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Dallas Bicycle Accident Attorneys · 30+ Years in Texas

Dallas Bicycle Accident Lawyers

Hit by a driver who didn't see you on the Katy Trail, Santa Fe Trail, or a Lower Greenville surface street? Patterson Law Group knows Texas cyclist-rights law, the Dallas safe-passing ordinance, and the PIP/UM/UIM coverage path that funds cyclist claims. We serve Dallas from our Fort Worth office.

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$100 Million Dollar Club — American Academy of Attorneys
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#1 Wrongful Death
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Independently selected by peer-recognition organizations.
$100M+
Recovered for clients
30+
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#1
Wrongful Death settlement TX, 2024

How we serve Dallas clients

Patterson Law Group does not maintain a brick-and-mortar office in Dallas. We serve our Dallas-area clients from our Fort Worth office at 2409 Forest Park Boulevard (30 minutes west on I-30) and our Arlington office at 2310 W I-20 Suite 100. The initial case review is by phone or Zoom — at no cost — and our attorneys travel to Dallas for depositions, mediations, court hearings, and trial. We file cases in Dallas County, work with Dallas-area medical providers, and litigate at the George L. Allen Sr. Courts Building like any local Dallas firm.

What to do after a Dallas bicycle crash

  1. Get medical care immediately. Dallas has Parkland Health (the region's only Level I trauma center, on Harry Hines Boulevard), Baylor University Medical Center, Methodist Dallas Medical Center, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, and UT Southwestern Medical Center. Even minor-feeling cycling crashes routinely produce concussions and soft-tissue injuries that take time to surface.
  2. Report the crash. Dallas PD handles inside-city crashes; Dallas County Sheriff handles unincorporated county; DPS handles state highways. If the crash happened on city-owned trail property, the report and incident-report number matter for any Texas Tort Claims Act notice.
  3. Photograph everything. The bike, the at-fault vehicle, the scene from both lines of approach, road conditions, sight obstructions, damage to bike and gear, and visible injuries.
  4. Find witnesses. Pedestrians, other cyclists, business owners along the route — get a name and phone number before they leave.
  5. Do not give a recorded statement to the at-fault driver's insurer. Their adjusters call within hours. Refer them to us.
  6. Call a lawyer before you sign anything. We send preservation-of-evidence letters within hours so traffic-cam footage, business surveillance video, and the at-fault vehicle's ECM data are locked down.

Texas bicycle law — what Dallas cyclists should know

Two-year statute of limitations

Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code §16.003 gives you two years from the date of the crash. City of Dallas, Dallas County, or DART claims may trigger Texas Tort Claims Act notice deadlines as short as six months.

Cyclists have driver-equivalent rights (§551.101)

Texas Transportation Code §551.101 grants a cyclist the same rights and imposes the same duties as the driver of a vehicle on the roadway. §551.103 generally requires cyclists to ride as near to the right as practicable. §551.104 allows riding two abreast. §551.105 requires hand signals.

Dallas safe-passing ordinance

Texas has no statewide 3-foot statute, but Dallas has adopted a local safe-passing ordinance. A violation of the municipal safe-passing rule can support a negligence-per-se argument when the violation caused the crash.

No statewide adult helmet rule

Texas has no statewide adult bicycle-helmet requirement. Lack of a helmet is rarely admitted as evidence of comparative fault in a Texas civil case — helmets do not prevent crashes, only affect injury severity.

Modified comparative fault (§33.001)

You can recover damages as long as you are 50% or less at fault. Defense lawyers routinely argue a cyclist 'came out of nowhere' — we push back with sight-line and visibility evidence.

Paid or incurred medicals (§41.0105)

Limits medical-damages recovery to amounts actually paid or incurred. With Level I trauma stays at Parkland easily running into six figures, careful paid-or-incurred documentation matters.

UM/UIM and PIP cover cyclists

Texas PIP coverage on your auto policy applies whether you were in a car or on a bike. UM and UIM coverage on your auto policy also generally applies. A resident relative's auto policy may also apply.

Wrongful Death Act (Chapter 71)

If a cyclist is killed, Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code Chapter 71 gives surviving spouse, children, and parents the right to recover. A survival action under §71.021 belongs to the estate.

