Amputation injury in El Paso: care, who pays and the deadlines to keep in mind

After an amputation injury in El Paso, call 911 and say where the severed part is, since reattachment is sometimes possible. University Medical Center is the city's Level 1 trauma center. If it happened at work, your employer must report it to OSHA within 24 hours. A lawsuit over an El Paso amputation generally must be filed within 2 years.

Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (38)

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Road map of El Paso showing North Mesa Street, where OSHA's El Paso Area Office handles work amputation reports
Prosthetic fitting often waits until the wound is mostly healed. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Where do I go right after an amputation injury in El Paso?

Call 911. Tell the crew where the severed part is. A part sometimes can be reattached. University Medical Center of El Paso is a Level 1 trauma center, with a main number of (915) 544-1200.

Texas Tech Physicians' plastic surgeons list lower extremity reconstruction among their care. Ask your surgeon what is possible, and when. Do not feel rushed into a decision you do not understand.

What does recovery look like after limb loss?

Sadness, anger and frustration are common. You may also feel as if the limb is still there. Tell your El Paso care team about both. A prosthesis fitting may happen once the wound is mostly healed.

Most people can stay active after limb loss, but it takes therapy and time. Keep every rehab record from your El Paso providers. They show what your recovery really costs.

What do an amputation and a prosthesis cost?

No one can give a fair El Paso number for your case. One national study of severe leg injuries, in 2002 dollars, projected lifetime health-care costs of $509,275 for patients who had an amputation, compared with $163,282 for those treated with reconstruction. Over two years, the cost was $91,106 for amputation and $81,316 for reconstruction.

Those are old averages, not El Paso figures and not promises. If you are on Medicare, Part B covers prosthetic devices when a provider orders them, and you pay 20 percent of the approved amount after the deductible. Medicare gets repaid out of a settlement, so tell your lawyer if it paid any bills.

Who pays after an amputation in El Paso?

How it happenedWho may payWhat to know
At workWorkers' comp, or the employer if it chose not to carry itTexas pays lifetime income benefits for loss of both feet at or above the ankle, or one foot and one hand. Tell your employer in 30 days
At a job with no compA lawsuit against the employerThe employer cannot blame your negligence
In a crashThe other driver's insurer, your own coverageThe minimum liability is $30,000 per person. Your uninsured motorist coverage can help
By a City of El Paso vehicle or Sun Metro busThe city, up to $250,000 per personSworn notice in 90 days. Sun Metro is a city department
By an Army vehicleThe federal governmentFile Standard Form 95 with the claims office closest to the injury

For work amputations, the OSHA area office for El Paso is in Suite 200 at 4849 North Mesa, phone (915) 534-6251. Federal OSHA says the employer must report an amputation or in-patient hospitalization within 24 hours.

What can I claim besides medical bills for an amputation in Texas?

  • Pain, mental anguish, disfigurement and physical impairment. Texas lists them separately.
  • A physical impairment claim must show an effect that is substantial and reaches past the pain, mental anguish and lost pay already listed.
  • Lost pay, shown as a net loss after income tax.
  • Medical bills, limited to what was actually paid or owed.

The deadline is generally 2 years. If more than one person caused the harm, a Texas defendant usually pays only its percentage. More than 50 percent fault on your side ends the claim.

Questions

How long do I have to file after an amputation in El Paso?

Generally 2 years to sue. A government claim is much shorter: 90 days for the City of El Paso.

Can my family claim for what we are going through?

Texas lists mental anguish and loss of consortium among noneconomic damages. A lawyer can tell you who may claim in your case.

What if my employer has no workers' comp?

Ask the state to check; it answers within one business day. You may be able to sue the employer.

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Sources (38)

