Austin Self-Driving Car Accident Attorney

Austin is one of a small number of U.S. cities where multiple self-driving car companies are operating on public streets at the same time. Tesla launched its robotaxi service here in June 2025. Waymo has run a fleet in Austin since March 2025. As of May 2026 Avride, a lesser-known autonomous vehicle company, has accumulated 16 crashes on Austin and Dallas roads, every one with the automated driving system fully engaged and all under active federal investigation. People in Austin are already getting hurt.

A crash with a self-driving vehicle is a different kind of accident entirely. There may be no driver to identify. The company that put the vehicle on the road may be headquartered across the country, and the software that controlled the vehicle’s actions may belong to a different company than the one whose name is on the car. Figuring out who owes you compensation is a more complex investigation.

Loewy Law Firm has deep experience working in complex cases and represents those in Austin and throughout Texas who have been injured in self-driving car crashes, including robotaxi passengers, drivers struck by self-driving vehicles, and pedestrians and cyclists hit while automated systems were operating. Call (512) 280-0800 for a free consultation.

Austin’s Self-Driving Companies Are Not Easy Opponents

Tesla, Waymo, and Avride all operate on Austin streets, and all three have litigation teams and insurance carriers that are skilled in handling self-driving car crash cases. Loewy Law Firm has a proven record of taking on large companies, their attorneys, and their insurance carriers, winning cases and securing compensation for injured Austinites.

Tesla

Tesla controls its crash data tightly, has resisted transparency with federal regulators, and has the resources to mount an aggressive defense in any claim brought against it. Loewy Law Firm knows how to compel that data through formal legal channels and build a case that holds Tesla accountable.

Waymo

Waymo is backed by Alphabet and has navigated federal investigations and a voluntary recall in Austin without slowing operations. Its size and staying power mean its carriers and litigation teams are well-practiced at disputing claims. Loewy Law Firm has the experience to go up against opponents of that scale on behalf of injured Austinites.

Avride

Avride is under active federal investigation for crashes on Austin and Dallas roads, and a company in that position has every incentive to contest liability in individual cases. Loewy Law Firm understands how to use federal investigation records as evidence when building a case against an operator like Avride.

Regardless of the size of the company or the resources behind it, Loewy Law Firm brings the same fight to every case and does not stop until injured Austinites get the compensation they deserve.

Texas Law on Autonomous Vehicle Crashes

Texas has allowed self-driving vehicles on public roads since 2017. Senate Bill 2807, passed in 2025, added a significant new requirement: companies operating self-driving vehicles commercially in Texas without a human driver now need authorization from TxDMV before putting those vehicles on the road. Operating without that authorization is a criminal offense under Texas Transportation Code § 545.455. (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)

Texas law also determines who is responsible when a self-driving vehicle violates a traffic law. With the automated driving system engaged, responsibility for any traffic violations goes to the company that owns or operates the vehicle, and civil compensation is a separate question entirely that depends on what caused the crash and how fault is distributed under Texas personal injury law.

Parties Who May Be Responsible for Your Injuries

Self-driving car crashes can give rise to cases against multiple parties at the same time, depending on what caused the crash and who was responsible for the vehicle.

Vehicle Manufacturer

If the crash resulted from a defect in the automated driving system, like a software error, a sensor failure, or a design flaw, a products liability case may be brought against the manufacturer. Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 82 allows products liability cases to proceed on strict liability, negligence, or breach of warranty. Strict liability means a manufacturer can be responsible even without proof of carelessness if the product was defective and caused the injury.

Deploying Company

The company that put the vehicle on Austin streets may be liable for deploying vehicles in unsafe conditions, deferred maintenance, or inadequate remote support staffing.

Software Developer

If the automated driving system was built by a company separate from the vehicle manufacturer, that software developer is a potential defendant under Chapter 82, independent of any case against the manufacturer.

Human Safety Monitor

If a human operator was present in the vehicle or monitoring remotely, a failure to intervene when the system malfunctioned can support a separate negligence case against that operator or their employer.

Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 33.001 allows fault to be distributed across all of those parties. A plaintiff’s recovery is reduced by their own percentage of fault and is barred entirely if that percentage exceeds 50%. Self-driving car companies regularly attempt to attribute fault to other human drivers in multi-vehicle crashes, and an independent reconstruction of what the self-driving vehicle was doing is how those arguments get countered. (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)

Data in an Self-Driving Vehicle Crash

Every autonomous vehicle on Austin streets carries sensors, cameras, and logging systems that record what the vehicle was doing in the moments before a crash:

• Automated driving system logs — records of whether the self-driving system was active at the moment of impact and what inputs it was processing
• Sensor data — LIDAR, radar, and onboard camera recordings covering the seconds before impact
• Remote assistance communications — if a human operator was monitoring or directing the vehicle, records of any instructions given and when
• Fleet maintenance and inspection records
• NHTSA crash report filings — companies named in NHTSA’s Standing General Order on Crash Reporting are required to report crashes, creating a federal record (nhtsa.gov)
• Trip data — route, speed, and dispatch records from the company’s platform

Because vehicle recording data is generated and controlled by the self-driving car company’s own systems, accessing it requires a formal preservation letter or court order. Loewy Law Firm’s self-driving car accident attorneys act quickly to secure both on your behalf as part of building your case.

What to Do After a Self-Driving Car Accident in Austin

After a self-driving car crash in Austin, the steps you take at the scene can affect your ability to recover compensation. Along with calling 911 and exchanging information with the other party, take these additional steps.

