Car and truck accidents
Wrecks on I-45, the causeway, Broadway, Seawall Boulevard and the county roads, including 18-wheeler and commercial truck crashes coming in and out of the port.
See the car accident page Serving Galveston County from Houston
Galveston Personal Injury Attorney
I'm Jeff Todd. I was born in Galveston, which makes me a BOI, born on the island, and I represent people who get hurt here and across Galveston County because someone else was careless. My office is in Houston, on the Gulf Freeway, which is the same road that runs down to the island. I live in League City and draw cases from all along the I-45 corridor between Houston and the Seawall. I spent years on the insurance side before I started representing injured people, so I know how the company on the other end of your claim thinks.
- Born on the islandA BOI from Galveston, now living in League City
- Office in HoustonOn the Gulf Freeway, the road that runs to the island
- 8 years on the islandI kept a Galveston office until closing it in 2026
Houston office, island roots
I kept an office on the island for eight years. I closed it in 2026 because I was rarely using it: almost all of my Galveston clients work with me by phone, text and email, and very few ever need to meet in person. Here's how that works in practice, because for most of my clients the location of my desk never matters.
How it works
How does hiring a Houston attorney work when you're in Galveston?
Almost everything happens by phone, text, email and electronic signature.
You call
You call, I call you back and give you a straight answer about whether you need a lawyer.
You sign up electronically
If you do, you sign up electronically in a couple of minutes.
I build the claim
My office gathers your medical records, I build the claim, and I deal with the insurance company.
No drive to Houston
Most clients never need to drive to Houston. If you want to sit down in person, we do it by appointment.
When you hire me, you get me.
I handle the consultation, the strategy and the negotiation myself, and you get my cell number. You won't be handed to an intake screener or a junior associate.
Case types
Galveston cases I handle
Everything I take is on contingency, and I take cases other firms turn down. These are the kinds of Galveston cases I handle:
Motorcycle accidents
Galveston motorcycle crashes, on the island and on the mainland.
Galveston motorcycle accidentsSlip, trip and fall, and other premises injuries
Falls and injuries at hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, big-box retailers, vacation rentals and attractions. This is a signature area for me. Texas law makes these cases hard, which is why many attorneys decline them. I don't.
Boating and swimming pool accidents
Injuries on Galveston Bay and the Gulf, at marinas, and at hotel and condo pools.
See the boating accident pageJones Act and maritime injuries
The Jones Act is the federal law that lets a seaman injured on the job sue the employer for negligence, with a jury. I handle those claims, and injuries to offshore and dock workers around the port and the bay.
Workplace and industrial accidents
Third-party claims for people hurt at refineries, plants, terminals and construction sites in Texas City, La Marque and the rest of the county.
See the workplace accident pageDram shop cases
When a bar or restaurant over-serves someone who is obviously drunk and that person hurts you.
Defective products
Injuries caused by a product that failed.
Wrongful death
When a family loses someone to any of the above.
See the Galveston wrongful death pageCattle and livestock collisions, dog bites and shooting accidents come up less often on the island, but I take those too. Call and ask.
The full list of practice areas Straight answers
What I don't handle
If you call me about one of these, I'll tell you so on the phone and point you toward someone who does take them.
Call (832) 243-4953- Medical malpractice
- Direct workers' compensation claims
- Assault cases
One exception: if you were hurt on the job and someone other than your employer caused it, that's a third-party claim, and I do handle those.
Local knowledge
Why Galveston injuries are different
Galveston is a tourist island with a working port, and that mix shapes the cases I see.
The roads
I-45 and the causeway
I-45 and the causeway carry nearly all the traffic on and off the island, and summer weekends, cruise days and Mardi Gras put a lot of out-of-town drivers on them. TxDOT counted 6,532 crashes in Galveston County in 2025, with 33 deaths and 184 suspected serious injuries.
- 6,532
- crashes in Galveston County in 2025
- 33
- deaths
- 184
- suspected serious injuries
The cruise terminals
The Port of Galveston handled its 1.5 millionth cruise passenger of 2024 in December of that year, making it the fourth most popular cruise home port in North America, and a fourth terminal was scheduled to open in late 2025. That is a lot of people, shuttles, parking lots and gangways.
