Kaylee Hottle sat in the passenger seat. She chose nothing about the speed, the road, or the moment the car left it. The 18-year-old actress, who played Jia in “Godzilla vs. Kong,” died after a fatal crash in Ijamsville, Maryland, on Tuesday, July 21, 2026.
The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office reported that a 19-year-old man drove a 1995 Honda Accord off a two-lane road and struck a culvert. Deputies said they believe excessive speed contributed. Investigators have not finished their work. According to multiple reports, the Maryland medical examiner cited multiple blunt force injuries and ruled the death an accident.`
Hottle, who was deaf, attended the Texas School for the Deaf as a senior. Her father announced her death in American Sign Language and said he was flying from Texas to bring her home.
Her loss raises a question Houston families face every week. What rights does a passenger have when someone else’s driving turns deadly? This article covers who may owe a passenger compensation, which insurance may pay, and how fast Texas deadlines arrive.
On This Page
- What Texas Crash Data Shows About Fatal Crash Risk
- Passengers Rarely Share the Blame
- Who May Owe a Passenger Compensation
- Texas Wrongful Death and Survival Claims
- Which Insurance Policies May Pay
- Evidence That Supports a Passenger’s Claim
- Texas Deadlines Arrive Faster Than Families Expect
- Questions Passengers and Families Ask
- Talk to a Houston Attorney After a Fatal Crash
What Texas Crash Data Shows About Fatal Crash Risk
Texas roads claimed 3,769 lives in 2025, according to Texas Department of Transportation figures published in April 2026. That total dropped 9.4% from the 4,159 deaths TxDOT recorded in 2024. The trend points the right direction. The daily toll still stuns.
Speed explains much of it. TxDOT reports that speeding contributed to more than 150,000 Texas crashes in 2025. Those wrecks killed 1,247 people and seriously injured 5,652 more. Speeding remains the leading factor in deadly Texas crashes.
Harris County carries the heaviest load in the state. Preliminary analyses of TxDOT records place the county above 500 traffic deaths in 2025. Houston itself accounted for roughly 300 of them.
These numbers matter to passengers for one blunt reason. A passenger cannot brake, steer, or slow the car down. Someone else decides, and the passenger absorbs the same forces.
Passengers Rarely Share the Blame
Texas follows a proportionate responsibility rule under Chapter 33 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code. A jury assigns each party a percentage of fault. A claimant who carries more than 50% of the blame recovers nothing.
That rule almost never hurts a passenger. Passengers do not choose speed, following distance, or lane position. In most Texas cases, a passenger’s share of responsibility sits at zero.
Insurance companies still look for arguments. Adjusters sometimes claim a passenger distracted the driver, skipped a seat belt, or knowingly rode with an impaired driver. Texas courts have allowed seat belt evidence since 2015. None of it excuses a driver who lost control.
Who May Owe a Passenger Compensation
Potentially liable parties may include several people or companies. More than one may share responsibility for the same wreck.
The Driver of the Vehicle You Rode In
A driver owes every occupant reasonable care. Speeding, drowsy driving, texting, impairment, and running off the road all breach that duty. The relationship does not change the analysis. A passenger may bring a claim against a friend, a sibling, or a parent. The driver’s liability insurer, not the driver personally, usually pays.
Another Driver
Many wrecks involve two vehicles and two mistakes. A passenger may pursue both drivers and both insurers. Texas allows a claim against each party whose negligence contributed.
The Vehicle’s Owner or an Employer
An owner who hands the keys to an unlicensed or visibly unfit driver may face a negligent entrustment claim. When a driver was working at the time, the employer may answer for the wreck. Commercial policies often carry far higher limits than personal auto coverage.
Roads, Parts, and Bars
Other defendants sometimes emerge. A government entity may answer for a dangerous roadway defect. A manufacturer may face a claim over a failed airbag, seat, tire, or roof. A Texas bar that served an obviously intoxicated patron may face a dram shop claim.
Texas Wrongful Death and Survival Claims
A fatal crash claim in Texas splits into two parts. Chapter 71 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code lets the surviving spouse, children, and parents file a wrongful death claim. Siblings cannot file, and neither can grandparents. They may seek lost financial support, lost inheritance, funeral costs, mental anguish, and lost companionship.
The estate holds a separate survival claim. That claim covers what the person endured before death, including medical bills and conscious pain. When a defendant acted with gross negligence, a jury may also award exemplary damages. Texas sets a high bar for that finding.
Which Insurance Policies May Pay
Texas requires only 30/60/25 liability coverage under Transportation Code §601.072. That means $30,000 for one person’s injuries and $60,000 for everyone hurt in the same wreck. A single night in a Houston trauma center can exhaust it.
Several other policies may fill the gap. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage often applies, and a passenger may tap a policy in their own household. Personal injury protection pays medical bills and part of lost wages regardless of fault. Texas insurers must offer at least $2,500 in PIP unless the customer rejects it in writing. An employer’s policy or an umbrella policy may also contribute.
Finding every available policy takes work. Insurers rarely volunteer coverage a family has not asked about.
Evidence That Supports a Passenger’s Claim
After a fatal crash, evidence disappears fast. Crews clear wreckage within hours. Businesses overwrite video within days. Memories blur. These items often decide a passenger’s case:
- The Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report (CR-3)
- Event data recorder downloads showing speed and braking
- Surveillance, dashcam, and traffic camera video
- Phone records, toxicology results, and bar receipts
- Complete medical records and bills
Injured passengers help their own case by seeking treatment right away. Gaps in care give adjusters an argument. Families should also avoid recorded statements until they talk with a lawyer.
Texas Deadlines Arrive Faster Than Families Expect
Texas generally gives an injured passenger two years to sue under Civil Practice and Remedies Code §16.003. A wrongful death claim generally runs two years from the date of death. Courts pause the clock for children until they turn 18.
Claims against a government entity move much faster. The Texas Tort Claims Act generally requires written notice within six months. The City of Houston’s charter cuts that to 90 days. Miss the notice window, and a court may bar the claim entirely.
Questions Passengers and Families Ask
Can I sue my friend who was driving?
Yes. Texas law lets a passenger pursue the driver’s liability insurance. The claim targets the policy, not the friendship, and the insurer defends and pays.
What if the driver had no insurance?
Uninsured motorist coverage may step in, and PIP may cover early medical bills. Other defendants may also exist, including a vehicle owner or an employer.
Does a criminal case decide my claim?
No. The two proceed separately. Prosecutors punish conduct, while a civil claim compensates a family. A passenger may recover even when the state files no charges.
Talk to a Houston Attorney After a Fatal Crash
A fatal crash tears a family apart in seconds. Grief arrives first. Then come the bills, the adjuster calls, the missed paychecks, and the pressure to sign something quickly. Nobody should face that alone, or learn about a missed deadline after the fact.
Hilda Sibrian has represented injured people and grieving families in Houston for more than 22 years. Our team investigates the wreck, locates every applicable policy, and preserves evidence before it vanishes. If you rode as a passenger, or lost someone who did, we can review what happened at no cost.
The Law Offices of Hilda Sibrian serve all of Houston and Texas, including Sugar Land, Missouri City, La Porte, Beaumont, Pasadena, The Woodlands, The Heights, Bellaire, Kingwood, Baytown and of course Houston proper.
Call the Law Offices of Hilda Sibrian today for a free consultation, or fill out our online contact form.
