Hablamos español.
Insights into cars, trucks, and all types of road crashes in Lubbock
Lubbock, TX experiences a wide variety of vehicle accidents, including cars, motorcycles, and trucks. Factors like weather, road conditions, and distracted driving contribute to these incidents. Whether you’re a driver, cyclist, or pedestrian, staying informed about common causes and safety tips can help reduce risks. Learn how to protect yourself and others on Lubbock’s busy roads.
Lubbock is considered a pretty easy-to-navigate city, by most accounts. But nothing is perfect and the city is no stranger to Lubbock car accidents and crashes involving other types of vehicles.
That’s why it’s important to be familiar with how (and when) to file a personal injury lawsuit if you’re involved in a crash—whether it’s with a car, bus, truck, or some other vehicle—and whether you’re a driver, passenger, pedestrian or bicyclist.
Dangerous intersections in Lubbock
Lubbock is a small city, but there are a few intersections that warrant extra caution.
Loop 289 and Slide Ave. is considered Lubbock’s most dangerous intersection. Accidents happen because of heavy, stop-and-go traffic and drivers who tend to ignore red light signals.
4th St. from West Loop to Milwaukee Ave.; 19th St. from Frankford Ave. to Milwaukee Ave.; Milwaukee Ave. from 66th St. to Spur 327; and 82nd St. from Vicksburg Ave. to Chicago Ave. are identified as some of the other dangerous intersections with a high rate of accidents.
What makes an intersection dangerous?
- Traffic lights that take a long time to change
- Lights that allow only a few cars through on one rotation
- Intersections with construction cones or altered driving patterns
- Intersections where drivers ignore red lights
Lubbock crash statistics
In 2023, there were 51 fatal crashes in Lubbock County, 912 crashes resulting in suspected minor injuries, and 6,866 total crashes.
We can see how different types of vehicles fared in crashes statewide based on the type of vehicle.
| Type of vehicle | Total fatal injury crashes (2023) |
|---|---|
| Passenger car | 1,943 |
| Pickup truck | 1,543 |
| SUV | 1,243 |
| Motorcycle | 608 |
| Tractor/semi-trailer truck | 443 |
| Other | 191 |
| Van | 162 |
| Truck | 160 |
| Police vehicle | 20 |
| Bus | 13 |
| Farm equipment | 10 |
| School bus | 5 |
| Fire truck | 3 |
| Ambulance | 3 |
| Police motorcycle | 2 |
| Source: Texas Department of Transportation, Count of Vehicles in Crashes by Body Style | |
Causes of Lubbock vehicle crashes
There is an endless list of reasons why an accident could happen, but these are some of the most frequent:
- Distracted driving. Distracted driving is a major issue and a primary cause of vehicle accidents. This is any activity that takes your attention and focus off driving—it could be eating, drinking, using your phone or other device, handing something to a passenger, using the vehicle dashboard controls, or anything else. Driving requires the full use of your brain, eyes, and hands—if any one of them is not actively engaged in driving, you are distracted and creating a dangerous situation.
- Recklessness. Speeding, tailgating, unsafe lane changes, and other dangerous behavior contribute to reckless driving. This could also include road rage. Every driver has a duty of care to every other road user at all times; you’re responsible for driving in a way that’s reasonable and would not cause injury to others.
- Drowsy driving. Driving while tired can impair your judgment and reaction time. While most people know better than to drive drunk, those same people might think it’s okay to drive while feeling tired—but this is as dangerous as drunk driving. If you need a break, take one.
- Driving under the influence. Every driver knows better. Yet, some engage in this behavior anyway. Lubbock—and Texas, generally—has strict laws against drinking and driving. Still, Texas ranks first in the nation for drunk driving fatalities.
- Failure to follow traffic laws. Traffic laws are just that… laws. Not suggestions. Accidents can be prevented by drivers choosing to stop at red lights, using turn signals, driving in the correct lane, and so on.
- Driving in bad weather. The winter of 2025 brought snowfall and icy cold temperatures to areas like Lubbock that are unaccustomed to that type of climate. But weather patterns are changing, and you might begin to see more icy precipitation. Even a strong summer rainstorm can reduce visibility and make roads slippery. Sometimes, it’s unavoidable—you have to get to work, an appointment, or somewhere else important. But if you must drive in poor weather, take your time and go slowly.
