If you’re wondering if it’s worth getting an attorney for a car accident in Texas, the answer is usually yes.
A car accident lawyer in Texas can make a big difference in your case by handling the legal process, negotiating with insurance companies and providing legal support.
In cases of serious injuries, disputed liability, or lowball offers, it’s important to get a lawyer to get fair compensation and representation.
While getting a lawyer means legal fees and time, the benefits of expertise in personal injury law, maximizing your compensation, and handling all the legal work often outweigh the drawbacks.
Why You Need Legal Representation After a Car Accident
The days right after a car accident can feel impossible. You’re dealing with pain, shock, medical appointments, and financial stress, while the insurance company is already working to limit what they pay you.
Here’s what we do from the moment you hire us. We start gathering evidence fast: police reports, photos, witness statements, surveillance footage, and your medical records. Then we contact the insurance company directly, so they stop reaching out to you. From that point forward, every communication goes through us.
We track every dollar of your damages — medical bills, lost income, and how your injury is affecting your daily life. We push hard to resolve your case without a lawsuit, but only when the offer is genuinely fair. If the insurer denies responsibility, delays, or refuses to negotiate in good faith, we don’t hesitate to file and to take your case all the way to trial.
Throughout the entire process, you’ll have a clear plan and regular updates. No wondering where things stand. No silence. No surprises.
Contact our Abilene car accident lawyer today for a free consultation and guidance on next steps
Texas Car Accident Laws
Texas has specific laws that directly affect how much you can recover after a car accident — and most people don’t know about them until it’s too late.
The 2-year filing deadline
Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003, you have two years from the date of your accident to file a personal injury claim. Miss that window, and you lose your right to compensation — no matter how serious your injuries are.
Minimum insurance limits and why they’re not enough
Here’s something most accident victims don’t know until they’re deep into the claims process: Texas only requires drivers to carry minimum liability limits of $30,000 per person for bodily injury, $60,000 per accident total, and $25,000 for property damage — commonly written as 30/60/25.
Those limits disappear quickly. A single emergency room visit, diagnostic imaging, and a few weeks of physical therapy can exhaust that $30,000 fast. If more than one person was hurt in the same crash, that $60,000 cap has to be split among everyone.
Part of our job is identifying every available source of coverage not just the at-fault driver’s liability policy and making sure your damages are built correctly from day one.
Modified comparative fault
Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 33.001. If you’re found more than 50% responsible for the accident, you cannot recover anything. If you’re found partially at fault — say, 20% — your compensation is reduced by that same percentage. How fault is established early in the case matters enormously.
Help with Insurance Claims
Insurance adjusters are trained to protect their company’s bottom line — not yours. The moment a claim is filed, their job is to pay out as little as possible.
That means recorded statements taken out of context. Quick settlement offers made before you know the full extent of your injuries. Calculated delays designed to wear you down. We’ve seen every one of these tactics and we know exactly how to respond.
When you hire us, we take over all communication with the insurance company immediately. They stop calling you. Every conversation goes through us.
We evaluate every offer against the full picture of your losses: current and future medical bills, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, and the long-term impact on your quality of life. A check that looks significant in the moment can fall far short of covering what’s ahead.
Here’s something many accident victims don’t realize until it’s too late: even your own insurance company may not be on your side. Texas law requires uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) to be offered with every auto policy, but collecting on it requires the same fight. We pursue every available source of compensation — and we don’t stop until we’ve identified them all.
Additional reading: how much can someone sue for a car accident
A check that looks significant today can fall far short of what's still ahead.
Mistakes to Avoid Without a Lawyer
Some mistakes after a car accident can’t be undone. These are the ones we see most often.
Accepting the first offer
Insurance companies count on you being stressed, injured, and facing mounting bills. Their first offer is rarely their best. Accepting before the full scope of your injuries is known can permanently leave thousands of dollars off the table.
