Hit by a car while walking in El Paso: your rights and finding a pedestrian accident lawyer

Last checked November 8, 2026

If a car hit you on foot in El Paso, get the police report from EPPD Records for $6.12 Texas drivers must stop for you at a Walk signal, and must use care even if you made a mistake.34 The usual deadline to file a lawsuit is 2 years.5 Nearly 3 in 4 fatal walking crashes here happen in the dark.6

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Road map of El Paso highlighting the arterial streets where the city's Vision Zero plan found most walking and biking injuries
73% of fatal walking crashes in El Paso happen in the dark. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Where are people hit by cars most in El Paso?

On a small slice of the map. The city's plan found 68% of the deadly and serious walking and biking crashes on just 5% of its local streets.7 And 84% of its walking and biking high injury network is on arterial roads.8

What the city foundNumber
Fatal walking crashes in the dark73%6
People walking, share of all crashes3.78%9
People walking, share of crashes that killed or badly hurt someone21%9
Serious walking or biking crashes that were hit and run24%10
Pedestrians killed, 2016 to 202012411

Your location matters for your case. Note the block, the nearest cross street and whether there was a crosswalk, a signal or a working street light. Severe crashes were also common near transit: 47.5% were within 250 feet of a stop.12 Roads with four or more lanes accounted for 65%.13

Who is at risk of being hit while walking in El Paso?

The city says people 10 to 19 are overrepresented in walking and biking crashes, and people 60 and older in walking crashes.14 And 16% of the serious walking and biking crashes occurred near schools.15 If your child was hit on the way to school, tell the school and ask if any cameras cover that block.

Crashes on the freeway shoulder are a separate danger. In August 2026, a person changing a flat tire on I-10 East at Airway was struck by a pickup that drove off.16 If you were out of your car when you were hit, you may still count as a pedestrian for insurance, so say so when you make the claim.

Who has the right of way when you walk in El Paso?

Where you wereWhat Texas law says
Crossing with the Walk signalDrivers must stop and let you cross3
Crosswalk with no working signalDrivers must stop for you on their half of the road17
Outside a crosswalkYou have to let cars go first, and that can affect fault18
Any timeDrivers must still use care to avoid hitting anyone on the road4
On a bikeYou have the same rights and duties as a driver, with some exceptions19

Crossing mid-block does not end your claim. Texas lets you recover at 50% fault or less, with your share taken off.20 A slower bike rider generally stays near the right side, with exceptions for turns, hazards and narrow lanes.21

What should I do after being hit by a car in El Paso?

  1. Get care first. The area's Level 1 trauma center is University Medical Center.22 Call (915) 544-1200 for the main desk.23
  2. Call police if nobody has. Texas drivers must report injury crashes right away.24
  3. Buy the report at EPPD Records, 911 N. Raynor St.1 By mail, allow 10 business days.25
  4. Go back in daylight, or send someone, to photograph the crossing, the lights and any cameras.
  5. If a street light was out, report it to El Paso Electric at (915) 543-5970 or through 311, and keep a record.26
  6. Check your own auto policy, even though you were walking. Texas policies include uninsured coverage unless rejected in writing.27

What if a Sun Metro bus or city vehicle hit me while walking in El Paso?

A short deadline applies. Sun Metro is part of the city.28 A sworn written notice must go to the Mayor within 90 days, or 6 months for good cause.2930 Sun Metro's customer line is (915) 212-3333 if you need to report what happened to the agency.31 Most walkers are hit by private drivers, and then the 2-year deadline is the one to watch.5

What should I ask a pedestrian accident lawyer in El Paso?

  • How will you deal with the claim that I was outside the crosswalk?
  • Can you find camera footage or a witness at night?
  • Could a road or lighting problem have played a part?
  • What if the driver has only the $30,000 Texas minimum?32

Questions

How long do I have after being hit by a car in El Paso?

Generally 2 years to sue.5 If a city vehicle hit you, a sworn notice is due in 90 days, or 6 months for good cause.29

Can I file a claim if I wasn't in a crosswalk?

Often yes. Drivers still must use care, and Texas only bars recovery above 50% fault.420

Is a child's deadline different?

A child's 2-year clock usually waits until 18.33 A notice to the city may not wait.

Does this page cover bike crashes in El Paso?

