Broken bone in El Paso: when to call 911, who to notify and what you can recover
If you may have a broken hip, pelvis or upper leg, call 911. For any fracture, get care right away. If a city sidewalk or street broke your fall, report it to 311 and know the city's sworn notice is due within 90 days. A suit over a fracture from an El Paso fall or crash generally must be filed within 2 years.
Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (30)
When is a broken bone an emergency in El Paso?
- A suspected break in the hip, pelvis or upper leg: call 911.
- A bone through the skin, called an open fracture.
- Pain much higher than expected for the injury, which is a warning sign of compartment syndrome.
- A cast or bandage that is too tight, which can cause it.
If the pressure lasts long enough, the muscles may die and the arm or leg may no longer work. University Medical Center is El Paso's Level 1 trauma center. Call (915) 544-1200.
Who do I notify if a city street or sidewalk in El Paso caused my fall?
| Where you fell | Who to tell | Time limit |
|---|---|---|
| A pothole or crack on a city street | Report it online or through 311 | Sworn notice to the Mayor in 90 days |
| A sidewalk blocked by limbs or shrubs | 311. Owners must trim to leave at least eight feet of clearance | 2 years to sue a private owner |
| A state road | The state agency in charge | Notice in 6 months unless the government already knew |
| A store or private lot | The owner or manager | Generally 2 years to sue |
El Paso's 311 line runs Sunday through Thursday from 7 am to 11 pm, and Friday and Saturday from 7 am to 2 am. A 311 report is not a legal claim. It makes a record, and the sworn notice is still your job.
Does the City of El Paso owe me less care on a bad sidewalk?
Often, yes, but the bar is higher. A government owner owes less care than a store owes a customer, unless you paid to use the property. A City of El Paso claim is capped at $250,000 per person.
The charter adds a step. No suit can start unless the claim was first presented to the Council and the Council failed to act in time. Put the date, time and place, how you were hurt, witnesses and your doctors' names in your notice.
What can I recover for a broken bone in Texas?
- Medical bills. Only the amount actually paid or owed counts.
- Lost pay. It must be proved as a net loss after income tax.
- Pain, disfigurement and impairment. Texas lists them separately. For a broken bone, physical impairment counts only if its effect is substantial and goes beyond the pain and lost income you also claim.
- Future care. If a break went into a joint, the arthritis risk can rise more than 20-fold.
A hospital lien only attaches if you were admitted within 72 hours.
How often are people on foot badly hurt in El Paso crashes?
More than their share. People walking were 3.78% of all crashes but 21% of the ones with a death or severe injury. About 68% of fatal and serious walking and biking crashes happened on 5% of the city's local streets. If you were hit while walking, keep every record, including the report and each doctor's note.
Questions
How long do I have to sue for a broken bone in El Paso?
Generally 2 years. If a city vehicle or property is involved, the sworn notice comes first and is due in 90 days.
What if I was partly to blame for my fall?
In an El Paso fall claim, being more than 50 percent at fault means you recover nothing. Otherwise your award is reduced by your share.
Does my child's broken bone have a different deadline?
Time as a minor does not count against the lawsuit deadline. The city's 90-day notice rule still applies, so act early.
Broken bones in El Paso? See if you are owed money.
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See if I’m owed moneySources (30)
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “There is a suspected broken bone in the hip, pelvis, or upper leg.”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “it's important to get medical care right away if you think you have a fracture”
- City of El Paso, Streets and Maintenance FAQs, checked 2026-11-08. “If you spot a pothole, cracks, or other damage on any city street surface, you may report it online or by calling us at 3-1-1.”
- 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”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Pain that is much higher than expected with the injury”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “A cast or bandage that is too tight”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “If the pressure lasts long enough, the muscles may die and the arm or leg will no longer work.”
- City of El Paso, Streets and Maintenance FAQs, checked 2026-11-08. “Reports of tree limbs or shrubs blocking a sidewalk should be reported by calling 3-1-1.”
- 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”
- PubMed Central (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “articular fractures can increase the risk more than 20-fold”
- MedlinePlus (NIH), checked 2026-11-09. “Whether the bone breaks through the skin; if it does, it's called an open (or compound) fracture.”
- UMC El Paso, 2024 Annual Report, checked 2026-11-08. “UMC Receives Reverification as Level 1 Trauma Center”
- University Medical Center of El Paso, checked 2026-11-08. “Main Number: (915) 544-1200”
- City of El Paso, Code Enforcement, checked 2026-11-08. “there is at least eight feet of clearance between their overhang and the sidewalk”
- Texas Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 101.101, checked 2026-11-09. “not later than six months after the day that the incident giving rise to the claim occurred”
- City of El Paso, 311, checked 2026-11-08. “Sunday - Thursday 7:00 am to 11:00 pm Friday - Saturday 7:00 am to 2:00 am”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.022(a), checked 2026-11-08. “if a claim arises from a premise defect, the governmental unit owes to the claimant only the duty that a private person owes to a licensee on private property, unless the claimant pays for the use of the premises.”
- 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”
- City of El Paso City Attorney, Filing a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “no suit shall be instituted against the City unless the claimant shall aver and prove that, previous to filing the original petition, the claim was presented to the Council”
- City of El Paso City Attorney, Filing a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “the name of the doctors, if any, to whose care the injured person is committed”
- 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”
- 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”
- 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”
- 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”
- Tex. Prop. Code § 55.002, checked 2026-11-09. “For the lien to attach, the individual must be admitted to a hospital not later than 72 hours after the accident.”
- City of El Paso, Vision Zero Action Plan (June 2023), checked 2026-11-08. “Pedestrians make up only 3.78% of all crashes, but of KSI crashes 21%”
- City of El Paso, Vision Zero Action Plan (June 2023), checked 2026-11-08. “68% of all fatal and serious injury crashes involving someone walking or biking occur on 5% of El Paso’s local streets”
- 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”
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.001, checked 2026-11-08. “the time of the disability is not included in a limitations period”