Settling too soon
Some injuries — whiplash, nerve damage, traumatic brain injuries — take weeks or months to fully surface. Signing a settlement before reaching maximum medical improvement means giving up your right to compensation for future treatment and long-term limitations.
Giving a recorded statement without counsel
Insurance adjusters often request a recorded statement shortly after the accident, framing it as routine. It isn’t. The questions are designed to get you to say something that minimizes your injury or shifts blame onto you. Don’t do it without talking to us first.
Missing the 14-day PIP window
If you carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) on your policy, Texas requires you to seek medical treatment within 14 days of the accident to access those benefits. Many people don’t know this rule exists until they’ve already lost access to those funds.
💡 Hypothetical scenario Imagine you’re rear-ended on I-20 near Midland. You feel okay at the scene, so you decline emergency care. Two weeks later, neck and back pain has gotten significantly worse. Your insurance company calls and offers $3,500 to settle. You accept — but a month later your doctor recommends surgery. By then, you’ve already signed away your right to further compensation, and your 14-day PIP window has long since closed. An attorney helps you avoid every one of these traps before they cost you. |
Getting us involved early means we’re collecting dashcam footage, witness contact information, crash photos, and medical records from day one — before that evidence disappears.
Getting the Compensation You Deserve
Our goal is not only to help you get your life back on track and to hold the guilty parties liable but to maximize your payout value.
To get a feel for how much your car accident compensation could be, use our car accident calculator below!
Disclaimer: The estimated payout our calculator will create is purely for guidance only and does not guarantee your compensation, nor is it a substitute for legal advice. It provides an estimate only and doesn’t take into account the specifics of your case.
Selected Value: 0%
For more tailored advice relating to your accident, reach out to us today!
When to Definitely Get a Car Accident Lawyer
While getting a car accident lawyer is good, there are situations where it’s absolutely necessary.
Serious Injuries or Death
When a car accident leaves someone with serious injuries — or costs someone their life — the legal and financial stakes are unlike anything else.
Injuries that often require long-term or permanent care include:
- Brain or spinal cord damage
- Broken bones requiring surgery or ongoing rehabilitation
- Internal injuries
- Severe burns
Supporting a serious injury claim takes far more than a hospital discharge summary. We connect our clients with qualified medical professionals, make sure every record is preserved and properly organized, and arrange independent medical exams when the other side tries to downplay the severity of your injuries.
⚖ Hypothetical scenario Consider a head-on collision on a rural stretch of US Highway 87 south of San Angelo. The driver sustains a traumatic brain injury and is unable to return to their previous work. The at-fault driver’s insurer offers $75,000 — a figure that sounds significant but covers barely two years of lost wages, let alone a lifetime of medical care and diminished capacity. An attorney experienced in serious injury cases would fight for a settlement or verdict that accounts for the full picture — not just the immediate bills. |
These cases require attorneys who have been to trial. Our team has handled over 500 jury trials across West Texas — including catastrophic injury cases.
Disputed Liability
Under Texas’s modified comparative fault rules, the other side has every financial incentive to put some of the blame on you. Even a finding of 20% fault reduces your recovery by 20%. A finding of 51% wipes it out entirely.
When liability is disputed, we build the case that the other driver was negligent. That means gathering physical evidence, working with accident reconstruction specialists, reviewing traffic and surveillance footage, and taking depositions when necessary. We don’t let insurance companies rewrite what happened at the scene.
Additional reading: should I get a lawyer for a minor car accident in Texas
Lowball Offers
The first offer from an insurance company is almost never their best offer. It’s an opening move designed to close your case cheaply before you understand what it’s actually worth.
Keep this in mind: Texas’s minimum liability limit is only $30,000 per person for bodily injury. Many accident victims assume far more coverage exists than there actually is. Once you understand the real policy limits and the full value of your damages the math changes completely.
