Find a PTSD and emotional distress lawyer in Austin: help now and what Texas allows

If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call Integral Care's 24/7 helpline at 512-472-4357. On the legal side, Texas allows mental anguish mainly when it comes with a serious bodily injury. It has no general duty not to cause emotional distress by carelessness.

Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (36)

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Road map of Austin showing Ben White Boulevard, one of three high-speed roads Austin Police names for serious crashes
In a crisis in Austin, call or text 988 or 512-472-4357. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Where can you get help in Austin if a crash left you afraid or numb?

Austin has a few lines that answer around the clock or on weekdays. None asks you to prove what happened.

WhoHow to reach themWhat they offer
988Call or text 988Crisis support at any hour
Integral Care512-472-HELP (512-472-4357)24/7 phone and community crisis support; available regardless of ability to pay, in many languages
APD Victim Services512-974-5037, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.Help with the reporting process, plus counseling, legal and community resources
Central Health clinicsCommUnityCareCounty hospital district system for people who may not have insurance

How do you know if it is PTSD after an Austin crash?

Most people who feel afraid after a crash recover with time. PTSD is a separate problem. Its symptoms usually begin within 3 months, though sometimes later, and a diagnosis needs them to last longer than 1 month.

  • Flashbacks, sometimes with physical symptoms.
  • Avoiding cars, roads or driving.
  • Some people recover within 6 months; others have symptoms for a year or longer.

Across the whole population, about 6 in 100 people have PTSD at some point. Among serious crash survivors in one hospital study, 27.5 percent still had it at 6 months. Any Austin doctor can refer you for an assessment.

Can you sue in Texas for PTSD or mental anguish alone?

Hard to win. In Texas, carelessness that only upsets you is not a wrong by itself. The mental anguish must come from the breach of some other legal duty.

With a serious bodily injury in the picture, mental anguish is usually recoverable. Without one, a Texas appeals court turned away a crash passenger who had PTSD and no physical injury. Texas counts mental anguish as its own kind of damages, beside physical pain, disfigurement and physical impairment.

You must show the nature, duration and severity of your mental anguish with direct evidence. A short journal and your treatment records can supply it.

What if you saw someone you love get hurt in an Austin crash?

A bystander claim turns on two tests: whether you saw or heard the accident as it happened, and whether you and the victim were closely related. Meeting them is no promise of recovery, so take your own facts to an Austin lawyer.

Does Texas help pay for counseling after a crime or drunk driving crash?

Possibly. The state's Crime Victim Compensation program, listed in Austin at 512-936-1200, can help with medical bills, counseling and lost wages. Drunk driving offenses are included. The limits:

  • Apply within 3 years of the crime.
  • It helps cover costs up to $50,000.
  • It pays last, after other sources.
  • Texas confirms that a crime happened and was reported to law enforcement.

How long do you have to file a claim in Austin?

The suit deadline is two years. When a City of Austin vehicle was involved, the city needs a claim letter within 45 days, and email works at [email protected]. A fault share above 50 percent bars recovery.

Questions

Can I get therapy even if I never sue?

Yes. In Austin, Integral Care's crisis services do not depend on ability to pay.

Does a settlement for emotional distress count as income?

It depends on whether it comes from a physical injury. Ask a tax professional before you sign.

What if my child saw the crash?

A child's own deadline waits until the child turns 18, and a court will ask whether the child saw the accident directly.

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Sources (36)

