Car Accident Lawyer Plano TX — Act Before Time Runs Out

Most Plano accident victims have heard that Texas gives them two years to file a personal injury lawsuit. That's true. What surprises people is how many other deadlines come first — deadlines that quietly kill claims long before the two-year statute does.

Here is what really matters about timing in a Plano car wreck case.

What to Do After a Car Wreck in Texas

We walk you through the steps that protect your claim from the moment after the crash.

The Two-Year Statute of Limitations

Under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code § 16.003, you have two years from the date of the wreck to file suit for personal injury or property damage. Miss that filing deadline and the case is over, regardless of how strong the facts were.

A handful of narrow tolling rules apply — minors, mental incapacity, defendants who left the state — but none should be relied on. The safe assumption is that you have 730 days, period.

The Deadlines Most People Miss

1. Government Tort Notice (As Short as 45 Days)

If a Plano police vehicle, a Plano ISD school bus, a city sanitation truck, a DART vehicle, or any city/county/state employee was involved — or if the wreck was caused by a road defect — you must give formal written notice to the governmental unit. The City of Plano requires written notice of injury within 45 days under its home-rule charter. DART, the State of Texas, and Collin County all have their own notice rules under the Texas Tort Claims Act (Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Chapter 101). Miss notice and the lawsuit is barred — even if you file within the two-year window.

2. Insurance Reporting (Generally 30 Days)

Most Texas auto policies require "prompt notice" of any covered accident. Insurers commonly try to enforce 30-day notice as a hard rule. Failing to report can give the carrier a coverage defense — including against your own UM/UIM claim.

3. Evidence That Disappears in Days

• City and TxDOT intersection cameras: typically 3–14 days
• Business and gas-station surveillance: 7–30 days
• Apartment complex and HOA cameras: often 5–7 days
• Ring / Nest doorbell footage: 30 days for paid plans, less without
• Commercial vehicle ECM "black box" data: overwritten on the next trip if the truck is repaired
• Cell phone records (texting / app use): require a preservation letter immediately

4. ALR Hearing (15 Days, for DWI-Involved Crashes)

If the at-fault driver was arrested for DWI and you were injured, you may be a witness in an administrative license revocation case — and the lawyer defending the criminal case will be subpoenaing officers within 15 days. Your civil lawyer should be coordinating with the criminal prosecution to lock in evidence.

5. PIP / MedPay Reasonable-Time Filing

Texas PIP and MedPay coverages typically require submission of bills within a fixed window. Late submission can cost you immediate medical-bill coverage that does not reduce your final settlement.

Where Plano Wrecks Happen

• US-75 / Central Expressway — the heaviest crash corridor in Collin County. High-speed rear-ends and lane-change wrecks dominate.
• Sam Rayburn Tollway (SH-121) — merge and weave crashes between Independence and the Tollway.
• Dallas North Tollway — commuter crashes between Park and Spring Creek.
• President George Bush Turnpike (PGBT) — high-speed multi-vehicle crashes, particularly in rain.
• Legacy Drive, Spring Creek Parkway, 15th Street, Parker Road — surface-street T-bones at heavy signalized intersections.
• Legacy West and The Shops at Legacy — parking-lot and rideshare-related wrecks.

How Texas Comparative Fault Affects Your Plano Case

Texas follows modified comparative fault under § 33.001: your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault, and at 51% fault you recover nothing. Insurance carriers know this and routinely argue that you were partly responsible — for speeding, for not braking sooner, for failing to wear a seat belt (which Texas allows as evidence of fault in some cases after Nabors Well Services v. Romero, 456 S.W.3d 553 (Tex. 2015)).

This is why the first 30 days of a case — locking in the police report, witness statements, and physical evidence — matter more than the final 30 days before trial.

What Your Plano Crash Is Probably Worth

Honest answer: nobody can tell you that on a phone call. Real case value depends on:

• Severity and permanence of injury
• Past and reasonably necessary future medical care
• Wage loss and lost earning capacity
• Liability clarity
• Available insurance coverage (often the hard cap)
• Pain, mental anguish, impairment, disfigurement
• County and likely jury pool

An honest lawyer will tell you the range only after reviewing your medical records and the at-fault driver's policy declarations. Anyone who promises a specific dollar number at intake is selling.

What to Do Today

1. Get the CR-3 crash report — available from the Texas Department of Transportation or directly from Plano PD.
2. See a doctor and follow through on every recommended treatment.
3. Photograph everything that still shows damage: your vehicle, the scene, the injuries, the other driver's plate.
4. Save every receipt, prescription, mileage record, and missed-work note.
5. Do not give a recorded statement to the at-fault carrier without a lawyer.
6. Call a personal injury attorney before evidence ages.