Posted in Personal Injury on September 8, 2025

When shopping for your automobile insurance policy in Texas, it is important to recognize all of the types of coverage available – including both mandatory and optional types of insurance. Personal injury protection or PIP insurance is not required in Texas. However, it is strongly recommended to help pay for your own expenses in the event of a car accident in San Antonio.

What Is Personal Injury Protection Insurance?

Personal injury protection insurance is a first-party type of coverage. This means it covers the policyholder’s bills or losses, not the other person involved in the crash. If you have PIP insurance on your auto policy, it can provide a source of coverage to pay for certain costs after a motor vehicle collision.

Since PIP is part of the claimant’s own policy, proving that someone else is at fault is not a requirement to access this coverage. It is a “no-fault” type of coverage. This means PIP insurance pays for the claimant’s medical bills (and some other expenses) no matter who is at fault and without requiring evidence against another driver.

Is PIP Insurance Required in Texas?

Texas is a fault-based car insurance state. This means drivers and other crash victims can seek financial compensation directly from the insurance company of the at-fault individual. Liability insurance to pay for the medical bills and property repairs of others is required by all motorists in Texas.

PIP is an additional type of coverage you can choose to add to your auto insurance policy in Texas. It is optional, not required. However, all insurance plans in Texas are required to offer at least $2,500 in personal injury protection coverage. You must specifically reject this coverage in writing when purchasing your policy if you do not wish to pay for it.

Denying PIP coverage in Texas is not recommended, as it can provide an important source of financial compensation regardless of who is at fault for a car accident. If the at-fault driver does not have enough coverage, your PIP can step in to provide supplemental coverage.

What Does PIP Cover After a Car Accident?

If a driver in Texas has PIP coverage, it could be used to compensate the victim as well as passengers of the vehicle for the following past and future medical costs:

  • Ambulance fees
  • A hospital visit or stay
  • Specialists
  • X-rays, CT scans, MRIs and other tests
  • Surgeries and rehabilitation
  • Physical therapy
  • Psychological counseling
  • Prescription medications
  • Medical devices
  • Live-in care
  • Disability costs

PIP insurance can also cover some non-medical costs, such as 80 percent of the victim’s lost wages and lost capacity to earn.

How to File a PIP Insurance Claim in Texas

If you get involved in an automobile accident in Texas and have personal injury protection insurance on your own policy, contact your insurance provider to file a PIP claim as soon as possible. Get medical care immediately and keep careful documentation of the treatments you receive. Submit proof of these expenses alongside your PIP claim.

There are circumstances when an insurance company may deny a PIP claim, such as if it does not believe a service was medically necessary or feels that a physician has charged too high a rate for a specific procedure. If you have trouble recovering the PIP benefits you deserve from your car insurance company, contact a personal injury attorney in San Antonio for assistance.