Richardson Personal Injury Lawyer

Trusted personal injury lawyers with over 13 years of experience.

At Kelso Law PLLC, our Richardson, TX personal injury lawyer has spent 13 years on the plaintiff’s side of these cases, with a record of taking matters to trial when carriers won’t pay fair value. Founder Rhiannon Kelso has secured eight-figure verdicts and seven-figure settlements for North Texas clients. Call us today to schedule your consultation!

Personal Injury Lawyer Richardson, TX

A personal injury claim is a civil case brought by a person who was harmed by another party’s negligence, recklessness, or intentional act. Most claims never become lawsuits. They resolve through negotiation with insurance carriers based on documented medical bills, lost income, and the lasting effects of the injury. Texas law governs the deadlines, fault rules, and damage categories that frame every one of these cases.

Strong claims share certain features. There is a clearly negligent party. The injuries are documented in real time by medical providers, and the connection between the incident and the harm is supported by the medical record, not just the client’s account of it.

Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle in Richardson

Personal injury covers a long list of incidents, and each requires a different evidentiary path. A truck case turns on driver logs and federal regulations. A premises case turns on inspection records and surveillance footage. A medical case turns on chart entries and qualified-witness testimony. Our Richardson personal injury lawyer can handle a wide range of cases.

• Car accidents. Crashes from distracted, impaired, or speeding drivers, including cases where the hidden costs of minor wrecks get overlooked by adjusters trying to close files quickly.

• Motorcycle accidents. Riders face higher injury severity and clear adjuster bias. We document the actual mechanics of the crash so the carrier can’t shift blame onto the rider.

• Bicycle accidents. Right-hooks, left-crosses, and dooring incidents make up most of the bike claims we handle. Cyclists rarely have insurance of their own, so the driver’s policy is the central fight.

• Pedestrian accidents. Walkers struck by drivers in crosswalks, parking lots, and residential streets often suffer multi-system injuries. We pursue every available coverage source.

• Rideshare accidents. Rideshare insurance is layered. The available coverage shifts depending on whether the driver had the app off, was waiting for a ride request, or had a passenger in the car. Each tier has its own dollar limit and its own carrier.

• Slip and fall. Falls at stores, restaurants, and apartment complexes turn on whether the property owner had notice of the hazard. Video evidence often disappears within days, so proving notice requires fast action.

• Truck accidents. Commercial trucking cases involve federal regulations, driver hours-of-service logs, and corporate defendants with deep legal resources. We send evidence preservation letters early to lock down logs and ECM data.

• Medical malpractice. Surgical errors, anesthesia mistakes, and missed diagnoses fall under a heightened proof standard. These are expensive to litigate and require qualified physician witnesses.

• Dog bites. Texas applies a one-bite framework that turns on the owner’s knowledge of prior aggressive behavior. We investigate the dog’s history before filing.

• Wrongful death. When someone is killed by negligence, surviving family members can pursue both a wrongful death claim and a survival action for the decedent’s pre-death harm.

• Premises liability. Apartment shootings, parking lot assaults, and inadequate security cases require analysis of the property’s incident history and what reasonable security measures would have looked like.

• Workplace and construction injuries. Falls, electrocutions, and equipment failures often have third-party defendants outside the workers’ comp system. Identifying those defendants early changes what’s available to recover.

Why Choose Kelso Law PLLC for Personal Injury in Richardson, TX?

Thirteen Years of Plaintiff Work, Not General Practice

Our entire practice is built around representing injured people against insurance companies, and that focus shows up in how we approach every step of the case. Our Richardson personal injury lawyer, Rhiannon Kelso, has tried more than 25 cases to a jury and recovered millions of dollars for North Texas clients across car wreck, premises, and workplace cases. She is a member of the Dallas Bar Association and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and earned her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law with the CALI Excellence for the Future Award.