An injury on the ship itself is governed by your ticket contract. Federal law lets a cruise line require written notice of an injury within six months and a lawsuit within one year (46 U.S.C. § 30508), and the lines sailing from Galveston use those limits, usually with suit required in a federal court outside Texas. An injury in the terminal, in the parking lot or on the shuttle is an ordinary premises or vehicle case under Texas law. Call me quickly either way so nothing lapses.
The hotels, rentals and attractions
Wet floors, broken stairs, poor lighting and bad maintenance at places built for visitors. The property owner has to have known, or should have known, about the hazard. Video and incident reports disappear fast, so the sooner I'm involved, the better.
The water
Boating injuries, marina accidents and injuries to people who work on vessels, on platforms and at the docks. Maritime cases follow federal law and have their own rules, including a three-year deadline for most maritime injury claims, and I handle them.
First steps Call (832) 243-4953
What should I do after an injury in Galveston?
01
Get medical care, even if you think you are fine.
Adrenaline hides injuries, and a gap in treatment is the first thing an insurer points to.
02
Call 911 and get a report.
For a crash, you can request your Texas crash report through my office.
03
Take photos of the scene, the hazard, the vehicles and your injuries while everything is still as it was.
04
Get names and phone numbers for witnesses.
On the island, many of them are visitors who will be gone by Monday.
05
Call me before you give a recorded statement to any insurance company, including your own.
Courts and deadlines
Where is a Galveston injury lawsuit filed, and how long do I have?
Galveston County injury lawsuits are usually filed in the county's district courts or county courts at law, which sit in Galveston. Some belong in federal court or in Harris County, depending on the defendant. I sort that out as part of the strategy.
You generally have two years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit in Texas, under Civil Practice and Remedies Code section 16.003. If the defendant is the city, the county or the state, you must give written notice of the claim within six months under the Texas Tort Claims Act (section 101.101), and a city charter can make that window shorter. Cruise-ticket contracts shorten it further still.
2years
to file most Texas injury lawsuits
Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.0036months
to give written notice of a claim against the city, the county or the state
Texas Tort Claims Act § 101.1016 / 12months
a cruise line can require for written notice of an injury on the ship, then for a lawsuit
46 U.S.C. § 305083years
for most maritime injury claims
Federal maritime lawDon't wait on this.
Fees
What does a Galveston personal injury lawyer cost?
Nothing up front, and nothing at all unless I win.
33%
if your case settles before I file suit
40%
if a lawsuit is filed
45%
if the case goes to appeal
The percentage goes up because a lawsuit and an appeal take a lot more work. Every case is different, and I can't promise a result. What I can promise is a straight answer about where your case stands.
4.9stars across review platforms
About Jeff
Why people in Galveston call me
Galveston isn't just a place on my service map. I was born here, and I still know the island the way people who grew up on it do. I've run my own firm since 2018, after a career that started on the insurance-defense side, representing the companies that now sit across the table from my clients. I know how they value a claim, how they delay, and when a low offer is a bluff.
Defendants also know I'll try a case. Most cases settle, and that reputation is part of the reason.
I'll tell you the truth on the first call, including when you don't need a lawyer. Clients rate me about 4.9 stars across review platforms, and the thing they mention most is that they could reach me. I speak English and Spanish.
Service area
Galveston County communities I serve
- Galveston
- League City
- Texas City
- La Marque
- Dickinson
- Kemah
- Friendswood
- Santa Fe
- Hitchcock
- Clear Lake Shores
- Bolivar Peninsula
I also serve the rest of Galveston County, along with the greater Houston area from my Houston office at 12929 Gulf Freeway, Suite 301, Houston, TX 77034.
My Houston office
Address12929 Gulf Freeway, Suite 301
Houston, TX 77034
Houston, TX 77034
Phone(832) 243-4953, answered 24/7
MeetingsBy phone, text and email, or in person by appointment
Call (832) 243-4953 
Free consultation
Injured in Galveston? Let's talk.
Call any time. A live person answers, I follow up personally, and the consultation is free. Trust Jeff.
