EXPERIENCED PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER SERVING ALL OF TEXAS
Written by Geoffrey Dashner. Read more about the author.
Most people assume that pedestrian accidents are a highway problem — a rural road issue, or something that happens in cities far larger than Irving. The data tells a different story. Right here in the DFW metroplex, walkers and joggers are being struck by vehicles at an alarming rate, and the numbers have been climbing. If you or someone you love has been hit by a car while on foot, the stakes could not be higher. At Dashner Law Firm | Irving Injury & Accident Attorney, we handle these cases regularly, and I want to share what the numbers actually look like — and what options injured pedestrians have under Texas law.
Are Pedestrian Accidents on the Rise in Texas in Irving?
Yes. Pedestrian fatalities across Texas have increased significantly over the past several years, and the Irving corridor has not been immune. The CDC tracks pedestrian deaths as a public health issue, and Texas consistently ranks among the top five states nationally for pedestrian fatalities. According to the Texas Department of Transportation’s most recent data, pedestrian crashes statewide increased by more than 12 percent between 2021 and 2025. In 2026, that trend shows no sign of reversing.
Irving sits at a challenging crossroads — literally. The city straddles major freight corridors, has a dense commercial belt along Loop 12 and SH-183, and sees substantial foot traffic from neighborhoods adjacent to heavy vehicle roads. The Las Colinas area, the stretch near MacArthur Boulevard, and sections of Story Road have all produced serious pedestrian injury cases in my practice. These are not isolated rural events. They happen in daylight, at familiar intersections, to people running errands or walking to work.
Part of what drives the rise is infrastructure lag. Population in the DFW area has grown faster than sidewalk networks, crosswalk signaling, and pedestrian signal timing. More people walk, but the roads were engineered for cars. Add distracted driving — a problem the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has documented extensively — and you get a predictable outcome: more pedestrians hit by drivers who never saw them.
How Many Car Accidents Involve Pedestrians in Texas?
Texas recorded approximately 6,800 pedestrian crashes in 2025, resulting in roughly 850 fatalities and thousands of serious injuries. That translates to nearly 19 pedestrian crashes every single day across the state. The National Safety Council has noted that pedestrian deaths account for a disproportionately large share of overall traffic fatalities given how few vehicle miles pedestrians represent. In other words, if you’re on foot and get hit, the outcome is far more likely to be catastrophic than if two cars collide.
What those raw numbers obscure is severity. A pedestrian struck at 35 mph faces a fatality risk of around 50 percent. At 45 mph, that risk climbs above 80 percent. The Mayo Clinic has documented the range of injuries pedestrian victims typically sustain — traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, fractured femurs, internal bleeding, and crush injuries to the lower extremities. These injuries routinely require months of hospitalization, multiple surgeries, and long-term rehabilitation. The financial toll can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars before a case is ever resolved.
From a legal standpoint, every one of those 6,800 Texas crashes potentially involves a claim for compensation. Many go unfiled because the victim doesn’t know their rights, or because they mistakenly believe the driver’s insurance will simply pay. Insurance companies do not operate that way. They investigate, dispute liability, and minimize payouts. A Texas pedestrian accident lawsuit attorney who knows this process can make the difference between a full recovery and a lowball settlement that doesn’t cover your medical bills.
What Percentage of Pedestrian Accidents Happen at Intersections in Texas?
Roughly 30 to 35 percent of pedestrian crashes in Texas occur at intersections or in their immediate vicinity, according to TxDOT crash data. That might seem lower than expected, but it reflects a real pattern: a large share of pedestrian strikes happen mid-block, in parking lots, and in driveways — places where walkers expect fewer cars, and where drivers aren’t primed to look.
That said, intersections produce a disproportionate number of the most serious crashes. The geometry of an intersection puts pedestrians and turning vehicles in direct conflict, and that conflict most often ends badly for the person on foot. In my experience, intersection crashes tend to involve either a driver running a red light or a driver making a turn — usually a left turn — without checking for pedestrians in the crosswalk.
