El Paso Car Accident Lawyer Guide

Texas is a fault state, which means the driver who causes a crash is the one who owes for it. But Texas also builds one no-fault benefit into every auto policy sold here, and it is the most consistently overlooked money in an ordinary claim.

The Texas Department of Insurance puts it plainly: all auto policies in Texas include personal injury protection, and a driver who does not want it must tell the company in writing. That default matters, because it means the question is not whether you bought PIP but whether you signed something declining it.

Texas Department of Insurance consumer guidance on auto coverage. PIP is a first-party benefit, meaning it is claimed from your own insurer.

When the at-fault driver has no coverage that answers in Texas, the sequence is usually PIP first for immediate bills, then uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage for the rest. The underinsured motorist claim guide covers that second step, which runs against your own insurer and works differently from a claim against a stranger's.

One-third before a lawsuit is filed, roughly 40 percent after. Texas does not regulate those percentages for car accident cases, which makes them contract terms rather than rates, and which means the document is where the negotiation happens. Texas does require the contingent fee contract to be in writing and signed by both the attorney and the client.

Three lines are worth raising: the pre-suit percentage, the exact event that triggers the step-up, and whether case expenses are subtracted before or after the fee is calculated. One El Paso-specific question belongs beside them: does the fee apply to PIP benefits paid under your own policy, or only to the recovery from the other side? Get the answer in the contract rather than in conversation.

Net-to-you worked examples and the twelve consultation questions live on our Houston guide; the statewide statutory layer is on the Texas fees and rights guide.

The Texas should I get a lawyer guide works the decision through in detail, and the settle without a lawyer guide covers doing it yourself.

An estimate you built yourself is what turns a consultation into a comparison. It also tells you something practical here: whether your claim is one that PIP largely resolves, or one where a contested liability fight is worth funding.

Holding an offer? Test it against the is my settlement offer fair guide.

El Paso requires something most Texas cities do not: a sworn notice, meaning one signed in front of a notary rather than simply mailed. El Paso Municipal Code 3.28.010 sets the deadline at 90 days from the date the damage occurred or the injury was received, with an extension to six months where good cause is shown. Five steps:

Claims up to $20,000 go to an El Paso County justice court, which uses simplified rules designed for people without lawyers. Larger cases are filed with the El Paso County District Clerk at the County Courthouse, 500 East San Antonio Avenue. A case pleaded at $250,000 or less runs on the Texas expedited track, with a 180-day discovery period, 20 hours of depositions per side, and a ceiling on what can ultimately be recovered.

The Houston guide carries all seven, plus the settlement mill economics that explain them, on the Houston guide.

• License and public discipline: search at texasbar.com. Private discipline and pending complaints never appear.
• Board certification: tbls.org shows whether the attorney holds the Personal Injury Trial Law specialty.
• Language: ask whether the attorney who will handle your file speaks Spanish, not just the person answering the phone, and how often you will speak with that attorney directly.
• If the relationship has already broken down: the State Bar's Client-Attorney Assistance Program takes calls at 1-800-932-1900.

Source: TxDOT, Crashes and Injuries, Cities and Towns, calendar year 2024. El Paso recorded more crashes that year than either Fort Worth or Austin.

A copy runs $6 from the TxDOT purchase system, and $8 if you need it certified. The agency that worked the scene has ten days to file the report with the state. Note how it records the other driver's insurance, because a claim under your own uninsured motorist coverage will turn on it. The police report guide covers corrections.

En El Paso, dos documentos deciden casi todo después de un choque: su póliza de seguro y el contrato que firme con un abogado. Cuatro puntos concretos:

• Revise su hoja de declaraciones. Todas las pólizas de auto en Texas incluyen protección contra lesiones personales (PIP) a menos que usted la haya rechazado por escrito. Esa cobertura paga gastos médicos y parte del salario perdido sin importar quién tuvo la culpa.
• Busque también la cobertura de conductor sin seguro. Las aseguradoras de Texas deben ofrecerla, y usted la tiene a menos que la haya rechazado por escrito. Es la que responde cuando el otro conductor no tiene seguro válido en Texas.
• El contrato debe ser escrito y firmado por los dos. Lo exige el Código de Gobierno de Texas 82.065(a). Pida que le expliquen o traduzcan cada término antes de firmar, y pregunte si el porcentaje también se aplica a los beneficios de PIP de su propia póliza.
• Que lo contacten primero puede ser un delito. La ley de Texas trata como delito grave buscar clientes en persona, por llamada o por mensaje privado, y prohíbe la publicidad sobre una lesión durante los primeros 30 días tras el choque. Conserve la prueba y llame al 1-800-932-1900.