El Paso Injury Resources
Everything in one place: the deadlines that control your case, how to get your crash report, what the insurance minimums actually cover, and plain-English answers to the legal terms being thrown at you. If you cannot find what you need, call or text (915) 400-9467. The consultation is free.
Start Here: Our Guides
- What to Do After a Car Accident in El Paso: A Step by Step Guide
- Frequently Asked Questions: fees, deadlines, case value, and what to expect.
- Our Practice Areas: from car and truck accidents to wrongful death.
Deadlines That Control Your Case
Miss the deadline and your claim is gone, no matter how strong it is. General statutes of limitations for personal injury:
- Texas: 2 years from the date of injury.
- New Mexico: 3 years from the date of injury.
- Arizona: 2 years from the date of injury.
Claims against a government entity, such as a city vehicle, a public bus, or a dangerous road condition, carry much shorter notice deadlines: 90 days under the New Mexico Tort Claims Act, and as little as a few months (sometimes less under city charters) for Texas governmental units. If a government defendant might be involved, call a lawyer immediately.
How to Get Your Crash Report
- Texas crashes: official Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Reports (CR-3) are available for purchase through the TxDOT Crash Records Information System (C.R.I.S.) online, typically within about 10 days of the crash.
- El Paso Police Department: reports for crashes worked by EPPD can also be obtained through the department’s records unit.
- New Mexico crashes: reports are available through the investigating agency or the state’s crash report retrieval system.
Hire us and you can skip this entirely. Obtaining and analyzing the crash report is one of the first things we do on every case, at no cost to you.
What the Insurance Minimums Really Mean
Minimum liability coverage by state (per person / per crash / property damage):
- Texas: $30,000 / $60,000 / $25,000
- New Mexico: $25,000 / $50,000 / $10,000
- Arizona: $25,000 / $50,000 / $15,000
One night in a trauma unit can exceed every one of these limits. That is why uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage on your own policy matters, and why we investigate every available policy in every case.
Key Terms, In Plain English
- Contingency fee: the lawyer is paid a percentage of the recovery. No recovery, no fee.
- Statute of limitations: the legal deadline to file your lawsuit.
- Comparative fault: the rule for dividing blame. Texas cuts off recovery if you are more than 50 percent at fault; New Mexico reduces your award by your percentage but never cuts it off.
- Damages: the money the law says you are owed, both economic (bills, lost wages) and non-economic (pain and suffering).
- Demand letter: the formal package your lawyer sends the insurer laying out liability, injuries, and the amount demanded.
- UM/UIM coverage: your own policy’s protection when the at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough.
- Subrogation: when your health insurer claims repayment out of your settlement. We negotiate these liens down so more of the recovery stays with you.
- Deposition: sworn out-of-court testimony taken during a lawsuit. We prepare you thoroughly before you ever sit for one.
The Most Important Resource: A Straight Answer
Guides and glossaries help, but nothing replaces an honest assessment of your specific case. Schedule a free consultation with Thomas Carter, or call or text (915) 400-9467 24/7. No fee unless we win.