  1. MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “the part sometimes can be reattached”
  2. UMC El Paso, 2024 Annual Report, checked 2026-11-08. “UMC Receives Reverification as Level 1 Trauma Center”
  3. OSHA, checked 2026-11-09. “An in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or eye loss must be reported within 24 hours.”
  4. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  5. MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Sadness, anger, and frustration are common.”
  6. U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA Texas Area Offices, checked 2026-11-08. “4849 N. Mesa, Suite 200 El Paso, TX 79912-5936”
  7. Medicare.gov, checked 2026-11-09. “Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers prosthetic devices when a doctor or other health care provider orders them”
  8. Medicare.gov, checked 2026-11-09. “you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount”
  9. City of El Paso City Attorney, Filing a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “shall within 90 days or within 6 months for good cause shown from the date the damage occurred or the injury was received, give notice in writing to the mayor”
  10. City of El Paso City Attorney, Filing a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “shall be sworn to by the person claiming damages or by someone authorized by him to do so on his behalf”
  11. Sun Metro Suspension of Service Policy, checked 2026-11-08. “the City of El Paso's Mass Transit Department (Sun Metro)”
  12. University Medical Center of El Paso, checked 2026-11-08. “Main Number: (915) 544-1200”
  13. Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso, Plastic Surgery, checked 2026-11-09. “lower extremity reconstruction, scar revision”
  14. MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “you may feel as if the limb is still there”
  15. MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Fitting for a prosthesis, a manmade part to replace your limb, may occur when your wound is mostly healed and the surrounding area is no longer tender to the touch.”
  16. MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Most people can still be active following amputation.”
  17. PubMed (NIH), MacKenzie et al., J Bone Joint Surg Am 2007, checked 2026-11-09. “The projected lifetime health-care cost for the patients who had undergone amputation was three times higher than that for those treated with reconstruction ($509,275 and $163,282, respectively).”
  18. PubMed (NIH), MacKenzie et al., J Bone Joint Surg Am 2007, checked 2026-11-09. “$81,316 for patients treated with reconstruction and $91,106 for patients treated with amputation”
  19. CMS, checked 2026-11-09. “it must be repaid to Medicare when a settlement, judgment, award, or other payment is made”
  20. Texas Department of Insurance, checked 2026-11-09. “In Texas, private employers can choose to carry workers' compensation insurance coverage (subscribers), but it is not required in most cases.”
  21. Texas Labor Code § 408.161, checked 2026-11-09. “loss of both feet at or above the ankle”
  22. Texas Labor Code § 408.161, checked 2026-11-09. “loss of one foot at or above the ankle and the loss of one hand at or above the wrist”
  23. Texas Labor Code 409.001, checked 2026-11-09. “not later than the 30th day after the date on which”
  24. Texas Labor Code 406.033, checked 2026-11-09. “the employee was guilty of contributory negligence”
  25. Texas Transportation Code 601.072, checked 2026-11-09. “$30,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person in one collision”
  26. Texas Insurance Code 1952.101, checked 2026-11-09. “protects insureds who are legally entitled to recover from owners or operators of uninsured or underinsured motor vehicles”
  27. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.023, checked 2026-11-09. “Liability of a municipality under this chapter is limited to money damages in a maximum amount of $250,000 for each person”
  28. U.S. Army, Filing a Tort Claim, checked 2026-11-09. “Claims should be filed on a Standard Form 95”
  29. U.S. Army, Filing a Tort Claim, checked 2026-11-09. “contact the claims office at the installation or medical center closest”
  30. OSHA, Texas area offices, checked 2026-11-09. “El Paso Area Office U.S. Dept. of Labor - OSHA 4849 N. Mesa, Suite 200 El Paso, TX 79912-5936 (915) 534-6251”
  31. OSHA, 29 CFR 1904.39, checked 2026-11-09. “Within twenty-four (24) hours after the in-patient hospitalization of one or more employees or an employee's amputation”
  32. Texas Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.001(12), checked 2026-11-09. “physical pain and suffering, mental or emotional pain or anguish, loss of consortium, disfigurement, physical impairment”
  33. Golden Eagle Archery, Inc. v. Jackson, 116 S.W.3d 757 (Tex. 2003), checked 2026-11-09. “the effect of any physical impairment must be substantial and extend beyond any pain, suffering, mental anguish, lost wages or diminished earning capacity”
  34. Texas Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 18.091, checked 2026-11-09. “must be presented in the form of a net loss after reduction for income tax payments”
  35. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 41.0105, checked 2026-11-09. “recovery of medical or health care expenses incurred is limited to the amount actually paid or incurred by or on behalf of the claimant”
  36. Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code 33.013, checked 2026-11-09. “only for the percentage of the damages found by the trier of fact equal to that defendant's percentage of responsibility”
  37. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001, checked 2026-11-08. “a claimant may not recover damages if his percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent”
  38. Texas Department of Insurance, checked 2026-11-09. “A DWC representative will respond and provide coverage information within one business day.”

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