Highway Accident in San Antonio: I-35, I-10, Loop 410, Loop 1604 & US-281

Your first priority after a highway crash in San Antonio is personal safety. If your vehicle is operable, move it to the shoulder or an exit ramp. If it is not, turn on hazard lights, unbuckle, and get yourself and your passengers behind the guardrail or as far from traffic as possible. Highway speeds on I-35, I-10, and Loop 1604 regularly exceed 70 mph — a secondary collision with a stopped vehicle at those speeds can be fatal.

Call 911 immediately. Report your location as precisely as possible — the highway name, direction of travel, nearest exit number or cross street, and the number of vehicles involved. San Antonio Fire Department and EMS will respond along with SAPD or Department of Public Safety troopers. Under Tex. Trans. Code 550.062, officers must investigate highway crashes involving injury, death, or significant property damage.

Do not attempt to walk across highway lanes to reach the other driver. Wait for law enforcement to manage the scene. On multi-lane highways like Loop 410 and I-35, live traffic passing a crash scene at 60+ mph creates an extreme hazard for pedestrians.

Once you are safe, document everything. Photograph vehicle damage from multiple angles, the roadway (including lane markings, exit signs, and speed limit signs), skid marks, debris fields, weather conditions, and any visible injuries. On a highway, the spread of debris can indicate speed and force of impact — photograph the full debris field.

Note the exact location: highway name, direction, mile marker if visible, nearest exit. This matters for the crash report and for determining whether the crash occurred in a construction zone (which can affect liability and damages). San Antonio has had ongoing construction on I-35, Loop 1604, and US-281 North for years — construction zone crashes may involve additional liable parties.

If you have a dashcam, save the footage immediately. If other vehicles involved have dashcams, note that for your attorney. Event data recorders (EDRs, or 'black boxes') in modern vehicles record speed, braking, and steering inputs in the seconds before a crash — this data can be critical evidence but must be preserved before the vehicle is repaired or scrapped.

Highway crashes often involve multiple vehicles and multiple points of fault. A rear-end chain reaction on I-35, a merge conflict on Loop 410, or a lane-change collision on US-281 may involve three or more drivers, each with some degree of responsibility. Texas proportionate responsibility (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 33.001) assigns fault percentages to each party.

In addition to other drivers, potentially liable parties in a highway crash include trucking companies (if a commercial truck was involved), employers (if a driver was on the job), the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) or City of San Antonio (if a road defect, inadequate signage, or construction zone hazard contributed), and vehicle or parts manufacturers (if a mechanical failure like a tire blowout caused the crash).

Because multiple parties may share fault, highway crash cases are often more complex than single-vehicle or two-vehicle crashes. Identifying all responsible parties early is critical — each party's insurance may contribute to your recovery. Your own fault must be less than 51% for you to recover anything under Texas law.

The physics of highway crashes are unforgiving. Kinetic energy increases with the square of velocity — a crash at 70 mph transfers roughly four times the force of a crash at 35 mph. This means highway accidents produce disproportionately severe injuries compared to lower-speed urban crashes.

Common highway crash injuries include traumatic brain injuries (TBI) from the violent forces involved, spinal cord injuries including partial and complete paralysis, multiple fractures (legs, pelvis, ribs, arms), internal organ damage from seatbelt loading and steering wheel impact, and severe lacerations from glass and metal intrusion. These injuries often require emergency surgery, extended ICU stays, and months or years of rehabilitation.

University Hospital is San Antonio's only civilian Level I trauma center, equipped to handle the most severe highway crash injuries. Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) at Fort Sam Houston is also a Level I facility and accepts civilian emergency patients. If you are airlifted from a highway crash scene, you will likely go to one of these two facilities. Follow-up care for serious injuries may involve the South Texas Medical Center, one of the largest medical complexes in the region.

I-35 through downtown San Antonio is consistently one of the most dangerous highway stretches in Texas. It carries over 200,000 vehicles per day, mixes heavy truck traffic with commuter vehicles, and includes several complex interchanges — the I-35/I-10 interchange downtown and the I-35/Loop 410 interchange are particularly crash-prone. TxDOT has been expanding I-35 through San Antonio, but construction zones create their own hazards.

I-10 West through the Medical Center area sees heavy traffic and frequent crashes, especially during the 5-7 PM commute. The I-10/Loop 1604 interchange on the Far West Side is a growing bottleneck. Loop 410 — originally designed for lighter traffic volumes — is often at or over capacity, particularly between I-35 South and I-10 West. Lane reductions and on/off ramp merge points are common crash locations.

US-281 North between Loop 410 and Loop 1604 is one of the fastest-growing corridors in San Antonio. Traffic volumes have increased dramatically as the Stone Oak and North Side communities have expanded, but road infrastructure has not kept pace. Loop 1604, particularly the stretch between US-281 and I-35 Northeast, has seen increasing crash rates as suburban growth drives more traffic onto a highway that was not designed for current volumes. I-37 South toward Corpus Christi sees a high proportion of truck traffic and higher-speed crashes.

Highway crash evidence is time-sensitive. TxDOT traffic cameras may capture footage of the crash or the moments before it, but this footage must be requested through law enforcement or legal channels before it is overwritten. Dashcam footage from your vehicle and others should be preserved immediately.

Event data recorders (EDRs) in vehicles store data about speed, braking, throttle position, and seatbelt status in the seconds before impact. This data is critical for reconstructing what happened at highway speeds. If your vehicle is being towed to a storage lot or repair shop, make sure the EDR data is preserved — once the vehicle is repaired or junked, the data may be lost.

For serious or fatal highway crashes, accident reconstruction experts may be needed. These specialists use physical evidence (skid marks, debris patterns, vehicle crush damage), EDR data, and engineering principles to determine speeds, angles of impact, and fault. Highway crash reconstruction is expensive but can be decisive in complex multi-vehicle cases or cases involving disputed fault.

If a road defect contributed to your highway crash — a pothole, missing guardrail, inadequate signage, faded lane markings, or a dangerous construction zone setup — the government entity responsible for the road may be liable. In San Antonio, this could be TxDOT (for state highways like I-35, I-10, and US-281), the City of San Antonio, or Bexar County.

Claims against government entities in Texas follow special rules under the Texas Tort Claims Act (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Chapter 101). You must file a formal notice of claim within 6 months of the crash — much shorter than the standard 2-year statute of limitations. Damages against government entities are capped. Missing this 6-month deadline can permanently bar your claim.

San Antonio's extensive highway construction — particularly on I-35, Loop 1604, and US-281 — means construction zone hazards are a real factor. If a construction zone was inadequately marked, lacked proper barriers, or created a dangerous traffic pattern that contributed to your crash, the construction contractor may also be liable in addition to TxDOT.

Were you injured in a highway crash in San Antonio? Take our free 2-minute assessment at /assessment/. We will help you understand fault, identify potentially liable parties, and determine whether connecting with a San Antonio personal injury attorney makes sense for your situation.

Highway crashes at speed produce serious injuries and complex liability questions. Multiple drivers, trucking companies, government entities, and construction contractors may share fault. Start with the assessment — it is free, confidential, and can help you understand your next steps.