impaired after leaving a bar in Midtown, those facts establish the foundation of a negligence claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the driver’s employer may also be on the hook. Under Texas law, employers can be held vicariously liable for the negligent acts of their employees when those acts occur within the scope of employment. If the pickup truck was a company vehicle, a work truck for a contractor, a delivery vehicle, or a fleet truck, the employer’s deeper pockets and insurance coverage become part of the case. Employer liability claims require a close look at employment records, vehicle use policies, and whether the driver was on the clock at the time of the crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In some cases, a third party bears responsibility. A mechanic who performed faulty brake work, a manufacturer who sold a defective truck, or a government entity that failed to maintain a safe crosswalk near a school zone or park can all face liability. Houston’s complex road network, including areas around Beltway 8, the Grand Parkway, and Sam Houston Tollway, involves both city and state-maintained roads, which affects which government entity you may need to name in a claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A truck accident attorney<\/a> at Gustin Law Firm will investigate every angle to identify all responsible parties and pursue every available source of compensation on your behalf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Texas law allows pedestrian injury victims to seek compensation for both economic and non-economic losses. Economic damages are the concrete, measurable costs tied to the crash. Non-economic damages address the human toll, which is often far greater than any medical bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Economic damages include all past and future medical expenses, from the ambulance ride to Ben Taub Hospital to months of physical therapy and any future surgeries. Lost wages matter too. If your injuries kept you out of work for weeks or months, you can claim that income. If your earning capacity is permanently reduced because of a spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, or amputation, you can seek compensation for that future loss as well. Property damage, such as a broken phone or destroyed wheelchair, is also recoverable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Non-economic damages cover pain and suffering, emotional distress, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life. These are real, serious losses, and Texas law does not cap them in most personal injury cases. If a pickup truck hit you at a crosswalk on Westheimer and left you with chronic pain, anxiety, and an inability to do the things you used to do, those losses have real monetary value in a Texas courtroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In cases involving especially reckless or malicious conduct, Texas courts may also award punitive damages. These are meant to punish the defendant and deter similar behavior. A drunk driver who ran a red light and struck a pedestrian near Discovery Green, for example, could face a punitive damages claim on top of compensatory damages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gustin Law Firm has recovered over $50 million in total recoveries for clients across Texas. We handle cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay no attorney’s fees unless we recover for you. However, please note that court costs and litigation expenses may be deducted from any gross recovery. Call us at (713) 491-4792 to discuss your case at no charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The steps you take in the hours and days after a pedestrian accident can directly affect the strength of your legal claim. Here is what matters most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get medical attention immediately, even if you feel okay. Injuries like traumatic brain injuries and internal bleeding often have delayed symptoms. A medical record created close in time to the crash is critical evidence. It connects your injuries to the accident and documents the severity of what happened to you. Going to an emergency room at Memorial Hermann or Houston Methodist right after the crash is always the right move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Call the police and make sure a crash report is filed. Under Texas Transportation Code Chapter 550, drivers involved in crashes that cause injury or death must stop and report the accident. The police report becomes a key piece of evidence in your case, documenting the scene, identifying the driver, and recording any traffic violations. If the driver fled, that hit-and-run conduct is itself a separate crime under Texas law, and it does not eliminate your ability to recover compensation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gather evidence if you are physically able. Photographs of the scene, the truck, your injuries, skid marks, and any nearby traffic cameras or surveillance equipment are all valuable. Witness names and contact information matter too. Video footage from businesses near the crash site, dashcam data from other vehicles, and even the pickup truck’s own black box data can be obtained through the legal discovery process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Contact Gustin Law Firm before you speak with any insurance adjuster. Adjusters work for the insurance company, not for you. They are trained to minimize payouts, and anything you say can be used to reduce your claim. A truck accident attorney<\/a> from our firm can handle all communications on your behalf from day one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Texas has a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims under Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003. Missing that deadline means losing your right to sue. Do not wait. Call Gustin Law Firm at (713) 491-4792 today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The physical design of a pickup truck creates a unique danger for pedestrians that most people do not fully appreciate until they see the injury reports. A standard passenger car’s bumper and hood are designed to absorb impact at leg level, which, while still dangerous, tends to cause leg fractures and allows the pedestrian to roll over the hood. A pickup truck’s front end is much taller and stiffer. The bumper strikes the pedestrian’s pelvis or abdomen. The hood does not absorb the body. Instead, the pedestrian is thrown forward or under the vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lifted trucks present an even greater risk. A truck with an aftermarket lift kit sits even higher, raising the impact point further toward the chest and head. The undercarriage becomes a threat as well, since a pedestrian can be pulled under the vehicle rather than over it. This dramatically increases the risk of fatal injury and catastrophic trauma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Governors Highway Safety Association has noted that crashes with SUVs and pickups are among the most deadly for pedestrians. Research cited by Houston Public Media shows that a pedestrian’s risk of being killed when struck at 40 mph is about nine out of ten, compared to one or two out of ten when struck at 20 mph. Houston’s roads regularly see drivers traveling well above posted speed limits, making the combination of a speeding pickup truck and an unprotected pedestrian especially lethal.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTexas Laws That Protect Pedestrians Hit by Pickup Trucks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Who Can Be Held Liable When a Pickup Truck Hits a Pedestrian?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Damages Can You Recover After Being Hit by a Pickup Truck?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What to Do After a Pickup Truck Hits You in Houston<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why Pickup Trucks Cause Such Severe Injuries to Pedestrians<\/h2>\n\n\n\n