Yes. A bike rider has the same rights and duties as a driver, with some exceptions.19 The same local numbers include people on bikes.7

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El Paso

Hit while walking or biking

Texas

Sources

  1. El Paso Police Department, Records & Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “EPPD RECORDS DIVISION 911 N. Raynor St El Paso, TX 79903”
  2. El Paso Police Department, Records & Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “Accident or Crash Reports $6.00”
  3. Tex. Transp. Code § 552.002(b), checked 2026-11-08. “A pedestrian or sidewalk user facing a "Walk" signal may proceed across a roadway in the direction of the signal, and the operator of a vehicle shall stop and yield the right-of-way to the pedestrian or sidewalk user.”
  4. Tex. Transp. Code § 552.008, checked 2026-11-08. “the operator of a vehicle shall: (1) exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian on a roadway;”
  5. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  6. City of El Paso, Vision Zero Action Plan (June 2023), checked 2026-11-08. “73% of fatal pedestrian [...] crashes happen in dark lighting conditions”
  7. 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”
  8. City of El Paso, Vision Zero Action Plan (June 2023), checked 2026-11-08. “84% of the Bicycle/Pedestrian HIN”
  9. 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%”
  10. City of El Paso, Vision Zero Action Plan (June 2023), checked 2026-11-08. “24% of bicycle and pedestrian KSI crashes are hit and run”
  11. City of El Paso, Vision Zero, checked 2026-11-08. “Between 2016 and 2020, 124 pedestrians were killed in El Paso”
  12. City of El Paso, Vision Zero Action Plan (June 2023), checked 2026-11-08. “47.5% of KSI crashes are within 250 feet of a transit stop”
  13. City of El Paso, Vision Zero Action Plan (June 2023), checked 2026-11-08. “65% of KSI crashes occur on roads with four or more lanes”
  14. City of El Paso, Vision Zero Action Plan (June 2023), checked 2026-11-08. “People aged 10 to 19 years old are overrepresented in bicycle and pedestrian crashes”
  15. City of El Paso, Vision Zero Action Plan (June 2023), checked 2026-11-08. “16% of bicycle and pedestrian KSI crashes occurred near schools”
  16. El Paso Police news release, August 8, 2026, checked 2026-11-08. “The unknown vehicle exited I10 at the off ramp to Airway and fled the scene.”
  17. Tex. Transp. Code § 552.003(a), checked 2026-11-08. “The operator of a vehicle shall stop and yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing a roadway in a crosswalk if: (1) no traffic control signal is in place or in operation; and (2) the pedestrian is: (A) on the half of the roadway in which the vehicle is traveling”
  18. Tex. Transp. Code § 552.005(a), checked 2026-11-08. “A pedestrian shall yield the right-of-way to a vehicle on the highway if crossing a roadway at a place: (1) other than in a marked crosswalk or in an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection”
  19. Tex. Transp. Code § 551.101(a), checked 2026-11-08. “A person operating a bicycle has the rights and duties applicable to a driver operating a vehicle under this subtitle”
  20. 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”
  21. Tex. Transp. Code § 551.103(a), checked 2026-11-08. “a person operating a bicycle on a roadway who is moving slower than the other traffic on the roadway shall ride as near as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway, unless:”
  22. UMC El Paso, 2024 Annual Report, checked 2026-11-08. “UMC Receives Reverification as Level 1 Trauma Center”
  23. University Medical Center of El Paso, checked 2026-11-08. “Main Number: (915) 544-1200”
  24. Tex. Transp. Code § 550.026(a), checked 2026-11-08. “The operator of a vehicle involved in a collision resulting in injury to or death of a person or damage to a vehicle to the extent that it cannot be normally and safely driven shall immediately by the quickest means of communication give notice of the collision”
  25. El Paso Police Department, Records & Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “Allow 10 business days for a response. The fee for reports requested by mail is $1.50.”
  26. City of El Paso, Streets and Maintenance FAQs, checked 2026-11-08. “may be reported to the El Paso Electric Company at (915) 543-5970”
  27. Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.101(b)-(c), checked 2026-11-08. “unless the insurer provides uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage in the policy or supplemental to the policy. (c) The coverage required by this subchapter does not apply if any insured named in the insurance policy rejects the coverage in writing.”
  28. Sun Metro Suspension of Service Policy, checked 2026-11-08. “the City of El Paso's Mass Transit Department (Sun Metro)”
  29. 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”
  30. 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”
  31. Sun Metro, Safety & Security, checked 2026-11-08. “customer service line at (915)212.3333”
  32. Tex. Transp. Code § 601.072(a-1), checked 2026-11-08. “(1) $30,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person in one collision; (2) $60,000 for bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in one collision, subject to the amount provided by Subdivision (1) for bodily injury to or death of one of the persons; and (3) $25,000 for damage to or destruction of property of others in one collision.”
  33. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.001, checked 2026-11-08. “the time of the disability is not included in a limitations period”

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