Hurt in a car crash in McKinney or elsewhere in Collin County? Kent Starr handles your free consultation personally from his McKinney office. Bring the records you have to discuss the crash, insurance questions and next steps. Keep meeting your own insurer's notice and cooperation requirements while you seek advice.
Free consultation. No obligation. Carla answers the phone in office hours. Kent does the consultation.
No attorney's fee unless he recovers money for you. Court costs and case expenses are separate from attorney's fees, and you remain responsible for them even if there is no recovery.
Kent Starr. McKinney office, licensed in Texas since 1997.
Put safety and medical care first. Exchange required details and give reasonable assistance to injured people. Save records only when safe. Notify your own insurer and meet its notice and cooperation duties. Seek advice before another insurer's recorded statement or release. Filing deadlines and shorter government notice rules may apply.
Call 911 for an emergency and seek prompt medical evaluation after an injury. Some symptoms appear later. The CDC lists concussion danger signs that need emergency care. A clinician should decide what tests and treatment you need. Do not delay emergency care to take photos or call a lawyer. Our Texas crash guide covers other first steps.
Stay out of traffic and do not return to a dangerous scene. If it is safe and does not delay care, photograph the vehicles, road conditions and signals. Save witness contact details, original recordings and the responding police agency's report number. Photos and reports can help explain what happened, but no single item proves a claim.
Under Texas Transportation Code § 550.023, a driver involved in a covered crash must provide their name, address, vehicle registration number and liability insurer's name, and show a driver's license if requested and available. Phone and policy numbers are useful extras. The law also requires reasonable assistance to an injured person, including arranging medical transportation when apparently necessary or requested. Call for help; do not put yourself or others in danger.
Notify your own insurer promptly and meet your policy's notice and cooperation requirements. Seek legal advice before giving another party's insurer a recorded statement or signing a release. These are different duties. If a request or deadline is unclear, ask promptly. Do not miss your own policy's deadline while waiting for a consultation.
Bring available records and any insurer letters or proposed release. You do not need a complete file to request a consultation. Call (214) 982-1408 during office hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central daily, or use the contact page. Kent takes the consultation himself. An online request is not an emergency service or a promise of an immediate reply.
The records that matter depend on how the crash happened. Keep originals and ask about preservation before a vehicle is repaired or recordings are lost.
After a rear-end crash on US-75 or SH-121, save photos of each vehicle, repair estimates and any dashcam recording. Note whether traffic was stopped and whether more than two vehicles were involved. Damage alone does not establish who was responsible or the extent of an injury.
What to bring: the available crash records and medical records. Tell your clinician about symptoms and prior injuries so care decisions rest on an accurate history.
For an intersection collision, write down the direction each vehicle traveled, the lanes involved and the signal you observed. Witness accounts and recordings may help resolve conflicting accounts. A nearby camera does not mean footage exists or is available to you.
What to bring: witness details and the locations of possible cameras. Ask promptly about lawful preservation requests. Do not enter private property or return to traffic to collect evidence.
A head-on collision may require review of vehicle positions, road markings, physical damage and available electronic data. What a vehicle records varies. Access and inspection may require permission or legal process.
What to ask: whether vehicles or data need to be preserved before repair or salvage. A request alone does not guarantee preservation or access. If someone died, our wrongful death page explains questions families may need to address.
A criminal investigation of an impaired driver is separate from an injured person's civil claim. An arrest does not by itself establish every part of an injury claim or guarantee compensation.
What to bring: the report number and any paperwork officers gave you. Record what you personally observed without guessing about test results. Do not assume a criminal case pauses the deadlines for a civil claim.
Your own policy may include uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. Whether it applies depends on the policy and crash facts. Save the police report number, witness details and any safe photographs of vehicle contact or identifying information.
What to bring: your declarations page and the policy if available. Notify your insurer promptly and follow its notice and cooperation requirements. Do not assume a hit-and-run claim is covered simply because another driver left.
For a rideshare or delivery crash, the driver's activity at the time can affect which coverage needs review. A company logo or an app account alone does not establish company responsibility.
What to bring: your trip receipt, driver and vehicle details, and screenshots available in your own account. Preserve the original messages. Ask about the scope of any company release before signing it.
For a person hit while walking or cycling, the crossing location, traffic controls and movements of everyone involved can matter. Preserve an unrepaired bike, helmet or clothing if safe to do so. No single crossing detail decides all questions of responsibility.
What to bring: available scene photos, witness details and care records. The comparative-fault rules below explain why a responsibility percentage matters, without promising recovery.
Do not approach a burning vehicle or handle damaged fuel or battery components. Get to safety and call 911. Once emergency needs are addressed, a qualified inspection may help investigate the cause of a fire. Fire alone does not prove a vehicle defect.
What to ask later: whether the vehicle needs lawful preservation before salvage. Keep treatment records and available photographs. Your clinician should guide burn care; evidence collection must not delay it.
These are general rules, not a deadline calculation or an assessment of your claim. The facts, parties and coverage matter.
Under § 16.003, a Texas personal injury lawsuit generally must be filed within two years after the claim accrues, often the crash date. Exceptions can change that analysis. Claims involving government entities or cities can have shorter notice requirements. Do not treat two years as permission to wait or assume insurance negotiations extend a deadline. Get advice about your specific dates promptly.
Where Chapter 33 applies, responsibility greater than 50% bars recovery. If damages are recoverable, the court reduces them by the claimant's assigned percentage of responsibility. Being 50% or less responsible does not guarantee recovery; liability, damages and other applicable rules still matter. See our Texas comparative-fault guide for more context.
Texas minimum auto liability insurance limits are $30,000 for bodily injury per person, $60,000 per accident and $25,000 for property damage. These are coverage limits, not promised compensation. State law also permits other methods of financial responsibility. Coverage available for a particular crash depends on the policy and facts. The Texas Department of Insurance guide explains liability and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.
Where a car accident lawsuit can be filed depends on the facts and the Texas venue rules, for example where the crash happened or where a defendant lives. Collin County's civil district courts and county courts at law sit at 2100 Bloomdale Road in McKinney. Our Collin County personal injury guide explains the countywide process.
Kent takes consultations personally at the McKinney office, 5900 S Lake Forest Dr Suite 200, McKinney, TX 75070. The office serves people with injury matters across Collin County, including Plano, Frisco and Allen.
Use your free consultation to discuss the crash, your concerns and any deadlines with Kent. Requesting a consultation does not itself establish representation.
Photos, insurer letters and available care records give the discussion a starting point. Ask what else may be needed and whether evidence needs prompt preservation.
Ask about the written fee agreement before deciding to hire Kent. The consultation is free. Case costs and expenses are separate from attorney fees; you remain responsible for them even if there is no recovery.
Free consultation. No obligation. Carla answers the phone in office hours. Kent does the consultation.
No attorney's fee unless he recovers money for you. Court costs and case expenses are separate from attorney's fees, and you remain responsible for them even if there is no recovery.