The police report says who got cited, but that is not what makes or breaks your claim. What matters is whether you can show fault, injury, insurance coverage, and damages with real paper and digital proof.

Example: a warehouse worker jogging near Trinity Trails gets hit at dusk by a driver turning fast off University Drive. The Fort Worth officer writes a short crash report and lists "pedestrian in roadway." That sounds bad. But the claim changes fast when the runner pulls ER records from Texas Health Fort Worth, photos of the crosswalk signal, phone video from a nearby business, wage records showing missed shifts, and the driver's insurance info. That is the point where a lawyer can do something useful.

Before hiring anyone, try to gather:

• Texas Peace Officer's Crash Report (CR-3) or incident number
• Photos/video of the scene, vehicle, crosswalk, train crossing, skid marks, weather, lighting
• Names and numbers of witnesses
• Medical records and bills
• Pay stubs showing missed work or light duty
• Insurance letters, settlement offers, and claim numbers
• Any tow, repair, repo, or railroad company records

In Texas, the usual deadline to sue for injury is 2 years under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003. End-of-year delay games matter because adjusters know people panic when that clock gets close.

You probably do need a lawyer if liability is disputed, you were badly hurt, a commercial vehicle or train is involved, the insurer is pushing a fast release, or you cannot miss work to chase records.

You may not need one for a minor property-damage-only wreck with clear fault and no medical treatment.

Most Texas injury lawyers work on a contingency fee, usually a percentage of the recovery, so ask whether the fee changes if suit gets filed, who pays case expenses, and whether you owe anything if there is no recovery.

Red flags: pressure to sign the same day, no straight answer on fees, promises of a specific payout, or no plan for getting records.

If you already hired the wrong lawyer, you can fire them mid-case and switch. Get your file, ask for a written fee/accounting, and do it before the 2-year deadline gets any tighter.