1. Get Medical Attention: See a doctor even if you feel fine. Injuries from vehicle crashes can take time to present, and a medical record from the date of the crash documents the connection between the crash and your injuries. Keep records of all treatment, bills, and follow-up care.
2. Report Autonomous Operation: Tell the responding officer the vehicle appeared to be operating autonomously. If you observed no driver, the steering wheel moving on its own, or the company’s app showing a ride in progress, say so clearly. Autonomous vehicle status in a police report affects how insurance adjusters read fault from the start.
3. Identify the Company: Photograph any branding on the vehicle, the license plate, and any visible vehicle ID numbers. If you were a passenger in a robotaxi, screenshot the app before closing it, capturing ride status, route, timestamps, and any prompts that appeared during the ride.
4. Gather Witness Information: Get contact information from anyone who saw the crash before the scene clears, including bystanders and passengers in other vehicles.
5. Do Not Speak with Company Representatives: Self-driving car operators sometimes send response teams to the scene. Do not discuss the crash with them or give any statement before speaking with an attorney.
6. Contact Loewy Law Firm: Self-driving car companies send recovery teams to retrieve their vehicles, and an attorney can move to preserve vehicle data before it is lost. Before giving a recorded statement to the company’s insurer, speak with a Loewy Law Firm attorney. Their adjusters handle autonomous vehicle crash cases regularly, and a recorded statement without an attorney can limit your recovery.

Having an experienced car accident attorney from Loewy Law Firm in your corner puts you in the strongest possible position.

How Compensation Works in Self-Driving Car Accidents

Texas personal injury law allows recovery of both economic and non-economic damages when liability is established. In cases where a self-driving system defect contributed to the crash, punitive damages may also be available if the manufacturer’s conduct meets Texas’s gross negligence standard, defined in Texas law as an extreme degree of risk combined with conscious indifference to the safety of others.

Recoverable damages in an autonomous vehicle crash case in Texas can cover:

• Medical Expenses: emergency treatment, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, and projected future medical costs for long-term injuries
• Lost Income: wages lost during recovery and reduced earning capacity if injuries permanently affect the ability to work
• Pain and Suffering: non-economic damages for physical pain and emotional harm from both the crash and the recovery process
• Property Damage: repair or replacement of your vehicle and any personal property damaged in the crash
• Wrongful Death: if a family member was killed in a self-driving car crash, the surviving family members hold a separate right of recovery under Texas wrongful death law

Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003 sets a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury cases, measured from the date of injury. Products liability cases fall under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.012, which sets a 15-year statute of repose running from the date the product was sold. Vehicle recording data does not follow either of those timelines, and contacting Loewy Law Firm’s self-driving car accident attorneys as soon as possible after a crash gives you the best chance of preserving it.

Loewy Law Firm is Ready to Fight for You

A self-driving car crash can put you up against a company that has the resources, the data, and the legal teams to defend aggressively against crash claims. Loewy Law Firm levels that playing field. With a proven record of taking on large companies and winning for injured Austinites, Loewy Law Firm handles every self-driving car accident case on contingency, with no fee unless you recover. Call (512) 280-0800 today for a free consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Sue a Self-Driving Car Company in Texas?

Yes. Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 82 allows products liability cases against manufacturers of defective products, and an automated driving system qualifies as a product under Texas law. A case may name the vehicle manufacturer, the fleet operator, or both, depending on what caused the crash.

Who Is Responsible When There Is No Driver in the Car?

Texas Transportation Code § 545.454 establishes that when the automated driving system is engaged, the vehicle’s owner or authorization holder receives any traffic citations in place of a human driver. Civil liability is a separate analysis that depends on what caused the crash. A defective system points to the manufacturer under Chapter 82, careless deployment or poor maintenance points to the fleet operator, and a failure by a human monitor to intervene points to that operator or their employer.

I Was a Passenger in a Robotaxi — Can I Recover Compensation?

Yes. Robotaxi operators in Texas are required to maintain insurance and hold TxDMV authorization under Senate Bill 2807. As a passenger, you were in the vehicle as an invitee of the operating company, and the authorization holder is a primary respondent if the crash resulted from negligent deployment. If a system defect contributed, the vehicle manufacturer may be a separate defendant under Chapter 82.

Does Texas Law Cap My Recovery Against a Self-Driving Car Company?

Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 33.001 reduces a plaintiff’s recovery by their own percentage of fault and bars recovery entirely if fault exceeds 50%. Self-driving car companies sometimes attempt to move responsibility onto other human drivers in multi-vehicle crashes, and an independent reconstruction of what the automated system was doing at the time of the crash counters those arguments with the vehicle’s own data.

How Long Do I Have to File After a Self-Driving Car Crash?

Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003 sets a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury cases from the date of injury. Products liability cases under § 16.012 carry a separate 15-year statute of repose from the date the product was sold. Vehicle recording data does not follow either of those timelines, and contacting Loewy Law Firm’s self-driving car accident attorneys as soon as possible after a crash gives you the best chance of preserving it.

The Self-Driving Car Company Is Blaming the Other Driver — Now What?

Texas proportionate responsibility law allows fault to be distributed across multiple parties, and in certain crashes another driver does bear partial or full responsibility. An independent analysis of the vehicle’s system logs, sensor data, and remote assistance records establishes what the automated vehicle was doing in the seconds before impact, separate from any police report narrative. Both the self-driving car company and a third-party driver can be held liable at the same time under Texas law.