What to do if you’re involved in a Lubbock traffic accident
If you’re involved in a crash with a car, bus, train, bicycle, truck, or other moving vehicle, there are a few steps you can take to protect your legal rights and personal safety.
Gather evidence at the scene
A picture is worth a thousand words, as we know. If you are able to safely take photos at the accident scene, do so. A photo can be evidence of how an accident happened, road conditions, weather conditions, signs and signals, extent of damage, and other relevant contributing factors.
It’s also important to take names and contact information for anyone who might be a witness. You don’t need to take statements or interrogate anyone—that’s the police or a lawyer’s job. But well-meaning passersby might stop at a crash to see if someone needs help, and then they leave once first responders arrive. However, those first individuals at the scene might have observed things related to the crash that could be important for determining liability. Taking note of their names and phone numbers might help you later.
Inquire at nearby businesses or residences to see if anyone has surveillance camera footage of the crash. Act quickly, as most businesses do not save footage indefinitely; if they don’t know there’s a reason to keep a recording, they might delete it within as little as 24 hours.
Get a medical evaluation
Even if you think you’re not injured, seek an evaluation by your primary provider, urgent care, or an emergency department. Some injuries, like concussions, whiplash, or other back and neck conditions, can appear days or weeks after a crash. If you don’t seek medical attention immediately, it will be difficult to link your injuries to the crash for compensation purposes.
Consider who might be liable parties
Here’s the big difference between a crash with a passenger car and another vehicle like a truck or bus.
Texas is an at-fault state, which means the party who causes an accident is legally liable for its costs. In other words, the at-fault driver pays the other driver’s damages. Texas also follows the modified comparative fault rule (also known as the 51% rule). Most states follow contributory negligence, which means a plaintiff’s damage award is reduced by the amount at which they were at fault for the accident.
Even if you didn’t cause an accident, there might be ways you could have avoided it. For example, perhaps you had the opportunity to swerve out of the way of an oncoming vehicle but you reacted too slowly—although the other driver was clearly at fault, you might be found 10% liable. Had you swerved a moment faster, the accident could have been avoided. So, in that instance, your damage recovery would be reduced by 10%. But if either party is more than 50% at fault, they cannot recover any damages at all.
When a collision happens between two cars, the liability usually rests somewhere between the two drivers. Depending on the circumstances of the crash, sometimes this is simple to figure out. It could be trickier, and it could involve accident reconstruction or other expert testimony. This can be a point of negotiation and strategy between lawyers.
However, a collision between a truck or bus and a car can raise other questions of liability. It might not be the driver at fault. Or, the driver could be partially responsible, with some liability on the bus company, the trucking company, the manufacturers of the vehicles involved, or others within the contractor/subcontractor relationship. If the truck or bus is not privately owned, but is owned and operated by a government agency (i.e. a Citibus), then yet other issues arise.
For example, you’re on the highway and a semi-truck makes an unsafe lane change. Because of a too-sharp swerve, the load shifts and causes the truck to overturn. You were alongside the truck and the rear of the truck collides with the front of your vehicle—thank goodness, it could have been worse and you suffer only minor injuries.
But who’s at fault? Clearly, the driver made a bad decision when he switched lanes abruptly. But you were riding in his blind spot and possibly could’ve slowed or swerved out of the way when you saw the truck roof become unstable. It also happens that the shipper loaded the truck improperly, with too much weight on one side, which is part of the reason it overturned.
The insurance company or lawyers will hammer out the details, but in this instance, it’s likely there will be liability on the shipper for improper loading practices, perhaps the trucking company for not training employees correctly, maybe the driver, and some on you—the plaintiff.
Contact a Lubbock personal injury lawyer
If you’ve been involved in a crash with any vehicle in Lubbock, a personal injury attorney should be one of your first calls. Your lawyer will determine who might be liable, to what extent, what you’re entitled to receive for compensation, and how to make that happen.
See our guide Choosing a personal injury attorney.