Why would Howard County courts handle my case?

Because the listed trial courts for this area are Howard County District Courts and the Howard County Court at Law. Even if the crash happened in Big Spring, a filed case usually goes through the county court structure shown for Howard County.

What if I live in Big Spring but was injured somewhere else?

Your claim usually follows the place where the crash happened, not your home address. That means the responding agency, crash report, and court may be outside Big Spring and outside Howard County if the collision happened elsewhere.

How do I get the crash report for a Big Spring-area collision?

Texas CR-3 crash reports are purchased through the TxDOT CRIS portal at the statewide report request link on this page. The claims data says they are typically available within a few days of filing.

Does the Howard County fatal crash count decide how serious my claim is?

No. The county record of 10 fatal crashes and 11 fatalities in 2023 from NHTSA FARS is only background information. Your claim depends on the facts of your own crash, your injuries, the available coverage, and where the case belongs.

Howard County

Big Spring Injury Claim Factors

If you were hurt in Big Spring or you live here and were injured somewhere else in Texas, the practical questions usually run through Howard County systems. Big Spring has its own police department, but county courts and statewide reporting tools often control what happens next.

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People killed, 2023

50%

Fault bars recovery above

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Who responded

Agencies that respond to crashes in Big Spring

Which agency attended determines who to contact about an incomplete or incorrect report.

Big Spring Police Department

City police

Howard County Sheriff's Office

County sheriff

Texas Department of Public Safety - Texas Rangers

State patrol

Your crash report

How to get your Big Spring crash report

Where to request it: https://cris.dot.state.tx.us/public/Purchase/app/home

Venue

Courts that hear Howard County civil cases

Howard County District Courts

General civil claims

Howard County Court at Law

Smaller civil claims

Local factors

What matters most for a Big Spring claim

Big Spring is a city of 22,541 people, so a lot of claim logistics point to Howard County rather than to a large city system. You may deal with the Big Spring Police Department for a city crash, the Howard County Sheriff's Office for county-area incidents, and Howard County District Courts or the Howard County Court at Law if a lawsuit is filed.

Where the crash happened matters more than where you live. If you live in Big Spring but were injured on a commute outside the city, the responding agency, the crash report, and the court can all change based on that location. In Texas, crash reports are purchased through the TxDOT CRIS portal, and the page's Texas law sections already cover the statewide fault and deadline rules that still apply.

For local context, Howard County recorded 10 fatal crashes and 11 fatalities in 2023 according to the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System national file. That does not tell you how any one claim will turn out, but it is a reminder to identify the correct agency early: Big Spring Police Department in town, the Howard County Sheriff's Office in county areas, or Texas Department of Public Safety when the roadway and investigation fall under state involvement.

Texas law

How fault is allocated in Texas

Texas follows modified comparative negligence with a 50% bar. Below that line your recovery is reduced in proportion to your fault. Above it, you recover nothing at all, which makes the fault allocation the central dispute in most contested claims.

As an example, a $100,000 claim in which you are found 20% responsible would yield $80,000. The same claim with 51% responsibility attributed to you would yield nothing, because Texas bars recovery above 50%.

Deadlines

Texas filing deadlines

Missing a deadline generally ends a claim regardless of how strong it is. Government claims are on a much shorter clock than ordinary claims.

2 years

Personal injury

2 years

Wrongful death

6 months

Claim against a government agency

Reviewed 2026-07-29. Not yet reviewed by a licensed attorney. This is general information, not legal advice.

Case types

Claims we can estimate in Big Spring

Auto accident Personal injury Medical malpractice Workplace injury Product liability Wrongful death

Local questions

Big Spring questions

Inside the city, that is often the Big Spring Police Department. Outside city limits in Howard County, it may be the Howard County Sheriff's Office. Some crashes can also involve the Texas Department of Public Safety, depending on the roadway and investigation.

Transparency

Sources and review dates

Every figure on this page traces to one of the sources below. Geography and population come from the U.S. Census Bureau.

U.S. Census Bureau — Big Spring place GEOID 4808236, population 22,541 (2024 Population Estimates), land area 19.138 sq mi (2023 Gazetteer).
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2023 national file · reviewed 2026-07-30
HIFLD Local Law Enforcement Locations, derived from the BJS Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies (2008), imagery-validated to 2018 · reviewed 2026-07-30
Texas Judicial Branch — Court Structure of Texas · reviewed 2026-07-30
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003 — Two-year limitations period · reviewed 2026-07-29
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ch. 33 — Proportionate responsibility · reviewed 2026-07-29
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.101 — Tort Claims Act notice · reviewed 2026-07-29
Tex. Transp. Code § 601.072 — Minimum financial responsibility amounts · reviewed 2026-07-29
Texas Department of Insurance — Auto insurance guide · reviewed 2026-07-29
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 74.301 — Limitation on noneconomic damages · reviewed 2026-07-29
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.008 — Limitation on amount of recovery · reviewed 2026-07-29
Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.023 — Limitation on amount of liability · reviewed 2026-07-29

About this page

State law on this page was last reviewed 2026-07-29 and has not been reviewed by a licensed attorney. It is general information, not legal advice for your situation.

Local commentary on this page was prepared 2026-07-31 and checked automatically against the sources cited on this page. It has not been individually reviewed by a person.

We do not publish attorney profiles or rankings, and nothing on this page recommends or endorses any attorney. CaseValuation.com is operated by LuxeLaw LLC, which is not a law firm.

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