Case Preparation That Drives Settlement Value

Settlement value tracks trial preparation. Carriers raise their offers when they see an organized file, a credible damages model, and a lawyer who has actually tried similar cases. We handle personal injury matters on a contingency basis with no upfront costs and no fee unless we recover. Our Richardson personal injury lawyer also provides Bilingual representation in English and Spanish.

Understanding Personal Injury Cases

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Personal Injury Cases

Texas allows recovery for both economic and non-economic harm, and punitive damages where a defendant’s conduct rises to gross negligence. The actual mix depends on the injury, the defendant, and the available coverage. Recoverable damages typically include:

• Past and future medical expenses, including hospitalization, surgery, therapy, and ongoing treatment
• Lost income and any reduction in future earning capacity
• Property damage, including vehicle repair, replacement, and diminished value claims
• Physical pain and mental anguish, both past and projected
• Disfigurement and physical impairment
• Loss of consortium for a spouse, where applicable
• Punitive damages where the defendant acted with gross negligence, fraud, or malice

Liability turns on the four elements of negligence: duty, breach, causation, and damages. Texas applies a modified comparative fault rule under which a plaintiff who is more than 50% responsible recovers nothing, and any recovery is reduced by the plaintiff’s percentage of fault. Insurance carriers know this and routinely try to shift fault percentages onto injured clients, but our Richardson personal injury attorney can prevent this.

Important Aspects of Your Personal Injury Case

A few practical realities shape these cases. Knowing them at the start helps clients avoid early decisions that hurt their claim later.

• Most personal injury claims must be filed within two years of the date of injury
• Recorded statements to the carrier rarely help the client and frequently hurt
• What insurers actually pay attention to is documentation, not how forcefully the client tells their story
• Government defendants are subject to sovereign immunity rules with much shorter notice periods
• Settling before maximum medical improvement can foreclose recovery for complications that emerge later

Personal Injury Case Timeline

Cases vary, but most resolve within 12 to 24 months. Catastrophic injuries and complex commercial trucking cases often run longer because the medical course needs time to stabilize before damages can be projected accurately.

• Investigation, scene documentation, and provider coordination in the first weeks
• Medical treatment to maximum medical improvement
• Damages calculation and demand letter preparation
• Pre-suit settlement negotiations with the carrier
• Lawsuit filing, discovery, depositions, and mediation
• Trial or final settlement

Settlement remains possible at every stage. Carriers often increase offers significantly once they see a file pointed at trial rather than a quick payout.

What to Bring to Your Personal Injury Consultation

You don’t need to gather a complete file before meeting with us. Bring whatever you have on hand. We can request the rest through subpoenas and records requests once you retain us.

• Police, crash, or incident report
• Photos of the scene, your injuries, and any property damage
• Medical records, hospital discharge paperwork, and any bills you’ve received
• Insurance information for every party, including your own coverage
• Recent pay stubs or tax returns showing pre-injury earnings

Consultations are free and confidential, with no obligation to retain us afterward. Most clients leave the first meeting with a clearer picture of whether they have a viable claim and what a realistic recovery looks like.

Texas Legal Resources for Personal Injury

A few public resources can help injured people understand the law without replacing legal advice. These are useful starting points, whether you’ve already retained counsel or are still deciding what to do.

• Texas CPRC Section 16.003. The two-year statute of limitations that governs most personal injury actions.
• Texas CPRC Chapter 33. The modified comparative fault and proportionate responsibility rules.
• Texas CPRC Chapter 41. Damages provisions, including caps on exemplary damages.
• Texas Department of Insurance. Consumer information on auto insurance, claims handling, and complaints.
• TxDOT crash reports. How to obtain a Texas crash report and access state crash data.

Negligence in Texas follows a 51% modified comparative fault rule, and most personal injury lawsuits must be filed within two years of the date of injury.

