Find a back or neck injury lawyer in Austin: proof, old injuries and courts
Get seen quickly after a blow or fall that hurts your back or neck, and ask for an MRI if a disc injury is suspected, because an x-ray shows only bone. Texas does not cut your claim because you had prior wear; it takes you as it finds you. The 2-year suit limit does not wait for your pain to settle.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (35)
Should you see a doctor right away for back or neck pain in Austin?
Yes, especially after a crash. Back pain after a severe blow or fall, or any loss of control over urine or stool, is a reason to contact a provider right away. So are numbness, loss of movement or weakness.
Austin has several places to go. Dell Seton is the Level I trauma center, and the Level II option is St. David's South Austin Medical Center. If you have no insurance, Central Health is Travis County's hospital district, and CommUnityCare is a federally qualified health center that served 148,234 patients in 2025.
What tests show a herniated disc or nerve injury?
| Test | What it shows | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| X-ray | Bones only | Cannot diagnose a disc injury alone |
| MRI | Discs, ligaments and nerve roots | Shows soft tissue that x-rays miss |
| EMG | Which nerve root is affected | Used with imaging, not instead of it |
Lower back disc problems can send sharp pain into one leg, hip or buttock, with numbness in other places. Many back problems improve over weeks to months, but pain lasting more than 12 weeks counts as chronic. Keep every visit.
What if you already had back or neck pain before the crash?
That does not end your claim. Disc wear shows up with no symptoms in 37% of 20-year-olds and 96% of 80-year-olds, so an old scan will often show something. The Texas Supreme Court's rule is that the person who caused the crash takes you as they find you.
What matters is what changed. Be honest with your doctor about the old pain, and ask the doctor to write what is new. Your award can still be cut by your share of the fault, and you recover nothing above 50 percent.
Which Travis County court hears a back or neck injury case?
| Court | What it hears |
|---|---|
| Justice court | Small claims up to $20,000 |
| County court at law | Civil cases mainly from $500 to $250,000 |
| Larger claims | Filed in other courts, usually with a lawyer |
Bills have their own rules. A sworn billing statement can show the bills were reasonable, and it has to be served within 90 days after the defendant answers. It does not prove the crash caused the injury. Medical recovery is limited to amounts paid or owed, and lost earnings must be shown after income tax.
Where do serious Austin crashes happen?
TxDOT counted 11,032 crashes in Austin in 2025, with 309 serious injuries. Austin Police name I-35, US 183 and Ben White as high-speed roads with many serious crashes. Nearly 60% of Austin's serious injury or fatal crashes happen on the High Injury Network, which is only 8% of the street network.
Police may not come if the cars can be driven and no one looks hurt. Back and neck pain often shows up later, so report it to your insurer and see a doctor in the first days.
What if a City of Austin vehicle or road defect hurt your back?
The city wants a claim letter within 45 days. The state's rule is 6 months, but missing the city notice can excuse the city. Texas waives immunity for harm from using a government motor vehicle, and a city's liability is capped at $250,000 per person. Send the letter to P.O. Box 1546 or [email protected].
Questions
Can I sue if my pain started a few days after a crash?
Yes, but see a provider soon. Delay gives the other side a reason to doubt the cause. The 2-year clock still applies.
Will a hospital bill reduce what I get?
A lien from Dell Seton, St. David's or any hospital attaches only if you were admitted within 72 hours.
How long does neck pain last?
Many cases improve over weeks to months, but pain past 12 weeks is called chronic.
Back or neck injury in Austin? See if you are owed money.
A free case review. $0 upfront. No fee unless you win.
See if I’m owed moneySources (35)
- NIAMS, checked 2026-11-09. “X-rays only show bones”
- NIAMS, checked 2026-11-09. “MRI can help diagnose damage or disease of the soft tissues, such as the discs, ligaments, and nerve roots in and around the spine.”
