If you were hurt in an accident in Dallas, Texas law gives you specific deadlines and procedural steps that differ from what many other websites describe, including special notice rules if a City of Dallas vehicle or DART was involved. This page covers what to do right after a Dallas crash, how to get your crash report, how long you have to act, and where a Dallas case is filed, using Texas law and Dallas’s own civil government records as the source for every fact and deadline below.
What should I do after a car accident in Dallas?
After a car accident in Dallas, call the police, get medical attention, and exchange information with the other driver before anyone leaves the scene. Then work through this list:
- Report the crash. Texas law requires a driver involved in a crash that caused injury, death, or left a vehicle unable to be driven safely to report it immediately, by the quickest means available, to the police covering that location.
- Take photos, if you are able, of the vehicles, the road, any traffic signals or signs, and your visible injuries.
- Get the name and contact information of any witnesses.
- Write down what you remember about how the crash happened while the details are still fresh, including the time and the weather.
- See a doctor even if you feel fine, since some injuries take time to show symptoms.
- Keep every bill and record from every provider you see afterward.
- Get your CR-3 crash report once it is filed, as described in the next section.
This is not medical advice, and a doctor is the right source for decisions about your care. What you do and say in the hours and days after a crash can affect both your claim and the deadlines described below.
How do I get a copy of my Dallas crash report (CR-3)?
You can get a copy of your Dallas crash report, known as the CR-3, by purchasing it online through TxDOT’s Crash Report Online Purchase System. A regular copy costs $6 and a certified copy costs $8. A report can take several days to reach TxDOT, so your crash report may not be available to buy immediately after the crash. The CR-3 documents how law enforcement recorded the crash, including the vehicles, parties, and circumstances involved, and it is often one of the first pieces of evidence used to support a claim. If your crash caused only minor property damage and no officer responded, there may be no CR-3 to request, and documenting the scene yourself becomes even more important.
How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in Dallas?
In most personal injury cases arising from a Dallas crash, Texas law gives you two years from the date of the incident to file a lawsuit. The deadlines that matter most at a glance:
| What has to happen | Deadline | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
| File a personal injury lawsuit | Two years | The date of the injury |
| File a wrongful death lawsuit | Two years | The date of death |
| The injured person’s own claim, if they later die | Can close before two years from the death | The injury, so confirm the date early |
| Written notice of a claim to the City of Dallas | Six months | The injury, not a later death |
| Written notice of a claim to DART | Six months | The day of the incident |
If the crash resulted in a death, the two-year clock runs instead from the date of death, which can be weeks, months, or longer after the crash itself, not from the date of the collision. These deadlines apply to the lawsuit itself; they do not extend any separate notice requirement that may apply if a government entity, like the City of Dallas or DART, was involved, which are typically much shorter and start running sooner, as described below. Missing a deadline can end your ability to recover anything, regardless of how strong your case otherwise is. Texas law also says a person is under a legal disability if younger than 18 years of age, regardless of whether married, or of unsound mind, and if a person entitled to bring a personal action is under a legal disability when the cause of action accrues, the time of the disability is not included in a limitations period. Do not count on that rule to extend the shorter government notice periods described below; give the notice within six months regardless of the injured person’s age. Because the clock can start running at different points depending on how you were hurt and by whom, it is worth having a lawyer confirm your specific deadline early rather than waiting.
What if my accident involved a City of Dallas vehicle or department?
If a City of Dallas vehicle, department, or employee caused your injury, in a crash or any other incident, you must give the City written notice within six months, or your claim can be barred even if your two-year deadline to sue has not run out. Texas’s Tort Claims Act requires that notice to a governmental unit describe the damage or injury claimed, the time and place of the incident, and what happened, and the City of Dallas’s own charter requires your notice to also state when, where, and how the injury occurred, the full extent of the injury, and the amount of damages you are claiming. Only a resolution passed by the Dallas City Council before the six-month period runs out can waive this notice requirement; no single city officer or employee has the authority to waive it alone. One exception exists under state law: if the City already had actual notice that someone was injured or killed, or that property was damaged, the written notice requirement may not apply. Because what counts as adequate notice, or adequate actual notice, is fact-specific, this is not something to guess about on your own.
