If You’re At Fault in a Texas Car Accident, Does Insurance Cover It?
If You’re At Fault in a Texas Car Accident, Does Insurance Cover It?
Yes, insurance covers an at-fault accident in Texas — but only certain costs, and only if you have the right coverage. Here’s how it actually breaks down.
What Basic Liability Insurance Actually Covers
Texas requires every driver to carry liability insurance, with a legal minimum of 30/60/25: $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident in bodily injury coverage, plus $25,000 in property damage coverage. That coverage pays for the other driver’s damages — their car repairs, their medical bills, their pain and suffering. It does not pay for your own car or your own injuries. If you’re at fault and don’t carry additional coverage, you’re on the hook for your own costs.
Coverage That Actually Protects You When You’re At Fault
Collision Coverage
Collision coverage pays to repair or replace your own vehicle regardless of who caused the crash. It’s optional in Texas, but worth carrying if your car is newer or still financed.
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and MedPay
PIP and Medical Payments coverage pay your own medical bills regardless of fault. PIP is optional in Texas but genuinely valuable — it can also help cover lost wages, and insurers are required to offer it (you have to decline it in writing if you don’t want it).
What to Do After an At-Fault Accident
- Check for injuries and call 911
- Photograph the scene, vehicle damage, and any injuries
- Exchange insurance information
- File a police report if the crash meets Texas’s reporting threshold
- Contact your own insurer to start your claim
When you speak with an adjuster, stick to the facts. Avoid phrases like “I didn’t see them” or “it was my fault” — even a well-meaning apology can be used to increase your assigned percentage of fault.
“At Fault” Isn’t Always Final
Fault is rarely 100% one-sided. Under Texas’s comparative negligence rule, you can still recover damages from the other driver if you’re found 50% or less at fault — your recovery is simply reduced by your own percentage. Even if it looks like your fault at the scene, it’s worth having an attorney review the facts before you accept that conclusion.
Talk to an Austin car accident lawyer
Even if you think the accident was your fault, it’s worth a free consultation before you accept that or a low settlement offer. Call the Traub Law Office at (512) 246-9191 or contact us online. We don’t charge you unless we win, and we handle your property damage claim at no charge.
About Andrew Traub