- Coates v. Whittington (Tex. 1988), checked 2026-11-09. “It is well settled that a tortfeasor takes a plaintiff as he finds him.”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
- National Library of Medicine, AJNR 2015, checked 2026-11-09. “Disk degeneration prevalence ranged from 37% of asymptomatic individuals 20 years of age to 96% of those 80 years of age”
- MedlinePlus, checked 2026-11-09. “Any numbness, loss of movement, weakness, or bowel or bladder changes”
- Travis County JP5, Filing a Lawsuit in Justice Court, checked 2026-11-08. “The claim can be for no more than $20,000”
- Travis County Clerk, Civil, checked 2026-11-08. “between $500.00 and $250,000.00”
- Central Health, About, checked 2026-11-09. “As the county’s taxpayer-funded hospital district”
- MedlinePlus, checked 2026-11-09. “Back pain after a severe blow or fall”
- MedlinePlus, checked 2026-11-09. “Loss of control over urine or stool (incontinence)”
- Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “DELL SETON MEDICAL CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS 10/1/2028 O AUSTIN 78701”
- Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “ST DAVIDS SOUTH AUSTIN MEDICAL CENTER 10/1/2028 O AUSTIN 78704”
- CommUnityCare, About, checked 2026-11-09. “In 2025, CommUnityCare served 148,234 individual patients”
- MedlinePlus, checked 2026-11-09. “Electromyography (EMG) to determine the exact spinal nerve root that is involved.”
- MedlinePlus, checked 2026-11-09. “you may have sharp pain in one part of the leg, hip, or buttocks, and numbness in other parts”
- MedlinePlus, checked 2026-11-09. “often goes away or improves a lot over weeks to months”
- NIAMS, checked 2026-11-09. “lasts longer than 12 weeks and occurs daily”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.012, checked 2026-11-09. “the court shall reduce the amount of damages to be recovered by the claimant with respect to a cause of action by a percentage equal to the claimant's percentage of responsibility”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 33.001, checked 2026-11-09. “a claimant may not recover damages if his percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 18.001, checked 2026-11-09. “90 days after the date the defendant files an answer”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 18.001, checked 2026-11-09. “is sufficient evidence to support a finding of fact by judge or jury that the amount charged was reasonable or that the service was necessary”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.0105, checked 2026-11-09. “recovery of medical or health care expenses incurred is limited to the amount actually paid or incurred by or on behalf of the claimant”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 18.091, checked 2026-11-09. “must be presented in the form of a net loss after reduction for income tax payments or unpaid tax liability”
- TxDOT, 2025 Crashes and Injuries Cities and Towns, checked 2026-11-08. “AUSTIN 94 98 276 309 2,738 3,762 2,276 3,870 5,325 19,185 323 1,303 11,032”
- Austin Police, Traffic Enforcement presentation (April 2023), checked 2026-11-08. “significant portion of crashes, serious injury crashes, and fatalities occur”
- City of Austin, Vision Zero, checked 2026-11-08. “It includes just 8% of the city's street network but contains nearly 60% of all serious injury or fatal crashes”
- Austin Police, Traffic Enforcement presentation (April 2023), checked 2026-11-08. “Vehicles are drivable and there are no injuries”
- City of Austin, File a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “You must send this letter within 45 days of the incident.”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.101, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than six months after the day that the incident giving rise to the claim occurred”
- City of Austin, Staff charter recommendations with charter text (May 2026), checked 2026-11-08. “shall exonerate, excuse and exempt the city from any liability whatsoever”
- Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code 101.021, checked 2026-11-09. “arises from the operation or use of a motor-driven vehicle or motor-driven equipment”
- Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code 101.023, checked 2026-11-09. “Liability of a municipality under this chapter is limited to money damages in a maximum amount of $250,000 for each person and $500,000 for each single occurrence”
- City of Austin, File a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “City of Austin Law Department - Claims P.O. Box 1546 Austin, TX 78767-1546”
- Tex. Prop. Code § 55.002, checked 2026-11-09. “For the lien to attach, the individual must be admitted to a hospital not later than 72 hours after the accident.”