Irving Bicycle Accident Lawyer

Trusted bicycle accident lawyers with over 13 years of experience.

Our Irving, TX bicycle accident lawyer at Kelso Law PLLC has handled bike crash claims throughout North Texas for 13 years. Founder Rhiannon Kelso builds these cases for trial when carriers refuse to take a cyclist’s injuries seriously. Call us today to see how we can help.

Bicycle Accident Lawyer Irving, TX

A bicycle accident claim is a personal injury case brought by a cyclist who was hurt because of someone else’s negligence, almost always a driver. Texas treats bicycles as vehicles for most purposes under the Transportation Code, which means cyclists have the same right to the road as cars, along with most of the same duties.

These cases turn on whether the driver violated a duty owed to the rider, like maintaining a safe passing distance, yielding at intersections, or watching for cyclists when opening a car door. The injuries tend to be severe because there’s no metal between the rider and the road.

Types of Bicycle Accident Cases We Handle in Irving

Bike crashes happen in dozens of ways, and each type calls for different evidence and different liability arguments. Some cases hinge on traffic camera footage. Others come down to driver statements, scene photos, or the cyclist’s own helmet camera. Below are the most common bicycle accident cases we handle for Irving riders.

• Right-hook collisions. A driver passes a cyclist and immediately turns right across the rider’s path. These crashes are almost always the driver’s fault and typically involve a violation of Texas laws that protect cyclists.
• Left-cross intersection crashes. A driver turning left across oncoming traffic fails to yield to a cyclist heading straight through the intersection. Our Irving bicycle accident lawyer can pull traffic signal data and witness statements to establish the driver’s failure to yield.
• Dooring incidents. A driver or passenger opens a car door into a passing cyclist’s path. Texas drivers can encourage the Dutch Reach habit to prevent these crashes, but when they don’t, liability usually falls clearly on the door opener.
• Rear-end strikes. A driver hits a cyclist from behind, often because of distraction, speeding, or following too closely. These cases produce some of the most severe injuries and are usually clear on liability.
• Hit-and-run crashes. Drivers flee the scene more often in cycling cases than in car-on-car wrecks. We pursue hit-and-run options, including uninsured motorist coverage on any household auto policy and any available video evidence.
• Crashes caused by road defects. Potholes, uneven pavement, missing manhole covers, and construction debris can cause a rider to go down without any vehicle contact at all. Liability may rest with a city, contractor, or property owner, depending on where the defect is.
• Crashes involving rideshare drivers. Distracted Uber and Lyft drivers cause cyclist injuries with some regularity. Rideshare crashes trigger layered insurance that depends on whether the driver was logged in, en route to a pickup, or carrying a passenger.
• Catastrophic injury cases. Cyclists hit at speed often suffer head trauma, spinal damage, or multiple fractures. These claims fall into the broader catastrophic injury category and require detailed lifetime damage modeling.
• Fatal bike crashes. When a rider is killed, the family can pursue a wrongful death claim along with a survival action for the cyclist’s pre-death pain. We coordinate both tracks under one investigation.

Why Choose Kelso Law PLLC for Bicycle Accidents in Irving, TX?

A Trial Lawyer Who Knows How These Cases Get Undervalued

Insurance carriers have a playbook for cyclist claims. They argue the rider was outside the bike lane, riding without a helmet, ignoring traffic signals, or wearing dark clothing. Our founder has spent 13 years pushing back against those defenses. Our Irving personal injury lawyer has secured millions of dollars for injured clients across North Texas. Rhiannon Kelso is a member of the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association.

No Cost Until We Recover

Bike crash victims rarely have spare cash for hourly legal fees while they’re out of work. We handle these cases on contingency, meaning no upfront cost and no fee unless we recover for you. Our Irving bicycle accident lawyer can also provide bilingual representation in English and Spanish.

Understanding Bicycle Accident Cases

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Bicycle Accident Cases

Texas law allows a hurt cyclist to recover both economic and non-economic damages, and punitive damages where a driver acted with gross negligence. Bike cases often involve serious medical bills relative to the accident’s appearance because of how exposed riders are. Recoverable damages typically include:

• Past and future medical expenses, including emergency care, surgery, and rehabilitation
• Lost wages and any loss of future earning capacity
• Bicycle replacement and other property damage
• Physical pain and mental anguish
• Disfigurement and physical impairment, including scarring from road rash
• Loss of consortium for a spouse where applicable
• Punitive damages where the driver was grossly negligent, as in a DWI crash

Liability requires proof of duty, breach, causation, and damages. Texas applies a modified comparative fault rule, so a cyclist found more than 50% at fault recovers nothing. Drivers and their insurers often try to push fault onto the rider, which is why early action from our Irving bicycle accident lawyer can make a difference.

Important Aspects of Your Bicycle Accident Case

A few realities define how these cases proceed. Knowing them at the outset helps cyclists avoid mistakes that hurt the value of their claim.

• The two-year statute of limitations for personal injury runs from the date of the crash
• Insurance adjusters often request recorded statements before injuries are fully diagnosed
• Helmet use is not required for adult cyclists in most Texas cities, and cannot be used to bar recovery
• Medical attention should happen even if the rider feels okay at the scene, since some injuries take days to present
• Uninsured motorist coverage on your own auto policy may apply even though you were on a bike

Bicycle Accident Case Timeline

Most bike crash cases resolve within 12 to 18 months, though catastrophic injury claims run longer because the medical course needs time to stabilize.

• Investigation, scene documentation, and evidence preservation in the first weeks
• Medical treatment to maximum medical improvement
• Demand letter and pre-suit negotiations with the driver’s carrier
• Lawsuit filing if no fair settlement is reached
• Discovery, depositions, and mediation
• Trial or final settlement

Settlement is possible at any point along this path. Many cases resolve once the carrier sees a fully prepared file pointed at trial.

What to Bring to Your Bicycle Accident Consultation

You don’t need to gather a complete file before meeting with us. Anything you have on hand makes the first conversation more useful, but we can subpoena most records ourselves.

• Police or crash report, if one was filed
• Photos of your bike, your injuries, the scene, and the driver’s vehicle
• Medical records or hospital discharge paperwork
• Insurance information for the driver and any policy of your own
• Helmet camera footage, witness contact information, and any dashcam clips you’ve located

Consultations are free and confidential, and there’s no obligation to retain us. Most cyclists leave the first meeting with our Irving bicycle accident attorney with a clearer sense of whether they have a case and what it could be worth.

Texas Legal Resources for Bicycle Accidents

A few public resources can help cyclists understand the law and the data behind crashes. These don’t replace a conversation with a lawyer, but they’re useful starting points.

• Texas Transportation Code Chapter 551. The statute that defines a bicycle as a vehicle and sets out a cyclist’s rights and duties.
• Texas CPRC Section 16.003. The two-year statute of limitations for personal injury actions.
• Texas CPRC Chapter 33. Modified comparative fault and proportionate responsibility.
• TxDOT bicycle safety. State data on bicycle crashes and rider safety information.
• NHTSA bicyclist safety. Federal crash data, fatality trends, and rider resources.

Negligence in Texas follows a 51% modified comparative fault rule, and the deadline to file most personal injury lawsuits is two years from the date of the crash.

Reach Out to Kelso Law PLLC to Schedule a Consultation

A bicycle crash leaves you with injuries, bills, and a damaged bike, often all at once. We can help sort through what’s recoverable and from whom. At Kelso Law PLLC, our bicycle accident attorneys offer free, confidential consultations with no obligation. Contact us today to work with our Irving bicycle accident lawyer!