PTSD and emotional distress after a Fort Worth accident: help first, then your rights

If you are in crisis, call or text the Tarrant County line at 1-800-866-2465, open 24 hours a day. 988 also takes calls and texts. For a claim, Texas usually allows mental anguish when you also had a serious bodily injury. A PTSD claim after a Fort Worth crash or fall generally must be filed within 2 years.

Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (27)

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Road map of Fort Worth showing I-35W through downtown and the hospital district on South Main Street
Tarrant County's 24-hour crisis line: 1-800-866-2465, call or text. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Where can I get help in Fort Worth right now for PTSD after an accident?

Call or text 1-800-866-2465 for the My Health My Resources of Tarrant County crisis line. It is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. A Mobile Crisis Outreach Team offers face-to-face help in Tarrant County. If you would rather use the national line, 988 takes calls and texts.

Most people recover over time, but symptoms that last longer than 1 month are worth raising with a doctor. Getting help early is not a weakness, and it does not hurt a claim. If you are not in crisis but cannot sleep or drive, tell your regular doctor and ask for a referral. Write down the date you first asked for help.

How do I know if what I feel is PTSD?

What you noticeWhat doctors look forWhat to do
Flashbacks or nightmaresSymptoms for longer than 1 month.Tell your doctor.
Avoiding cars or the crash spotCommon after a crash.Write it down with dates.
Feelings that lastSome people recover within 6 months, others take 1 year or longer.Keep going to care.
Symptoms that start lateUsually within 3 months, sometimes later.Do not assume it is too late.

Can I sue for emotional distress in Texas after a Fort Worth accident?

Often, but not always. Texas has no general duty not to carelessly cause emotional distress. Mental anguish must connect to a breach of another legal duty. In Fort Worth, the trauma-center records from JPS or Texas Health Harris Methodist are what show the bodily injury behind the claim.

If you were seriously hurt in your body, mental anguish is usually recoverable. In one Texas appeals case, a crash passenger with PTSD and no physical injury was denied recovery. That is hard news, but it does not decide every case. Texas lists mental anguish as one part of noneconomic damages.

What proof do I need for emotional harm in Texas?

Texas wants direct evidence of the nature, duration and severity of the anguish. That can be medical records, a counselor's notes and your own diary. Family members can also describe how you have changed.

  1. Keep a short daily note about sleep, mood and fear.
  2. Save every appointment and prescription record. JPS takes requests by MyChart or fax to 817-702-5700, and Texas Health uses Versima.
  3. Ask a counselor to note when symptoms began.
  4. Tell your lawyer about any physical injury, even a minor one, and get the Fort Worth ER or clinic record of it.

Is there other support if the crash was a crime?

Yes. Fort Worth Police Victim Assistance is at 505 West Felix St., 817-392-4390. Tarrant County District Attorney Victim Services is at 401 W. Belknap St., 817-884-2740.

How long do I have to bring a claim in Texas?

Two years to sue. If a government is involved, notice is due in six months, and Fort Worth's charter asks for 180 days. A jury that finds you more than 50 percent at fault leaves you with no recovery.

Questions

How long can PTSD last?

Some people recover within 6 months, and others take 1 year or longer. If it gets worse, the MHMR crisis line, 1-800-866-2465, is open every day in Fort Worth and the rest of Tarrant County.

Does needing therapy hurt my case?

No. Therapy records can be proof of the harm, and they help you heal.

Is PTSD common after a crash?

It affects some people. In one hospital study, 27.5 percent had it at 6 months after a serious crash. TxDOT counted 15,680 crashes in Fort Worth in 2025, with 562 people seriously injured.

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Sources (27)

  1. My Health My Resources of Tarrant County, Crisis Services, checked 2026-11-09. “Mental health and Substance Use Disorder emergency support is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”
  2. My Health My Resources of Tarrant County, Crisis Services, checked 2026-11-09. “Call or text us 1-800-866-2465”
  3. National Institute of Mental Health, checked 2026-11-09. “In Crisis? Call or Text 988”
  4. 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”
  5. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  6. My Health My Resources of Tarrant County, Crisis Services, checked 2026-11-09. “the Mobile Crisis Outreach Team provides a combination of face-to-face, 24-hour crisis services to children, adolescents and adults in Tarrant County”
  7. 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”
  8. 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.”
  9. 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.”
  10. National Institute of Mental Health, checked 2026-11-09. “a person must have symptoms for longer than 1 month”
  11. 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.”
  12. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “JOHN PETER SMITH HOSPITAL 11/1/2028 E FORT WORTH 76104”
  13. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “TEXAS HEALTH HARRIS METHODIST HOSPITAL FORT WORTH 1/1/2029 E FORT WORTH 76104”
  14. 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”
  15. 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”
  16. 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”
  17. JPS Health Network, Patient Records, checked 2026-11-08. “You can fax a written request to 817-702-5700.”
  18. Texas Health, Request Medical Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Texas Health has partnered with Versima”
  19. Fort Worth Police, Victim Assistance, checked 2026-11-09. “505 West Felix St. Fort Worth, TX 76115 817-392-4390”
  20. Tarrant County District Attorney, Victim Services, checked 2026-11-09. “401 W. Belknap St Fort Worth, Texas 76196 Phone: 817-884-2740”
  21. Texas Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-09. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  22. 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”
  23. Texas Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.101, checked 2026-11-09. “not later than six months after the day that the incident giving rise to the claim occurred”
  24. Fort Worth City Charter, Chapter XXVII, Section 25, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty (180) days after the same has been sustained, unless good cause is shown”
  25. Texas 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”
  26. 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”
  27. TxDOT, 2025 Crashes and Injuries Cities and Towns, checked 2026-11-08. “FORT WORTH 109 112 475 562 2,665 3,568 2,296 3,616 9,533 32,368 602 2,351 15,680”

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