Dallas cycling hot spots

  • The Katy Trail. Dallas's flagship urban greenway between Uptown and the Knox-Henderson corridor. Most crashes happen at street-crossing points at Cole, Knox, and Blackburn.
  • Santa Fe Trail. The east-Dallas rail-trail through East Dallas and into Casa Linda. At-grade crossings of arterial streets.
  • Trinity Strand Trail and the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. Connections between West Dallas and the Design District.
  • Lower Greenville and Knox-Henderson. Restaurant-district cyclist density, mixed with surface-street vehicle traffic and dooring-zone hazards.
  • Bishop Arts and Oak Cliff. Cyclist-and-pedestrian district with arterial crossings at Davis and Zang.
  • Deep Ellum and the East Dallas grid. Surface-street intersection crashes.
  • SMU campus perimeter and University Park. University-cyclist traffic crossing Hillcrest and Mockingbird.
  • White Rock Lake perimeter. Heavy weekend recreational cycling traffic with arterial crossings at Buckner, Garland Road, and Mockingbird.

Where Dallas bicycle cases are heard

Dallas County

Civil personal injury cases in Dallas County are heard at the George L. Allen Sr. Courts Building, 600 Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75202. Dallas County operates 30+ civil district courts handling the civil docket.

Surrounding counties

Collin County cases (Plano, Frisco, McKinney) go to the Collin County Courthouse, 2100 Bloomdale Road, McKinney. Denton County cases go to the Denton County Courthouse. Rockwall and Kaufman County cases go to their respective courthouses.

Federal court (N.D. Tex.)

Cases with diversity of citizenship or substantial federal-law issues can be filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division.

Other Dallas injury cases we handle

Common questions from Dallas cyclist clients

What is the deadline to file a Dallas bicycle accident lawsuit?
Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code §16.003 sets a two-year statute of limitations for most personal injury and wrongful death claims. The clock runs from the date of the crash. Claims involving the City of Dallas, Dallas County, or DART can trigger Texas Tort Claims Act notice deadlines as short as six months.
Do cyclists have the same rights as cars on Dallas roads?
Yes, with some exceptions. Texas Transportation Code §551.101 provides that a person operating a bicycle on a roadway is granted the rights and is subject to the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle. §551.103 generally requires cyclists to ride as near as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway when moving slower than other traffic. §551.104 allows two-abreast riding within a single lane. §551.105 requires hand signals.
Is there a 3-foot passing rule in Dallas?
Dallas has adopted a local safe-passing ordinance requiring motor vehicles to give bicyclists a safe passing distance (3 feet for passenger vehicles; 6 feet for commercial vehicles in some versions of the ordinance). Texas has no statewide 3-foot statute, but a violation of the Dallas municipal ordinance can support a negligence-per-se argument when the violation caused the crash. We pull the applicable ordinance text and any legislative history.
Does Texas require adult cyclists to wear helmets?
No. Texas has no statewide adult bicycle-helmet requirement. Even where a local ordinance applies, the lack of a helmet is rarely admitted as evidence of comparative fault in a Texas civil case because helmets do not prevent crashes — they only affect head-injury severity.
Can I use my own auto insurance for a Dallas bike crash?
Often yes. Texas Personal Injury Protection (PIP) on your auto policy applies to you and resident relatives whether you were in a car or on a bike when struck. Uninsured Motorist (UM) and Underinsured Motorist (UIM) coverage on your auto policy generally also applies to a cyclist struck by an at-fault driver who is uninsured or under-insured.
What if the driver who hit me left the scene?
Hit-and-run cyclist injuries are common. If the driver is never identified, your own UM coverage usually fills the gap — Texas treats a phantom-vehicle crash as an uninsured-motorist event when there is corroborating evidence (witness, video, physical contact). We pursue surveillance video, traffic-camera footage, and license-plate fragments.
Where will my Dallas bicycle accident case be filed?
Most Dallas County civil cases are filed at the George L. Allen Sr. Courts Building, 600 Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75202. The 14th, 44th, 68th, 95th, 101st, 116th, 134th, 160th, 162nd, 191st, 192nd, 193rd, 134th, 254th, 255th, 256th, 282nd, 298th, 301st, 302nd, 303rd, 304th, 305th, 330th, 363rd, 365th, and other District Courts handle the civil docket. Cases with diversity of citizenship can be filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division.
Does Patterson Law Group have an office in Dallas?
We do not maintain a brick-and-mortar office in Dallas. We serve Dallas-area clients from our Fort Worth office at 2409 Forest Park Boulevard (30 minutes west on I-30) and our Arlington office at 2310 W I-20 #100. The initial case review is by phone or Zoom — at no cost — and our attorneys travel to Dallas for depositions, mediations, court hearings, and trial. Most Dallas clients never need to leave their home or hospital room to get their case started.
How much does it cost to hire Patterson Law Group for a Dallas bicycle case?
Nothing up front. We take bicycle-injury cases on contingency — you pay no attorney fees unless we recover for you. The consultation is free and confidential. Se habla español.

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