How Long Does My Accident Case Take in Texas?

It's the question we get most, and often the reason someone doesn't pick up the phone: 'I can't be waiting years.' We'll answer honestly, no sugarcoating: it depends. But that doesn't make it a mystery — the process has known stages, and once you understand them it stops being scary.

The most important thing you may not know: you don't have to go without medical care while the case moves forward. We'll explain that in a moment.

The short answer

A case with minor injuries, clear fault, and a cooperative insurer can resolve in a matter of months. A case with serious injuries, disputed fault, or one that ends in a lawsuit can take a year or more. Nobody honest can give you an exact date at the start — if someone does, be skeptical.

The stages of your case, step by step

1. Your medical treatment (the stage that drives everything)

This is the key to the whole timeline. The case shouldn't close until your doctor determines you've reached maximum medical improvement — meaning, as far as you're going to heal. That can be a few weeks if it was minor, or more than a year if there was surgery or long rehab.

Why can't it be skipped? Because until you finish, nobody knows what your injury really cost — or what future treatment you'll need. Closing early is closing blind.

2. Demand letter (30 to 60 days later)

When treatment ends, your full file is assembled —medical records, bills, proof of lost wages, accident evidence— and a demand letter is sent to the insurer. It usually goes out 30 to 60 days after you finish treatment.

3. The insurer's response (several weeks)

The insurer takes several weeks to review and respond. Their first response is almost always a low offer — that's how negotiations start.

4. Negotiation

This is the back-and-forth. Many cases resolve at this stage without going to court. If the insurer offers something fair, your case ends here and that's the fastest path.

5. Filing the lawsuit (if there was no fair deal)

If the insurer won't pay what the case is worth, a formal lawsuit is filed — always before the 2 years from the accident run out, which is the general deadline in Texas. Note: filing a lawsuit doesn't mean you're going to trial; most cases still resolve by settlement.

6. Discovery (the longest stage)

This is the formal exchange of information between the parties: documents, written questions, and statements under oath. It's the longest stage of the process and can last several months to more than a year. It sounds heavy, but this is where your lawyer brings out what the insurer didn't want to show.

7. Mediation (where a great many cases resolve)

Before trial, the court almost always orders mediation: a neutral person sits down with both sides to find an agreement. It's very effective — a great many cases end here, without going to trial.

8. Trial (the least common)

Only a minority of cases reach trial. But your lawyer being willing and prepared to go that far is exactly what makes the insurer offer more before it gets there.

What makes a case faster or slower?

• The severity of your injuries — the #1 factor; more treatment means more time.
• Whether fault is clear or disputed — when the insurer fights over the fault percentage, everything stretches out.
• How many responsible parties there are — several (a driver, a company, a contractor), each with their own insurer, takes longer.
• Whether the insurer cooperates or fights — some resolve quickly; others delay on purpose hoping you'll get desperate.

Careful about rushing it

We understand the urgency — there's rent to pay and bills arriving. But rushing the case almost always costs more. If you accept a settlement before knowing the true extent of your injuries, you generally give up the right to claim more for that accident, even if months later you need another surgery. Insurers know about that pressure, which is why they offer fast and low at the start.

What you can do to help it move faster

1. 1Don't miss your medical appointments — gaps in treatment delay and weaken the case.
2. 2Consult early, so evidence (footage, witnesses) is preserved before it's lost.
3. 3Turn in requested documents promptly: bills, work records, receipts.
4. 4Tell your lawyer about any change in your health or your job.
5. 5Don't talk to the insurer on your own; it creates tangles that have to be undone later.

How we work

You'll hear us say 'it depends,' but we'll never leave you wondering what stage your case is in. We keep you informed, push the insurer so it doesn't stall, and tell you honestly when it's worth accepting and when it isn't. With more than 30 years of experience in Texas courts, Ruiz & Associates serves Eagle Pass, Maverick County, San Antonio, and all of Texas. We're bilingual, we answer personally, and we work on contingency: you pay nothing unless we win your case.