Free Injury Consultations 
Texas law requires every driver on the road to carry auto insurance. But the minimum coverage the law demands and what a seriously injured person actually needs to recover are often very different numbers. For Richardson residents hurt in a car accident, understanding where that gap exists and what options may be available to fill it is foundational to knowing what compensation is actually within reach.
What Texas’s Minimum Liability Coverage Requires
Under Texas Transportation Code Section 601.072, Texas drivers must carry minimum liability coverage of:
- $30,000 per person for bodily injury
- $60,000 per accident for bodily injury when multiple people are injured
- $25,000 for property damage
These are the minimums, not typical policy amounts. A $30,000 per-person limit may sound adequate until a serious accident produces an emergency room visit, hospitalization, surgery, and weeks of rehabilitation. That coverage can be exhausted before a person even leaves the hospital, let alone covers ongoing treatment, lost wages, and the non-economic impact of the injury.
Texas also requires insurers to offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, though drivers can decline it in writing. Many do, which creates gaps in protection that only become apparent when a serious accident occurs.
What Happens When the At-Fault Driver’s Coverage Runs Out
When a Richardson area car accident produces injuries worth more than the at-fault driver’s policy limits, the injured person has several potential paths to additional compensation.
Underinsured motorist coverage from your own policy is often the most immediately available source. UIM coverage kicks in when the at-fault driver’s liability limits are exhausted and fall below your own UIM limits. If you carry $100,000 in UIM coverage and the at-fault driver had $30,000 in liability, your UIM policy can potentially bridge a meaningful portion of that gap. The calculation isn’t always straightforward, but UIM is frequently the most valuable coverage a Texas driver carries and among the least understood.
A Richardson car accident lawyer reviews all applicable policies at the start of a case, not just the at-fault driver’s coverage. Identifying every potential source of compensation before negotiations begin means injured victims aren’t limited to whatever single policy surfaces first.
Pursuing the at-fault driver personally is theoretically available when their policy limits are insufficient. When the at-fault driver has personal assets that could satisfy a judgment, a lawsuit against them directly may produce additional recovery. In practice, drivers who carry minimum coverage often have limited personal assets, but that assessment requires looking at the specific situation rather than assuming.
Identifying other potentially liable parties is another avenue that’s often overlooked. When a vehicle defect contributed to the crash, a product liability claim against the manufacturer may be available. When a commercial vehicle was involved, the employer’s coverage applies. When a government entity’s road design or maintenance played a role, claims under Texas’s governmental liability framework become relevant.
Why Texas’s Uninsured Driver Problem Matters in Richardson
Texas consistently ranks among states with higher rates of uninsured drivers. When someone without insurance causes a crash, the injured person’s own uninsured motorist coverage becomes the primary recovery mechanism. Without it, pursuing an uninsured driver personally is often the only option, and uninsured drivers rarely have assets sufficient to make that worthwhile.
UM coverage works alongside liability coverage, not instead of it. Having both provides the broadest protection for exactly the scenario Richardson drivers encounter most: a crash caused by someone who either has no insurance or whose minimum-limit policy doesn’t come close to covering what the accident actually cost.
How Policy Stacking Can Expand Available Coverage
Some Texas drivers don’t realize that multiple policies may apply to a single accident. If the crash happened in a vehicle owned by someone else, that owner’s policy may apply alongside the driver’s own coverage. Household vehicle policies sometimes allow stacking of UM or UIM limits across multiple vehicles on the same policy. Each situation is different, and the coverage analysis requires reviewing every applicable policy, not just the one that’s most obvious.
Kelso Law, PLLC was founded by Rhiannon Kelso, a DFW native who has practiced personal injury law since 2012, tried over 25 cases before Texas juries, and recovered millions for injured clients across the Dallas-Fort Worth region. If you’ve been injured in a Richardson area car accident and are concerned about whether the available coverage is adequate for your injuries, reach out to a Richardson car accident lawyer to understand what coverage exists and how to pursue every available source of compensation.