What if I was hurt in a DART bus or train accident?
If you were hurt on or by a DART bus or train, any claim against DART itself is a claim against a government entity, since Texas law makes DART a governmental unit under the Texas Tort Claims Act. A claim against another driver involved in the same crash is a separate, ordinary claim. That means you are generally required to give DART written notice within six months of the incident, describing the injury, the time and place, and what happened, the same notice period that applies to most governmental units in Texas. DART’s own website states that email is not a substitute for that legal notice, so an email to a DART representative or customer service address does not protect your claim the way proper written notice does. As with other governmental claims, Texas law allows an exception if the entity already had actual notice that someone was hurt, but that is a fact question, not something to assume applies to your situation. Given how easy it is to miss a step here, this is one of the Dallas-specific issues worth discussing with a lawyer soon after a DART-related crash, rather than after the six months have passed.
Hurt by a City of Dallas vehicle or a DART bus?
Written notice is due within six months of the injury. We can check your date.
Thanos Simoudis and David Merabi are licensed in Texas. Other Culver Legal attorneys shown are not licensed in Texas.
Can I still recover damages if I was partly at fault for my accident?
Yes, you can still recover damages in Texas if you were partly at fault for your accident, as long as your share of the responsibility is 50 percent or less. If a jury finds you more than 50 percent responsible for the crash, Texas law bars you from recovering any damages at all. If your share of fault is 50 percent or less, your damages are not barred, but the amount you can recover is reduced by a percentage equal to your own percentage of responsibility, and reduced further by the dollar amount of any settlements you have already received from others involved. This is why insurance companies often try to shift blame onto the injured person after a Dallas crash: the more fault they can assign to you, the less they may have to pay, or they may try to argue you are barred entirely. Because these percentages are decided based on the evidence in your specific case, it is worth having that evidence reviewed before you accept any fault an insurer suggests.
What happens if the driver who hit me had no insurance, or not enough?
If the driver who hit you had no insurance, or not enough, your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage may be what pays your claim instead. Texas law requires every auto insurer to include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage in your policy unless you rejected it in writing, so you may have this coverage without realizing it. If anyone named on the policy rejected this coverage in writing, even on an earlier policy with the same or an affiliated insurer, that rejection generally carries forward, so you may still not have the coverage years later unless you requested it back in writing. Checking your own declarations page, or asking your insurance agent directly, is the only way to know for certain whether you have this coverage and at what limits.
Did you already reject uninsured motorist coverage?
Texas law puts it on your policy unless someone named on the policy turned it down in writing. Check your declarations page.
Where is my personal injury case filed in Dallas?
A personal injury case arising from a Dallas crash is typically filed in the Dallas County civil courts, which sit at the George L. Allen, Sr. Courts Building, 600 Commerce Street, Dallas, Texas 75202. Both the county’s civil district courts and its county courts at law hear civil cases out of that building, and Dallas County’s courts at law can hear civil cases regardless of the dollar amount at stake, so a personal injury case is not automatically sent to one or the other based on size alone. Dallas County’s criminal courts, including a case like a DWI or hit and run that led to your crash, are heard in a separate building, so a criminal case against the other driver and your own civil claim proceed on different tracks and in different places. Where exactly your case should be filed depends on the facts of your claim, and that is a decision best made with a lawyer who can review them.
Which Dallas hospitals treat the most serious trauma injuries?
The Texas Department of State Health Services lists five Level I trauma centers inside the City of Dallas, current as of October 28, 2026:
- Baylor University Medical Center
- Children’s Medical Center of Dallas
- Methodist Dallas Medical Center
- Parkland Memorial Hospital
- Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas
DSHS classes a Level I center as a Comprehensive trauma facility, its top designation on that list. Medical City Dallas Hospital holds a Level III designation on the same list. Which hospital a crash victim is taken to depends on the circumstances of the crash and the decisions paramedics make at the scene, not on anything this page can predict. This information is provided for context about the city, not as medical advice or a recommendation about where to seek care.
