Hit by a car as a pedestrian in Dallas: your rights, the local numbers, and finding a pedestrian accident lawyer

Last checked November 8, 2026

In Dallas, 43 pedestrians died in 2025 on roads other than limited-access highways.1 Drivers must still use care even if a walker makes a mistake.2 You generally have 2 years to sue,3 and a claim against the City of Dallas needs written notice within six months after the injury.4

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Road map of Dallas marking Maple Avenue, Camp Wisdom Road, Lake June Road, Ferguson Road and St. Augustine Road, the city's five pedestrian safety corridors
43 pedestrians died on Dallas streets in 2025, not counting freeways. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Where are pedestrians hit most in Dallas?

The city knows the danger is concentrated. Its Vision Zero study says pedestrians are significantly overrepresented in fatal and severe injury crashes.5 Pedestrian crashes ranked first among seven focus factors, at 30 percent of crashes.6 Forty-three walkers died in 2025 on Dallas roads other than limited-access highways.1

Evenings are the worst. The study found the highest density of severe crashes from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.7 So the light, the time and what you were wearing may all come up in your case. Write down what you remember about the street lights while it is fresh.

The city's High Injury Network shows the streets where severe crashes pile up, and they include Buckner and Ledbetter.8 Dallas has grant money for five pedestrian safety corridors: Maple, Camp Wisdom, Lake June, Ferguson and St. Augustine.9 Sidewalks are part of it. The city counts 4,536 miles of sidewalk and 2,086 miles of gaps, which pushes people into the street.1011

Do pedestrians have the right of way in Dallas?

Often, but not always. Texas law, not city code, sets the basic rule, and the facts at your crossing decide how it applies.

What happenedWhat Texas law says
You had the Walk signalDrivers must stop and let you cross12
No working signal, you were in a crosswalk on the driver's half of the roadThe driver must stop for you13
You crossed outside a crosswalkYou must yield to cars, and that can affect who is blamed14
You made a mistakeA driver must still use care to avoid hitting anyone2

Crossing in the wrong place does not end your claim. In Texas, you lose the right to recover only if your share of the blame is more than 50 percent.15 A witness, a photo of the crossing, or a nearby store camera can make a big difference.

What if I was hit on a bike or scooter in Dallas?

A person on a bike has the same rights and duties as a driver, with some exceptions, and a slower rider generally stays near the right side.1617 Two bicyclists died on Dallas roads in 2025, along with one person in the city's other category, which includes motor scooters.1819

Rented scooters have their own city rules. Bird and Lime hold permits for the 2026-2027 cycle.20 Riders cannot use roads with speed limits above 35 miles per hour, cannot ride before 5 a.m. or after 9 p.m., and are capped at 20 miles per hour.212223 Each unit must carry a label saying riding on sidewalks is prohibited,24 and a city map marks a downtown area where bikes and scooters cannot ride on sidewalks.25

Breaking one of those rules does not always decide who pays, but a company or an insurer will point to it. These companies also give the city a monthly collision report, with the number, severity, location and time of crashes, so a collision on one of their scooters should be on record.26

What should I do after being hit by a car while walking in Dallas?

  1. Call 911 and stay on scene if you can. The Dallas Police Traffic Unit handles crashes with serious injury or death.27
  2. Go to a hospital even if you can walk. Parkland, Baylor University Medical Center and Methodist Dallas all treat the most serious trauma at Level I.282930
  3. Get the driver's name, plate and insurer, and the names of anyone who saw it.
  4. Photograph the crossing, signals, lights and any broken sidewalk.
  5. Order the report. Dallas Police charges $6 and it is usually ready in 5 to 7 working days.3132
  6. Ask Parkland's records office for your chart at 5200 Harry Hines Blvd., and bring a photo ID.33

Who pays when a pedestrian is hit by a car in Dallas?

Usually the driver's insurer, up to the policy limit. If the driver has no insurance or too little, your own auto policy may help, even though you were on foot. Texas minimums are $30,000 per person, which a hospital stay can use up.34

A government may also be involved if a city vehicle hit you or a dangerous condition on city property played a part. Written notice must reach the Office of Risk Management at 1500 Marilla 6A South within six months after the injury.435 It should say what happened, how badly you were hurt and how much you are asking for.36 Do not count on an email to DART as notice either.37

What should I ask a pedestrian accident lawyer in Dallas?

  • How do you prove who had the right of way at my crossing?
  • Will you ask nearby businesses for video before it is erased?
  • Could the city or another agency share responsibility?
  • Does my own auto policy help even though I was walking?
  • If I was on a rented scooter, who else might be responsible?

Questions

Can a pedestrian sue if hit by a car in Dallas?

Yes, generally within 2 years, unless your share of blame is more than 50 percent.315

Is it the driver's fault if I was not in a crosswalk?

Not automatically. You must yield outside a crosswalk, but drivers must still use care.142

How many pedestrians die in Dallas each year?

43 in 2025, on roads other than limited-access highways.1

Can I ride a scooter on the sidewalk in Dallas?