  1. National Institute of Mental Health, checked 2026-11-09. “In Crisis? Call or Text 988”
  2. Integral Care, Crisis Services, checked 2026-11-09. “Call 512-472-HELP (512-472-4357)”
  3. Fitzpatrick v. Copeland, 80 S.W.3d 297 (Tex. App. 2002), checked 2026-11-09. “damages are recoverable in virtually all personal injury actions where serious bodily injury is inflicted”
  4. Boyles v. Kerr, 855 S.W.2d 593 (Tex. 1993), checked 2026-11-09. “there is no general duty in Texas not to negligently inflict emotional distress”
  5. Integral Care, Crisis Services, checked 2026-11-09. “Integral Care offers mental health crisis support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on the phone and in the community.”
  6. Fitzpatrick v. Copeland, 80 S.W.3d 297 (Tex. App. 2002), checked 2026-11-09. “We hold the trial court correctly granted summary judgment to Appellees that Fitzpatrick take nothing on her claim for mental anguish”
  7. National Institute of Mental Health, checked 2026-11-09. “Symptoms of PTSD usually begin within 3 months of the traumatic event, but they sometimes emerge later.”
  8. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  9. City of Austin, File a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “You must send this letter within 45 days of the incident.”
  10. Integral Care, Crisis Services, checked 2026-11-09. “Services are available regardless of ability to pay and can be provided in many languages.”
  11. Austin Public Health, Safety Help, checked 2026-11-09. “Austin Police Victim Services 8AM-5PM at 512-974-5037.”
  12. Austin Public Health, Safety Help, checked 2026-11-09. “connect you with counseling, legal, and community resources for ongoing support”
  13. CommUnityCare, About, checked 2026-11-09. “In 2025, CommUnityCare served 148,234 individual patients”
  14. Central Health, About, checked 2026-11-09. “As the county’s taxpayer-funded hospital district”
  15. National Institute of Mental Health, checked 2026-11-09. “It is natural to feel afraid during and after a traumatic situation.”
  16. National Institute of Mental Health, checked 2026-11-09. “a person must have symptoms for longer than 1 month”
  17. National Institute of Mental Health, checked 2026-11-09. “reliving the traumatic event, including physical symptoms, such as a racing heart or sweating”
  18. National Institute of Mental Health, checked 2026-11-09. “some people may avoid driving or riding in a car after a serious car accident”
  19. National Institute of Mental Health, checked 2026-11-09. “Although some people recover within 6 months, others have symptoms that last for 1 year or longer.”
  20. VA National Center for PTSD, checked 2026-11-09. “About 6 out of every 100 people (or 6% of the U.S. population) will have PTSD at some point in their lives.”
  21. PubMed Central (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “PTSD developed in 27.5 % (n=101) and 24.3 % (n=77) of the population at 6 and 12 months respectively”
  22. Boyles v. Kerr, 855 S.W.2d 593 (Tex. 1993), checked 2026-11-09. “A claimant may recover mental anguish damages only in connection with defendant's breach of some other legal duty.”
  23. Texas Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.001(12), checked 2026-11-09. “physical pain and suffering, mental or emotional pain or anguish, loss of consortium, disfigurement, physical impairment”
  24. Parkway Co. v. Woodruff, 901 S.W.2d 434 (Tex. 1995), checked 2026-11-09. “direct evidence of the nature, duration, and severity of their mental anguish”
  25. Freeman v. City of Pasadena, 744 S.W.2d 923 (Tex. 1988), checked 2026-11-09. “sensory and contemporaneous observance of the accident”
  26. Freeman v. City of Pasadena, 744 S.W.2d 923 (Tex. 1988), checked 2026-11-09. “Whether plaintiff and the victim were closely related”
  27. Travis County Attorney, Victim Resources, checked 2026-11-09. “In Austin: 512-936-1200”
  28. Texas Attorney General, checked 2026-11-09. “covering costs like medical bills, counseling, lost wages, and more”
  29. Texas Code of Criminal Procedure 56B.003, checked 2026-11-09. “Section 49.04 (driving while intoxicated)”
  30. Texas Attorney General, checked 2026-11-09. “You're applying within 3 years of the crime”
  31. Texas Attorney General, checked 2026-11-09. “The CVC Program can help cover costs up to $50,000”
  32. Texas Attorney General, checked 2026-11-09. “this program is meant to pay only as a last option”
  33. Texas Attorney General, checked 2026-11-09. “We confirm that a crime happened and that it was reported to law enforcement.”
  34. City of Austin, File a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “Email [email protected]”
  35. 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”
  36. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 16.001, checked 2026-11-09. “the time of the disability is not included in a limitations period”

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