Which Dallas streets are on the City’s High Injury Network?
The City of Dallas tracks its most severe crash locations through what it calls the High Injury Network, a set of streets where a disproportionate share of serious crashes happen. According to the City’s March 2024 Vision Zero briefing, about 7 percent of Dallas streets account for 57 percent of the city’s severe crashes. Streets the City has identified as High Injury Network corridors include Ferguson Road, Gaston Avenue, Malcolm X Boulevard, Harry Hines Boulevard, Buckner Boulevard, Military Parkway, and Maple Avenue, among others under study. This designation covers city streets, not the access-controlled main lanes of highways like US 75, IH-35E, or the Dallas North Tollway. TxDOT counted 165 fatal crashes and 883 suspected serious injury crashes in the City of Dallas in 2025. These are the City’s own findings about where severe crashes concentrate, not a ranking this page is making, and they are one more reason to take basic safety precautions on these corridors.
Personal injury cases we handle in Dallas
Car accidents. Car crashes in Dallas range from collisions on city streets to crashes on the region’s highways. These cases often involve questions about who was at fault, what each driver’s insurance will cover, and how quickly a CR-3 report and other evidence need to be gathered, as discussed above.
Truck accidents. Truck crashes in and around Dallas, including on highways like IH-35E, US 75, and the Dallas North Tollway, often involve multiple potentially responsible parties and commercial insurance policies, which can make early investigation important.
Dog bites. Dog bite injuries in Dallas turn on what the owner knew or should have known about the animal, on how the dog was kept and handled, and on what insurance, if any, applies. Reporting and local rules specific to Dallas can also affect these cases, so the facts of the bite are worth reviewing before assuming there is no claim.
Brain injuries. Traumatic brain injuries from a Dallas crash often require care at one of the city’s Level I trauma centers, discussed above, and can involve injuries that are not always obvious right away.
Uninsured motorist claims. These cases often turn on coverage already sitting on your own policy, as discussed above, and on confirming that coverage was never rejected in writing on a prior or current policy.
Wrongful death. Wrongful death cases in Dallas are brought by the surviving spouse, children, or parents of the person who died. If none of them files within three calendar months of the death, the law requires the deceased person’s executor or administrator to bring the case unless asked not to. Separately, the injured person’s own claim survives their death in favor of their heirs, legal representatives, and estate, so a death can still support a claim when there is no surviving spouse, child, or parent. The wrongful death claim has its own two-year deadline that runs from the date of death. The injured person’s own claim runs on a different clock from the wrongful death claim and can close first, so confirm both dates early. A death caused by the City of Dallas still needs the six-month written notice described above, and that six months is counted from the injury, not from the death.
Do you handle Dallas cases in Spanish?
We work with clients in English and Spanish, from the first conversation about what happened through the resolution of the case. Our Dallas office is at 325 N. St. Paul Street, Suite 3100, Dallas, TX 75201.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth suing for personal injury?
Whether filing suit makes sense depends on factors like how serious your injuries are, who was at fault, what insurance is available, and how much time is left under Texas’s deadlines, including the shorter notice periods described above for claims against the City of Dallas or DART. A lawyer can review the specifics of what happened and help you weigh the options, but no page can tell you what is right for your situation.
What not to say to an injury lawyer?
Avoid guessing at things you are not sure about, such as who was at fault or how fast anyone was driving, since Texas reduces or bars your recovery based on your own percentage of fault, as described above. Avoid downplaying or exaggerating your injuries, and avoid signing anything from an insurance company before talking to a lawyer. Be honest and complete, even about details that seem unfavorable, so your lawyer can protect your claim.
If you were hurt in a Dallas crash and are weighing what to do next, talking with a lawyer who knows these Dallas-specific deadlines can help you protect your claim before time runs out. We work on contingency: no fee unless we win, and no case costs charged if there is no recovery; case expenses are advanced by the firm and repaid from the recovery. Attorney responsible for this page: Thanos Simoudis, licensed in Texas, primary office Los Angeles, California. Call (214) 269-1184 for a free case review, or send us the details and we will call you back. More on Texas personal injury claims.
