Why Does Texas I-10 Have So Many Fatal Accidents?
Interstate 10 in Texas has so many fatal car and truck accidents because its nearly 880-mile route combines 80 mph speed limits, heavy 18-wheeler traffic, long drives to trauma care and crowded work zones. Families who lose someone on I-10 can hold the at-fault driver or trucking company responsible through a Texas wrongful death claim.
These risks turn ordinary mistakes, like a drowsy lane drift, into high-speed crashes that people often do not survive.
How many people die in crashes on I-10 in Texas?
In 2024, 138 people died in crashes on Texas I-10, the second-highest toll of any road in the state. That count comes from a study of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data reported by the San Antonio Current. From 2018 through 2022, I-10 logged 667 deaths, more than any other Texas road, partly because its run from Anthony to Orange is the longest single-state stretch of any U.S. interstate.
Three urban I-10 segments ranked among the 150 deadliest U.S. roads from 2019 to 2023, based on NHTSA fatal crash data.
| Texas I-10 segment | Fatal crashes, 2019-2023 | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| Harris County (Houston) | 76 | 22nd |
| El Paso County | 69 | 32nd |
| Jefferson County (Beaumont) | 42 | 141st |
Statewide, Texas has not had a day without a traffic death since Nov. 7, 2000. In 2025, 3,769 people died on Texas roads, according to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
What makes I-10 so deadly?
I-10 is deadly because five risks stack up on one road: high speed limits, distance from trauma care, heavy truck traffic, impaired drivers and construction.
Speed limits up to 80 mph
High speed limits make I-10 crashes deadlier because much of the highway west of Kerrville is posted at 80 mph. House Bill 1353, a 2011 Texas law, also ended the lower limits for trucks and nighttime driving. Crash energy grows with the square of speed, so an 80 mph impact carries about 31 percent more energy than one at 70 mph.
Long distances to trauma care
Rural I-10 crashes turn fatal more often because the nearest Level I trauma center, a hospital with trauma surgeons on duty around the clock, can be hours away. University Medical Center of El Paso is the only one within about 270 miles of that city. Heading east, the next ones on I-10 are in San Antonio.
Heavy 18-wheeler traffic
Trucks raise the death toll because a loaded tractor-trailer can weigh 80,000 pounds, about 20 times as much as a typical car. One I-10 segment near downtown El Paso carried about 12,500 trucks a day in 2019, according to the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization. See our guide to Texas I-10 truck accident claims.
Drunk, drowsy and wrong-way drivers
Drunk, drowsy and wrong-way drivers cause many of the worst I-10 crashes because they drift across lanes or hit oncoming traffic at full speed. In 2025, 906 people died in Texas crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver, 24 percent of all traffic deaths. A 2022 TxDOT research statement counted about 450 wrong-way driving events a year on San Antonio freeways.
Work zones and crowded city stretches
Work zones and crowded city stretches make I-10 deadlier because they add lane shifts and sudden stops to high-speed traffic. Texas work zones saw more than 28,000 crashes and 203 deaths in 2025. In San Antonio, TxDOT’s $1.4 billion Loop 1604 North Expansion has kept the I-10 and Loop 1604 interchange under construction for years.
What should families do after a fatal I-10 crash?
Families should act quickly, because most Texas wrongful death claims must be filed within two years of the death under Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003. A wrongful death claim is a civil case that lets close family recover damages when someone’s negligence caused the death. Under § 71.004, the surviving spouse, children and parents can bring the claim.
The first steps after a fatal car accident on I-10 are listed below.
- Order the Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report (Form CR-3) through TxDOT’s Crash Report Online Purchase System.
- Keep the vehicle, photos, medical bills and funeral receipts.
- Decline recorded statements to the at-fault driver’s insurer.
- Have a lawyer send preservation letters, formal demands to save dashcam video and the truck’s engine control module (“black box”) data.
Our San Antonio car accident lawyers can handle each step for you. Call (210) 272-0101 to talk to an attorney today.
How does JRE Injury Law help after a deadly I-10 crash?
JRE Injury Law helps families after deadly I-10 crashes by investigating the wreck, handling every insurer and preparing the case for trial. Joseph R. Echavarria, a former Bexar County prosecutor, has recovered tens of millions of dollars for injured clients.
Our trial bench includes Ethan L. Shaw, Of Counsel to JRE Injury Law and a partner at Shaw Cowart, LLP. Mr. Shaw is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law and Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He was lead counsel in Youngblood v. Fell, a wrongful death case over a four-fatality rental-truck crash that ended in a confidential settlement.
Clients rate our San Antonio personal injury lawyers 5.0 stars across 343 Google reviews. Consultations are free, and you pay nothing unless you win. Call (210) 272-0101 today.
Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome. Every case is different and depends on its own facts.
