South Houston accident and injury lawyer
South Houston is not the south side of Houston. It is a separate city of about 16,000 people next to Hobby Airport, with its own police and its own rules, boxed in by Houston on one side and Pasadena on the other.
Tell Jimmy what happened
Jimmy reads every request himself and will be in touch with you shortly.
A separate city, not a part of town
People mix this up all the time. “South Houston” is not a neighborhood of Houston. It is the City of South Houston, founded in 1907 as Dumont and incorporated in 1913. It has a council-manager government, its own police department, its own fire department and its own municipal court. About 16,000 people live in its three square miles.
Houston lies on its north and west sides and Pasadena on its east and south. That matters after a crash. A collision on a South Houston street is worked by the South Houston Police Department, but a few blocks away it may be Houston police or Pasadena police, with a different report, different records and a different set of rules for any claim against the city. We find the right agency and get the report for you (how crash reports work in the Houston area).
Spencer Highway, Old Galveston Road and the Gulf Freeway
Spencer Highway runs through the middle of South Houston. Local legend says circus elephants helped build it, back when George Christy kept his circus animals here and later served as mayor. Today it is a commercial road lined with driveways, shops and left turns. Cars pulling out of parking lots and turning across traffic lead to side-impact and rear-end crashes, and people on foot cross between homes and stores.
State Highway 3, still called Old Galveston Road, runs northwest through the city to Winkler Drive and on to I-45. The Gulf Freeway itself runs along South Houston’s west side, carrying traffic between downtown, Hobby Airport, Clear Lake and Galveston. When a crash on the freeway or its frontage roads involves several vehicles, it matters to pin down early who hit whom and in what order.
Hobby Airport next door
William P. Hobby Airport sits just across the Gulf Freeway, inside the City of Houston. The Federal Aviation Administration counted nearly 14 million passengers there in 2025, and they all arrive and leave by road: rideshare drivers, hotel and parking shuttles, rental cars, delivery vans. A crash with a rideshare driver raises its own insurance questions, explained in Uber and Lyft accidents in Texas.
Hobby is owned by the City of Houston and run by the Houston Airport System. If a city vehicle was involved, the claim is against the City of Houston, and Houston’s charter requires written, notarized notice within 90 days. That is a different rule from South Houston’s, a different rule from Pasadena’s, and a mistake people make constantly in this corner of the county.
Four governments, four sets of rules
Within a few miles of any South Houston street are four governments that run vehicles and roads: the City of South Houston, the City of Houston, the City of Pasadena and Harris County. METRO buses run in the City of Houston around it, though South Houston is not one of the cities in METRO’s service area. Claims against any of them fall under the Texas Tort Claims Act.
State law gives a government the right to written notice within six months (Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.101), but a city may set a shorter deadline by charter or ordinance. Houston’s is 90 days. South Houston and Pasadena set their own, so we confirm the right one at the start of every claim and send the notice ourselves. The law also caps what a government pays: $250,000 per person for a city, $100,000 per person for a county (§ 101.023).
Work injuries
The Ship Channel brought manufacturing inland to South Houston generations ago, and the plants, yards and warehouses of Pasadena and the east side are a short drive down Spencer Highway. If you were hurt on the job, the first question is whether your employer carries workers’ compensation, because in Texas it is optional and the answer changes who you can make a claim against (when your employer has no workers’ comp). If a different company’s driver or equipment hurt you, that company may be responsible too.
Hospitals
The public hospital for South Houston residents is Ben Taub Hospital in the Texas Medical Center, one of only two adult Level I trauma centers in Harris County. HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast, on Spencer Highway in Pasadena, is a Level III trauma center. EMS decides where you go based on your injuries. After that, the important thing is to keep every follow-up visit.
In Spanish, directly with Jimmy
About 89% of South Houston residents are Hispanic, and this is a city of families: all of it is served by Pasadena ISD and South Houston High School. Jimmy Suerken is Mexican-American, grew up in El Paso, and works these cases in Spanish himself, whether your family is from Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras or anywhere else. You talk with him directly by phone, text, email or video call, and in person when needed.
We never ask about immigration status, and your right to compensation for an injury in Texas does not depend on it. After you hire us, you don’t deal with the insurance companies, an employer or any city. We do.
Your next steps
Get medical care and keep going
See a doctor now and keep every follow-up. Tell them about every pain, even ones that started later.
Note the city and keep what you have
South Houston, Houston or Pasadena. Keep photos, the other driver's information, any rideshare or company name, and your medical papers.
Don't sign or give statements
Not to any insurer, employer or city. Give them our number; we handle every call.
Call Jimmy
713-600-6233Do not call the insurance company first. Once you are our client, every call to the adjuster, the other driver's carrier and the police department is ours to make.
Common questions here
Is South Houston part of the City of Houston?
Does Houston's 90-day notice rule apply in South Houston?
I was hit on Spencer Highway by a driver with no insurance. What now?
I was hurt in a rideshare or shuttle near Hobby. Who pays?
How long do I have?
Do I need papers to make a claim?
If someone else's negligence put you here, we take it from here
Car Accidents
Rear-endings, intersection crashes, uninsured drivers, hit-and-runs — in Houston, El Paso, and everywhere in between.
Truck & 18-Wheeler Crashes
Federal regulations, black-box data, driver logs, multiple insurers. We move fast to preserve evidence before it disappears.
Work Accidents
Hurt on the job for a non-subscriber employer, or injured by a third party at a job site? Texas gives you real options.
Wrongful Death
When the worst happens, we pursue accountability for surviving families with the care and seriousness it deserves.
¿Lastimado en un accidente? Hablemos — en español.
La consulta es gratis y confidencial. No paga nada a menos que ganemos su caso. Jimmy se comunicará con usted en breve. ¿Sin papeles? Usted tiene derechos.
Every day you wait, evidence disappears and the insurer gets ahead. One free call. Straight answers about your case — in English or Spanish. If you need a fighter, you'll have one, from the first call to the last check.