Irving has several high-risk intersections that come up repeatedly in pedestrian injury cases: the MacArthur and Airport Freeway corridor, Story Road near Belt Line, and the O’Connor Road stretch adjacent to the Las Colinas employment district. These are places where pedestrian volumes are higher than average and driver attention is frequently compromised by traffic, signage overload, and complex turning movements.
How To Prevent Pedestrian Accidents in Texas?
Prevention looks different depending on which side of the equation you’re on.
For pedestrians, the most effective habits are also the least popular: crossing only at marked crosswalks with active signals, making eye contact with drivers before stepping off the curb, wearing bright or reflective clothing at dusk and after dark, and never assuming a driver has seen you just because you have the right of way. That last point is critical. Legally having the right of way and physically surviving a collision are two separate things. I’ve sat across from clients who did everything correctly and still got hit because a driver was looking at a phone. Being right doesn’t protect you in the moment.
For drivers, the prevention measures are straightforward but frequently ignored. Yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks — Texas Transportation Code Section 552.003 requires it. Slow down in school zones, residential neighborhoods, and any area where foot traffic is realistic. Check side mirrors and look both ways before completing a turn. Avoid driving when fatigued. The CDC estimates that drowsy driving contributes to tens of thousands of crashes annually.
City and state infrastructure plays a role too. Extended pedestrian crossing times, better lighting at night, and raised crosswalks in high-risk zones all reduce injuries. Advocacy groups have pushed for these improvements along Irving’s commercial corridors for years, with uneven results. If you know of a dangerous stretch in your neighborhood, reporting it to the City of Irving’s traffic engineering department creates a documented record that can matter in litigation if an accident later occurs there.
How To Avoid Left Turn Accidents Involving Pedestrians in Texas?
Left turns are genuinely one of the most dangerous movements in urban driving, and the reason is predictable: the driver’s attention is split between oncoming traffic, the gap in that traffic, and the pedestrian phase of the signal. When a gap finally opens, drivers often accelerate into the turn without completing a full scan of the crosswalk.
The result is what we see regularly in pedestrian accident cases — a driver who genuinely did not see the pedestrian, isn’t lying about it, and is still completely liable. Texas law does not require intent or even carelessness in the egregious sense. If a driver fails to yield to a pedestrian lawfully crossing on a green signal while the driver completes a left turn, that driver is negligent under Texas law. Full stop.
For drivers: before completing any left turn, look specifically at the far side of the crosswalk, not just the near side. Pedestrians crossing a wide road may be farther along than you expect. Never assume the crosswalk is clear just because you didn’t see anyone step off the curb when your turn began. For pedestrians: be especially cautious at intersections where left-turning vehicles are common. Even with a walk signal, watch for drivers completing turns. Hesitating one second before stepping into the crosswalk has prevented countless strikes.
From a litigation standpoint, left-turn pedestrian accidents often produce clear liability because the driver’s duty to yield is explicit in the Texas Transportation Code. These cases turn on the physical evidence — traffic camera footage, skid marks, point of impact data — and on witness accounts. Preserving that evidence quickly is essential, which is one reason I tell people to contact a pedestrian accident attorney as soon as they’re medically stable.
When Is a Pedestrian at Fault for a Car Accident in Texas?
Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 33. A pedestrian can be found partially or fully at fault for a crash. If a pedestrian’s own negligence is found to be 51 percent or more of the cause of the accident, they are barred from recovering any compensation at all. Below that threshold, their recovery is reduced proportionally.
Pedestrian fault typically arises in situations like: crossing mid-block in a location where doing so is prohibited (jaywalking), crossing against a red pedestrian signal, stepping into traffic without adequate warning time, darting from between parked cars, or walking while severely intoxicated. None of these automatically defeat a claim, but they factor into how liability is allocated.
I’ve handled cases where insurers aggressively argued pedestrian fault to reduce their exposure. They’ll point to a slightly early departure from the curb, or a crossing slightly outside the painted lines, to chip away at fault percentages. This is where having a personal injury pedestrian lawyer who knows how Texas comparative fault works becomes important. The defense will build the strongest case they can for driver fault only being partial. Your lawyer needs to build an equally strong case in the other direction.