We negotiate on your behalf with a full picture of all costs at stake: current and future medical treatment, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and pain and suffering. And if the insurer won’t move to a fair number, we take the case to trial. We’ve done it hundreds of times and we’re not afraid to do it again.
Find out how a Midland car accident lawyer from Keith & Lorfing can help you today via a free initial case evaluation
Why Get a Car Accident Lawyer
Hiring a lawyer after a car accident isn’t just about having someone in your corner — it changes your outcome in real, measurable ways.
Expertise in Personal Injury Law
Personal injury law in Texas is detailed and unforgiving. Miss a deadline, misread a rule, or say the wrong thing to an adjuster and it can cost you your entire claim.
Our attorneys bring decades of combined experience in Texas personal injury law. Russell Lorfing spent years as a federal and state prosecutor before returning to West Texas to fight for people like you. That background means we understand exactly how the other side builds its case and how to take it apart.
Get You More Money
A big benefit of getting a car accident lawyer is that they can get you more money. Lawyers help by calculating total losses including emotional costs, lost wages and future earnings. They make sure all factors surrounding the accident are considered to get the highest possible settlement.
By contesting lowball offers and knowing the total value of the claim including future medical bills and lost wages, our lawyers can get you what you deserve.
Handle all Legal Processes
From the moment you hire us, you stop dealing with insurance companies, adjusters, and opposing counsel. We handle all of it.
We gather evidence, manage every communication, file the necessary paperwork, and respond to whatever the other side throws at us. You focus on getting better. We focus on getting you what you deserve.
What to Watch Out For
While there are many benefits to getting a car accident lawyer, you should also consider the drawbacks. These include the cost of legal fees and the length of the process. Knowing these factors will help you decide if you need legal help.
Cost of Legal Fees
We work on a contingency fee basis — meaning you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.
Our fees, typically between 30% and 40% of the recovery, are discussed with you in full before you sign anything. In some cases, we also advance the costs of building your case — investigation, expert witnesses, court filings — and those costs are recovered from the settlement or award. No hidden charges. No surprises.
Note: At Keith & Lorfing, our fees are explained to every client in full before a single document is signed. If you have questions about fees at any point, that’s always the first conversation we’ll have.
Additional Reading: how much does a personal injury lawyer cost?
Length of Process
Some cases settle in a matter of months. Others, especially those involving serious injuries, disputed liability, or uncooperative insurers take longer. There’s no honest way to promise a quick resolution.
What we can promise is that we move with urgency. We gather evidence fast, we don’t let deadlines slip, and when the other side stalls, we push back hard. If a case needs to go to trial to get you what you’re owed, we take it there and we have the 500+ jury trial record to back that up.
What to Do Immediately After a Car Accident
Taking action immediately after a car accident is important for your safety and the strength of your claim. Here are the core steps you should take:
1. Gather Evidence at the Scene
Take photos and video of both vehicles, road conditions, traffic signs, skid marks, and any visible injuries. Video captures details that still photos often miss — angles, distances, the full scene. Collect the name and contact information of every witness. Write down your own account of what happened as soon as you can, while the details are still clear.
Let our San Angelo car accident lawyers take the burden away from you so you can focus on your recovery
2. Get Medical Attention
Getting medical attention immediately after a car accident is important, even if injuries seem minor. Medical care right away can detect life-threatening injuries like internal bleeding and uncover hidden injuries that may not be apparent at first.
Medical records from the day of the accident are one of the most important pieces of evidence in a personal injury claim.
If you carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) on your policy, Texas requires you to seek treatment within 14 days of the accident to access those benefits. Don’t let that window close.
3. File a Police Report
Call 911 at the scene. A police report creates an official record and is usually required to begin the insurance claim process. In Texas, you’re required to report any accident involving injury, death, or more than $1,000 in property damage to TxDOT.
After the accident, follow these steps:
- Call 911 and get police assistance as soon as possible. File the report right away.
- If there are injuries, get medical aid, too.
- Notify your insurance company as soon as possible to start the claim process.
