EXPERIENCED PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER SERVING ALL OF TEXAS
Written by Geoffrey Dashner. Read more about the author.
Motorcycle crashes leave riders dealing with serious injuries, complicated insurance negotiations, and a legal process most people have never navigated before. At Dashner Law Firm | Irving Injury & Accident Attorney, I work with riders across the Dallas-Fort Worth area who are trying to figure out exactly what to do next. The questions I hear most often are not “do I need a lawyer?” — most people already suspect they do — but rather “how do I find the right one?” and “what should I watch out for?” Those are the right questions. This post answers them directly.
How to Choose a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Texas in Irving?
The short answer: find a Texas-licensed attorney who handles motorcycle cases specifically, has a documented record of settlements and verdicts in personal injury matters, works on contingency (so you pay nothing unless you recover), and is willing to meet with you before you commit. That combination filters out most of the wrong choices.
More specifically, start by confirming the attorney is licensed with the State Bar of Texas and has no disciplinary history — you can verify both in about two minutes on the State Bar’s public website. Then ask directly: what percentage of their caseload is motorcycle accidents versus car accidents, slip-and-falls, or other injury matters? Motorcycle crash claims carry unique fact patterns. Bias against riders exists — among insurers, and sometimes among juries — and an attorney who tries a few motorcycle cases per year alongside a general personal injury docket may not have the depth of experience to counter it effectively.
After that, the criteria narrow further: real trial experience (not just settlement history), local knowledge of Dallas County and Tarrant County courts, and a fee structure you understand before you sign anything. The sections below walk through each of those factors in detail.
How to Choose a Personal Injury Lawyer for a Motorcycle Accident in Texas?
Not every personal injury attorney is equipped to handle a motorcycle crash claim. The legal theory — negligence, comparative fault, damages — is the same, but the evidence and the advocacy work differently.
Riders face what insurance defense teams call “contributory bias.” Adjusters and defense lawyers routinely argue that a motorcyclist was speeding, lane-splitting recklessly, or not wearing adequate gear, even when the other driver ran a red light or failed to yield. A personal injury lawyer who mostly handles rear-end car accidents may not be practiced at dismantling that argument. Ask specifically: have they retained accident reconstruction experts in motorcycle cases? Have they deposed insurance adjusters or defense experts in these claims? Have they taken a motorcycle case to trial?
Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code § 33.001. If a jury finds you were 51% or more at fault, you recover nothing. Below that threshold, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault. That standard makes early case-building critical — the more thoroughly your attorney documents the other driver’s negligence before the insurer sets its internal reserve, the harder it is for the defense to shift fault onto you later. According to the American Bar Association, clients consistently report better outcomes when their attorney began preserving evidence within the first 72 hours after an accident.
Also look at the depth of the firm’s resources. Hiring experts — biomechanical engineers, life-care planners for long-term injury cases, treating physicians willing to testify — costs money upfront. Smaller firms sometimes hesitate to invest in expert witnesses on cases that may not settle quickly. Ask the attorney directly how they fund that work and whether they advance litigation costs on your behalf.
How to Choose the Best Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Texas?
“Best” is subjective, but there are objective markers worth checking.
First, look at their actual results. Verdicts and settlements in motorcycle and Texas personal injury cases are the clearest signal of what an attorney can actually accomplish. You can review our verdicts and settlements to get a sense of the outcomes we’ve achieved for clients. Raw numbers matter, but context matters more — a $500,000 settlement in a case with clear liability and catastrophic injuries is less impressive than a $350,000 settlement in a disputed-liability case where the insurer initially offered $40,000.
Second, check peer recognition and client reviews separately. Peer recognition — board certifications, Super Lawyers listings, Martindale-Hubbell ratings — tells you that other lawyers respect the attorney’s work. Client reviews tell you how the attorney treats non-lawyers. Both matter. An attorney who is technically excellent but unreachable during a six-month negotiation is not the best choice for most clients.
Third, ask about their trial rate. Some personal injury firms settle virtually every case because they are structured as high-volume operations — sign clients, negotiate, settle, repeat. That works for straightforward cases. For seriously injured riders with disputed liability, the threat of trial is what forces insurers to make real offers. An attorney who never goes to trial loses that leverage. FindLaw notes that defendants and their insurers track which attorneys actually take cases to verdict; it affects how they respond to demand letters.
I’ve seen cases in this area where the first offer from an insurer was $18,000 on a claim that ultimately resolved for more than $200,000 after we filed suit and prepared for trial. That gap is not unusual. It reflects the insurer’s calculation of how serious they think your attorney is.
Why Hire a Motorcycle Accident Lawyer in Texas Instead of Handling the Claim Myself?
I understand why people consider handling their own claims. The process looks manageable from the outside — file a claim, submit medical records, negotiate a number. But the mechanics of a motorcycle injury claim are more complicated than that framing suggests.
Insurance companies assign experienced adjusters whose job is to settle claims for as little as possible. Those adjusters understand Texas tort law, they know the standard value ranges for various injury types, and they know exactly what documentation is required to support a demand. An unrepresented claimant typically does not know any of that — and the adjuster is not going to volunteer the information.
The CDC’s injury data consistently shows that motorcyclists suffer disproportionately severe injuries in crashes — traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, multiple fractures, road rash requiring skin grafts. Those injury types produce complex damages: future medical care, lost earning capacity, permanent disability, pain and suffering. Calculating those figures accurately requires medical expertise, actuarial analysis, and an understanding of how Texas juries value those losses. Underestimate the value and you may sign a release that bars any future recovery, even if your condition worsens. For serious injuries, you cannot afford to get that number wrong. The NIH has documented that secondary complications from motorcycle crash injuries — including traumatic brain injuries — often manifest months after the initial event, well after an unrepresented claimant may have already settled.