One scenario I see often: a pedestrian is crossing at a valid crosswalk, slightly before the signal changes to walk, and gets hit by a driver running a late yellow. The insurer argues the pedestrian had no right to be there. Texas case law generally does not support that argument if the pedestrian was in a marked crosswalk, but it still gets made. Knowing how courts and juries in Dallas County actually respond to these arguments — based on real trial experience, not just legal theory — is genuinely valuable. You can review our experience and background to get a better sense of how we approach these cases.
What Compensation Can Injured Pedestrians Recover in Texas?
Texas law allows injured pedestrians to seek damages for medical expenses — past and future — lost wages, diminished earning capacity, physical pain, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. In cases where a driver was intoxicated or acted with gross negligence, exemplary (punitive) damages may also be available.
The range of outcomes in these cases is wide. A pedestrian with a fractured wrist who heals fully within six months faces a different calculation than someone who sustains a traumatic brain injury requiring lifetime care. We’ve resolved cases at both ends of that spectrum, and what the numbers show — you can see some of our verdicts and settlements — is that full, accurate documentation of injury severity and long-term impact is the single biggest factor in recovering appropriate compensation.
Pedestrian accident cases also frequently involve hit-and-run drivers. Texas law provides some protection here: if you carry uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage on your own auto policy, that coverage can apply to a hit-and-run even when you were on foot. A Texas pedestrian hit-and-run attorney can help identify all potential sources of compensation, including UM/UIM coverage that the victim’s own insurer may not volunteer.
If you lost a family member in a pedestrian crash, Texas also allows surviving family members to bring a wrongful death claim against the responsible driver. The statute of limitations in Texas for personal injury and wrongful death claims is generally two years from the date of the incident, though specific circumstances can affect that deadline. Don’t wait.
What To Do After Being Hit as a Pedestrian in Irving?
Call 911 immediately. Don’t refuse medical attention at the scene even if you feel you can walk. Internal injuries and traumatic brain injuries frequently present with mild or no symptoms in the first hours. The Johns Hopkins Medicine trauma literature is clear that delayed presentation of serious injury is common in pedestrian accidents.
Get the driver’s name, license plate, insurance information, and phone number. Photograph the scene, your injuries, the vehicle, and the surrounding area. Ask bystanders for their contact information — witnesses matter enormously. If there’s a traffic camera or business surveillance camera nearby, note it and tell your attorney immediately. Footage gets overwritten fast, sometimes within 24 to 72 hours.
Don’t give a recorded statement to the driver’s insurance company before speaking to a lawyer. Insurers are skilled at asking questions in ways that surface information they can later use to argue comparative fault. Saying “I didn’t see the car coming” in a recorded statement is different from saying it to your attorney, where it’s protected. FindLaw and Justia both maintain accessible overviews of Texas pedestrian injury rights that are worth reviewing, but they are not substitutes for case-specific legal advice.
Talk to a Pedestrian Accident Lawyer in Irving
If you’ve been hit by a car in Irving or anywhere in the DFW area, the decisions you make in the first days after the accident shape what your case looks like months later. Evidence disappears. Witnesses move. Medical records from the acute phase establish the baseline for every future damage calculation.
At Dashner Law Firm | Irving Injury & Accident Attorney, we represent pedestrian accident victims throughout Texas — from initial investigation through trial if necessary. We work on contingency, which means you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. Our Texas pedestrian accident attorneys have handled cases ranging from intersection strikes and left-turn crashes to hit-and-run incidents on Irving’s commercial corridors.
Contact us to schedule a free consultation. Call our team directly at (972) 635-4460. You can also visit our Irving office at 4500 Fuller Dr, Irving, TX 75038.
The pedestrian accident compensation lawyer you choose in 2026 should have direct experience with Texas courts, Texas insurance practices, and the specific roads where these crashes happen. We do. Let’s talk.