Additional Reading : How many days do you have to file a police report after an accident
4. Call us before you speak to the insurance company
Before giving any recorded statement, signing anything, or accepting any offer — call us first. A conversation with our team costs you nothing, and it could protect everything.
Let our San Angelo car accident lawyers take the burden away from you so you can focus on your recovery.
Choose the Right Car Accident Lawyer
Not all personal injury attorneys are equally equipped for your case. Here’s what actually matters.
Courtroom Experience — not just settlement ability
Most personal injury cases settle. But if yours doesn’t or if the only path to a fair outcome runs through a courtroom you need an attorney who isn’t afraid of a trial.
Our team has handled over 500 jury trials across West Texas. Criminal cases, civil cases, federal cases. The experience we bring to each personal injury matter reflects everything we’ve learned across all of them. When you’re comparing attorneys, ask directly: how many of your cases have gone to trial? That answer tells you a lot.
Deep roots in West Texas courts
There’s a difference between a lawyer who practices in West Texas and one who actually knows it. Our former law partners are now sitting judges and elected district attorneys across the region.
When we walk into a courtroom in Midland, Lubbock, San Angelo, or Abilene, we know the local rules, the local expectations, and the people involved. That knowledge isn’t something a firm based in Dallas or Houston can replicate.
Client Reviews and Testimonials
Read what our clients say. Look for consistency across platforms not just a handful of five-star reviews, but a repeated pattern of clients who felt informed, heard, and well-represented throughout their case.
Russell Lorfing is regularly praised for being personally accessible and keeping clients updated at every step.
Initial Consultation
We offer free consultations. That first conversation is your chance to ask us anything — about our experience, our fee structure, and what we honestly think about your situation. We give straight answers.
Call us at 325-480-8100 to get started.
Keith & Lorfing: Your West Texas Car Accident Lawyers
With over 150 years of experience combined, Keith & Lorfing was built for one purpose: to level the playing field for hard-working West Texans.
We don’t represent insurance companies. We don’t represent corporations. We represent people — the kind who work hard, take care of their families, and deserve a real fighting chance when someone else’s negligence turns their life upside down.
Our Mission and Values
Our fathers and grandfathers were mechanics, laborers, and enlisted military. We know what it costs to work for every dollar and what it means when someone takes that away through recklessness or negligence.
Every decision we make — every case we take, every motion we file, every trial we step into — is driven by one goal: making sure working-class Texans get the same quality of legal representation that wealthy clients and corporations take for granted.
We go up against billion-dollar insurance companies every day. And when a case needs to go to trial to get our clients what they’re owed, we go.
Russell Lorfing
Managing partner Russell Lorfing didn’t grow up with privilege. He grew up seeing the effects of poverty and the criminal justice system firsthand — which drove him to become the first in his family to graduate college. He earned his Juris Doctor from St. Mary’s School of Law with a concentration in criminal law, then served as a federal prosecutor in Lubbock.
That background — understanding how powerful institutions operate against individuals — shapes how we fight for every client. Russell has handled hundreds of cases, dozens as lead counsel in complex jury trials. He is recognized by peers and clients for his preparation, his accessibility, and his refusal to back down.
If you’ve been in an accident, contact Keith & Lorfing today and you’ll see the difference.
Conclusion
If you’ve been injured in a car accident in Texas, the insurance company is already working its side of the case. The question is: who’s working yours?
Hiring an attorney with real courtroom experience makes a measurable difference in what you recover. It means your rights are protected, every dollar of your damages is accounted for, and the other side knows they’re facing lawyers who aren’t afraid of a fight.
The insurance company is already working its side of the case. The only question that matters is who's working yours.
At Keith & Lorfing, that’s exactly who we are. Former prosecutors. West Texas natives. Trial lawyers with over 500 jury trials between us.
Call us today at 325-480-8100. Your consultation is free, and there’s no obligation.