There’s also the statute of limitations. Texas gives most personal injury plaintiffs two years from the date of the accident to file suit under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003. Missing that deadline — even by one day — ends your right to recover. An attorney tracks that clock for you and manages every procedural deadline that comes before it.
How to Choose a Motorcycle Accident Attorney with Contingency Fees in Texas?
Most Texas motorcycle accident attorneys handle these cases on contingency, meaning you pay no attorney’s fee unless you recover money. The typical contingency fee in Texas personal injury cases ranges from 33% if the case settles before suit to 40% or higher if the case goes to trial. Those percentages are negotiable to a degree, but the range is fairly standard across the state.
Here is what many clients miss: the fee percentage is only part of the cost picture. Litigation costs — filing fees, deposition costs, expert witness fees, medical record retrieval — are separate from the attorney’s fee and are typically advanced by the firm and deducted from your recovery at the end. Ask any attorney you consult: do you advance litigation costs? Are those costs deducted before or after the fee is calculated? The difference matters. If a $100,000 settlement has $10,000 in costs and a 33% fee, the math is different depending on whether the fee is calculated on $100,000 or $90,000.
Get the fee agreement in writing before you sign anything. Under Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 1.04, contingency fee agreements must be in writing and must clearly state the method by which the fee is determined. If an attorney is reluctant to put the terms in writing before you retain them, that is a problem. Justia provides a solid breakdown of how contingency fee structures work in Texas personal injury cases if you want to read more before your first consultation.
Also ask whether the firm has a minimum case threshold — some firms decline cases below a certain projected value because the economics don’t work on contingency. Knowing that upfront saves everyone time.
How to Choose a Motorcycle Accident Attorney with Reduced Fees in Texas?
Reduced fees in personal injury cases are less common than contingency arrangements, but they exist in specific situations. Some attorneys offer a lower percentage for straightforward liability cases where settlement is likely without litigation. Others reduce their percentage for former clients or for cases referred by existing clients. A few firms offer sliding-scale arrangements based on case value.
My honest advice: do not make the fee percentage your primary selection criterion. I have seen clients choose attorneys with lower advertised fees and end up with recoveries that were smaller than what they would have received from an attorney charging a standard rate with deeper experience. A skilled negotiator who charges 33% and recovers $150,000 nets you more than a lower-fee attorney who settles for $80,000. The fee structure matters, but the attorney’s track record matters more.
That said, it is entirely reasonable to ask about fee flexibility, especially if your case is straightforward — clear liability, documented injuries, responsive insurer. Bring it up directly during your consultation. Most attorneys will tell you honestly whether there’s room to discuss the percentage.
If cost is a barrier to even getting a consultation, know that most personal injury firms, including ours, offer free initial consultations. You can learn more about our team and what to expect before you ever pick up the phone.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign a Retainer
This section gets practical. Bring these questions to any consultation:
How many motorcycle accident cases have you handled in the past three years, and what were the outcomes? What is your honest assessment of liability in my case? Who at your firm will handle my case day-to-day — you, or a paralegal? What is your trial rate — how often do your cases actually go to verdict? What is the full breakdown of your fee and how costs are handled?
If an attorney cannot answer those questions directly, or if the answers feel rehearsed and vague, trust that instinct. A good attorney will tell you if your case is weak. They will give you a realistic range rather than an inflated number designed to win your signature. They will explain the process without making it sound simple. Cornell Law School’s overview of negligence law is a useful reference if you want to understand the legal framework before your consultation so you can ask more informed questions.
One thing I always tell prospective clients: the attorney-client relationship in a motorcycle injury case can last two years or longer. You are choosing someone to represent your interests through a process that may include surgery, physical therapy, depositions, and mediation. Make sure you trust them as a person, not just as a legal technician.
What Irving Riders Should Know Specifically?
Irving sits at the intersection of major freight and commuter corridors — I-635, SH-183, SH-114 — and the traffic patterns here create specific hazards for motorcyclists. Merging truck traffic on 635, aggressive lane changes near DFW Airport access roads, and distracted drivers on 183 near Las Colinas are patterns I see repeatedly in the cases that come through our office.
Cases originating in Irving may be filed in Dallas County or Tarrant County depending on where the collision occurred and where the defendant resides. Those two courts have different local rules, different mediation practices, and different jury pool tendencies. Knowing which venue applies and how to position your case for that venue is the kind of local knowledge that genuinely affects outcomes. It’s one reason working with an attorney who practices in this area specifically — not just anywhere in Texas — matters.
For riders who have been involved in crashes involving commercial trucks on those corridors, the claims process is significantly more complex. Federal motor carrier regulations apply, and the trucking company’s insurer will respond aggressively. Our Texas Truck Accident Attorneys page covers that scenario in more detail.
Ready to Talk
If you were injured in a motorcycle crash and you’re trying to figure out your next step, start with a free consultation. There’s no obligation and no cost.
Contact Dashner Law Firm | Irving Injury & Accident Attorney at (972) 635-4460, or get in touch through our contact page. You can also visit our Irving office at 4500 Fuller Dr, Irving, TX 75038.
We handle motorcycle accident cases throughout Texas, and we advance all litigation costs — you pay nothing unless we recover for you. If you want to see what we’ve accomplished for past clients before you call, review our verdicts and settlements.