Rented units must carry a label saying sidewalk riding is prohibited, and downtown has a mapped sidewalk ban.2425

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Dallas

Hit while walking or biking

Texas

Sources

  1. City of Dallas, Vision Zero 2025 Annual Progress Report (April 2026), checked 2026-11-08. “Pedestrians 47 50 55 46 43”
  2. Tex. Transp. Code § 552.008, checked 2026-11-08. “the operator of a vehicle shall: (1) exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian on a roadway;”
  3. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  4. Dallas City Charter, Chapter XXIII, Section 1, checked 2026-11-08. “within six months after the injury was received”
  5. City of Dallas, Vision Zero Crash and Survey Data Analysis, checked 2026-11-08. “pedestrians are significantly overrepresented in fatal and severe injury crashes”
  6. City of Dallas, Vision Zero Crash and Survey Data Analysis, checked 2026-11-08. “1. Pedestrian-Involved Crashes (30% of crashes)”
  7. City of Dallas, Vision Zero Crash and Survey Data Analysis, checked 2026-11-08. “the highest density of severe crashes occurring from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm”
  8. City of Dallas, Vision Zero Action Plan, checked 2026-11-08. “It does not include the access-controlled main lanes of highways (e.g., US 75, IH-35E, Dallas North Tollway).”
  9. City of Dallas, Vision Zero 2025 Annual Progress Report, checked 2026-11-08. “five pedestrian safety corridors (Maple, Camp Wisdom, Lake June, Ferguson, and St. Augustine)”
  10. City of Dallas, Sidewalk Master Plan, checked 2026-11-08. “there were 4,536 miles of existing sidewalk”
  11. City of Dallas, Sidewalk Master Plan, checked 2026-11-08. “needed to fill in all 2,086 miles of sidewalk gaps”
  12. Tex. Transp. Code § 552.002(b), checked 2026-11-08. “A pedestrian or sidewalk user facing a "Walk" signal may proceed across a roadway in the direction of the signal, and the operator of a vehicle shall stop and yield the right-of-way to the pedestrian or sidewalk user.”
  13. Tex. Transp. Code § 552.003(a), checked 2026-11-08. “The operator of a vehicle shall stop and yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing a roadway in a crosswalk if: (1) no traffic control signal is in place or in operation; and (2) the pedestrian is: (A) on the half of the roadway in which the vehicle is traveling”
  14. Tex. Transp. Code § 552.005(a), checked 2026-11-08. “A pedestrian shall yield the right-of-way to a vehicle on the highway if crossing a roadway at a place: (1) other than in a marked crosswalk or in an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection”
  15. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001, checked 2026-11-08. “a claimant may not recover damages if his percentage of responsibility is greater than 50 percent”
  16. Tex. Transp. Code § 551.101(a), checked 2026-11-08. “A person operating a bicycle has the rights and duties applicable to a driver operating a vehicle under this subtitle”
  17. Tex. Transp. Code § 551.103(a), checked 2026-11-08. “a person operating a bicycle on a roadway who is moving slower than the other traffic on the roadway shall ride as near as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway, unless:”
  18. City of Dallas, Vision Zero 2025 Annual Progress Report, checked 2026-11-08. “Bicyclists 3 5 4 0 2”
  19. City of Dallas, Vision Zero 2025 Annual Progress Report, checked 2026-11-08. “Other (Motor Scooters, etc.) 1 2 1 3 1”
  20. City of Dallas, Shared Dockless Vehicle Program, checked 2026-11-08. “Bird (silver and blue vehicles) and Lime (green and white vehicles)”
  21. City of Dallas, Shared Dockless Vehicle Program Rules, checked 2026-11-08. “Users may not ride shared dockless vehicles on roads with speed limits greater than 35 miles per hour”
  22. City of Dallas, Shared Dockless Vehicle Program Rules, checked 2026-11-08. “Shared dockless vehicles may not be ridden before 5:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m.”
  23. City of Dallas, Shared Dockless Vehicle Program Rules, checked 2026-11-08. “Shared dockless vehicles may not exceed 20 miles per hour”
  24. City of Dallas, Shared Dockless Vehicle Program Rules, checked 2026-11-08. “Riding on Sidewalks is Prohibited”
  25. City of Dallas, Sidewalk Riding Prohibition Area map, checked 2026-11-08. “Bicycles and Scooterscannot be ridden on sidewalkswithin this boundary”
  26. City of Dallas, Shared Dockless Vehicle Program Rules, checked 2026-11-08. “all operators shall provide a collision history report including the number, severity, location and time of crash to program staff”
  27. Dallas Police Department, Traffic Unit, checked 2026-11-08. “The investigation of serious injury or death related to vehicular crashes.”
  28. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “PARKLAND MEMORIAL HOSPITAL 7/1/2028 E DALLAS 75235”
  29. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “BAYLOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER 4/1/2028 E DALLAS 75246”
  30. Texas DSHS, Texas Trauma Facilities, checked 2026-11-08. “METHODIST DALLAS MEDICAL CENTER 12/1/2027 E DALLAS 75203”
  31. Dallas Police, Types of Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “There is a $6.00 fee for the accident report if requested through the mail or if picked up in person.”
  32. Dallas Police, Types of Reports, checked 2026-11-08. “Reports are usually available 5 to 7 working days after the accident.”
  33. Parkland Health, Medical Records, checked 2026-11-08. “5200 Harry Hines Blvd, 1st floor, Suite 01-603”
  34. Tex. Transp. Code § 601.072(a-1), checked 2026-11-08. “(1) $30,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person in one collision; (2) $60,000 for bodily injury to or death of two or more persons in one collision, subject to the amount provided by Subdivision (1) for bodily injury to or death of one of the persons; and (3) $25,000 for damage to or destruction of property of others in one collision.”
  35. City of Dallas, Notice of Claim Form, checked 2026-11-08. “OFFICE OF RISK MANAGEMENT 1500 MARILLA 6A SOUTH DALLAS, TEXAS 75201 214-671-9458”
  36. Dallas City Charter, Chapter XXIII, Section 1, checked 2026-11-08. “when, where, and how the exact injury occurred; (2) the full extent of the injury; and (3) the amount of damages claimed or asserted”
  37. DART, Legal Notices, checked 2026-11-08. “communications made through E-Mail or other messaging system shall in no way be deemed to constitute legal notice to DART”

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