An El Paso personal injury lawyer handles the legal work after an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, including the loss of a loved one.
Zinda Law Group is a personal injury law firm with an El Paso office. Our law firm has El Paso pages on car accident cases, workplace accidents and wrongful death cases for El Paso families.
You pay nothing unless we win. Zinda Law Group offers a free consultation with an injury lawyer at our El Paso, TX office at (800) 863-5312.
Article summary
Key things to know
- A Texas personal injury lawsuit generally must be filed within two years after the cause of action accrues.
- A share of the fault reduces the damages, and a share above 50 percent bars recovery.
- Anyone hurt by the City of El Paso generally must give the mayor sworn written notice within 90 days.
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What an El Paso personal injury attorney does
An El Paso personal injury attorney investigates the accident, handles communication with the insurance companies and calculates the damages. A legal team will often gather evidence, such as the police report and statements from witnesses. Medical records show the harm and the medical treatment it required.
Insurance companies may ask for a recorded statement, and injury victims can talk to an attorney first. A law firm can deal with the insurance companies for personal injury clients and walk a family through the legal process. The client decides whether an offer is fair compensation. Crash photos and the names of witnesses help.
How fault works in an El Paso accident
When another person caused the accident through negligence, a victim can seek compensation even with a share of the fault. Negligence means a legal duty, a breach of that duty and damages the breach proximately caused. Texas calls the fault rule proportionate responsibility. Some workplace claims follow a different rule.
The damages are reduced by the victim’s percentage of responsibility. A victim whose share is greater than 50 percent cannot recover. Proving fault matters, and evidence can answer unfair blame.
What injury victims can recover in Texas
Texas law sorts compensation into two groups. Economic damages cover actual money losses, such as medical expenses and lost wages. Non economic damages cover losses with no bill, such as physical pain and mental anguish.
An El Paso case’s value depends on many factors: the medical bills, the lost wages, the proof of fault and the victim’s own share of responsibility.
A serious injury or other severe injuries can take months of treatment before their full cost is known.
Texas deadlines for an El Paso case
| Deadline | Texas rule |
|---|---|
| Personal injury lawsuit | Generally within two years of the day the claim accrues (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 16.003(a)) |
| Wrongful death lawsuit | Generally within two years of the death (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 16.003(b)) |
| City of El Paso notice for harm to a person | Generally within 90 days of the injury, or within six months for good cause shown (El Paso Municipal Code 3.28.010) |
| Tort Claims Act notice to another governmental unit | Generally within six months of the incident, and a city charter or ordinance can set a shorter period (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 101.101) |
Exceptions can change any of these El Paso deadlines.
Filing deadlines
Questions about how much time you have?
Cases that involve the city
A claim against the City of El Paso follows its own rules. The city’s code requires sworn written notice to the mayor. The charter allows a lawsuit only after the City Council fails to grant or act on the claim in time. State law limits how much a city can be made to pay on a claim under the Texas Tort Claims Act.
Where El Paso cases are heard
El Paso County also takes in Socorro and Horizon City. An injury lawsuit filed in El Paso County can be heard in a district court or a county court at law, both at the county courthouse at 500 E San Antonio. A justice court can hear many civil claims of up to $20,000, not counting interest.
The legal system moves at its own pace.
Wrongful death cases in El Paso
After a loved one’s wrongful death, Texas law gives the case to the surviving spouse, children and parents. The same modified comparative negligence rule generally applies after a death.
A family that has lost a loved one faces grief and bills together, and El Paso wrongful death lawyers can bring a wrongful death lawsuit seeking compensation for the family’s losses.
Personal injury cases our El Paso office handles
Car accident victims can ask an El Paso car accident lawyer to deal with the insurer and the crash report after a car accident. That includes a crash on Interstate 10, which runs east from El Paso to San Antonio and Houston. Texas does not require most private employers to carry workers’ compensation insurance. When an employer has no coverage, an El Paso workplace accident lawyer may sue that employer for the injured worker.
Our El Paso injury lawyers also represent clients in the cases below.
- On the road. Truck accidents, 18-wheeler accidents, bus accidents, motorcycle accidents, drunk driving accidents, pedestrian accidents, rideshare accidents, pizza delivery accidents, bicycle accidents
- Work and property. Construction accidents, oil field accidents, slip and fall injuries, gas explosions, burn injuries, defective products, hail damage claims
- Children and recreation. Child injuries, daycare injuries, drowning accidents, ATV accidents, boating accidents, ski accidents
- Other injuries. Dog bites, medical malpractice, spinal cord injuries, accidental shootings
More guides from our law firm
Our El Paso FAQs answer local car accident questions.
- El Paso questions. Accident report in El Paso, injured by an uninsured motorist, file a dog bite report, most dangerous roads, wait to file a lawsuit
- Claim basics. personal injury case, most common types of claims, filing a personal injury lawsuit, the settlement check
- Damages. The value of a claim, pain and suffering payments, medical bills during a case, special and general damages, property damage to a car
- Serious injuries. Traumatic brain injury claims, spinal injury lawyers, how PTSD affects claims
- Other topics. Texas animal control offices, gas industry explosion dangers
When you are ready
Talk through the next step.
A free consultation at our El Paso office
The first step is a free case evaluation, which can be requested online or by phone from our El Paso, TX office.
Researching local attorneys is an early step in hiring a lawyer. Anyone looking for an injury law firm in El Paso, TX can start there. Our Texas personal injury lawyers handle cases statewide, and Zinda Law Group’s personal injury lawyer team also works outside Texas. Our Irving injury lawyers page covers North Texas cases.
Once you hire us, our attorneys work to recover compensation while you and your family focus on treatment, whether you were hurt or lost a loved one.
Founder and CEO
John C. (Jack) Zinda
Jack founded Zinda Law Group and focuses his practice on catastrophic personal injury, 18-wheeler accidents and wrongful death.