Reach Out to Kelso Law PLLC to Schedule a Consultation

A serious injury affects work, family, and health all at once. Sorting out which losses are recoverable and from whom is what we do every day. At Kelso Law PLLC, our personal injury attorneys offer free, confidential consultations with no obligation. Contact us today to schedule a consultation with our Richardson personal injury lawyer to start the process!

Personal Injury Statistics in Richardson

Richardson recorded 1,754 total motor vehicle crashes in 2024, according to TxDOT crash records. Of those, 36 were classified as suspected serious injury crashes, producing 49 people with suspected serious injuries. Eleven crashes were fatal. Those figures place Richardson among the higher-volume crash cities in Dallas and Collin Counties, driven largely by the convergence of US-75, I-635, and heavy surface-street traffic through commercial corridors. The NHTSA injury database confirms that Texas consistently ranks among the highest states for traffic fatalities and serious injuries year over year. For a city of roughly 120,000 residents, nearly 50 people sustaining serious injuries in a single calendar year is a significant number.

Factors That Affect the Outcome of Your Personal Injury Case

Not every personal injury case in Richardson produces the same result, and the reasons have less to do with luck than most people think. Several concrete factors influence what a case is worth and whether the client recovers anything at all, which our Richardson personal injury lawyer can help you determine.

• The severity and documentation of your injuries. This is the single biggest driver of case value. A well-documented brain injury case with imaging, neuropsychological testing, and consistent treatment records will always command more than an injury described only in the client’s words. Adjusters pay for medical records, not stories.
• How quickly you sought medical treatment. Gaps between the accident and the first medical visit create doubt. If you waited two weeks to see a doctor, the insurance carrier will argue that the injury either was not serious or was caused by something else. Even if you feel okay at the scene, get checked. Some hidden injuries take days to present symptoms.
• The strength of liability evidence. A clear police report, dash camera footage, or witness testimony establishing the other party’s fault makes a significant difference. When liability is disputed, the carrier has leverage to push back on the entire claim. We preserve evidence early in truck accident claims and other commercial vehicle cases where electronic data can disappear quickly.
• Whether you gave a recorded statement. Adjusters request recorded statements because those statements help the carrier, not the claimant. Saying “I feel fine” two days after a wreck, before you know the full extent of your injuries, becomes a permanent part of the claim file. We advise clients to let our Richardson personal injury lawyers handle carrier communications.
• Your percentage of fault. Texas applies a modified comparative fault rule. If you are found more than 50 percent responsible, you recover nothing. Below that threshold, your recovery is reduced by your share of fault. Carriers routinely inflate the claimant’s fault percentage to drive down the payout. Solid evidence and early investigation counteract that strategy.
• Available insurance coverage. A valid claim against a driver carrying only $30,000 in liability coverage has a hard ceiling regardless of how serious the injuries are. Knowing what coverage exists, including underinsured motorist policies, is part of the early case analysis. When the at-fault driver can’t pay, we look at every available policy.
• Whether the attorney has trial experience. Insurance adjusters track which attorneys settle every case and which ones actually go to court. Carriers respond differently to demand packages from lawyers who have stood in front of a jury. Kelso Law PLLC’s founder has tried more than 25 cases to verdict, and that record influences how carriers evaluate our files from day one.
• The timing of settlement. Settling too early, before the medical picture stabilizes, almost always leaves money on the table. Building a case around full recovery needs takes patience, but the difference in compensation can be substantial.

Richardson Personal Injury Lawyer FAQs

How Much Does a Personal Injury Lawyer in Richardson Cost?

Kelso Law PLLC takes personal injury cases on contingency. You pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation. There are no retainers, no hourly rates, and no bills during the case. The consultation is free. This fee structure means that working with our Richardson personal injury lawyer does not add financial pressure while you are already managing medical costs and lost income.

What Is the Filing Deadline for a Personal Injury Case in Texas?

The statute of limitations for most personal injury claims in Texas is two years from the date of injury. Claims involving government entities may require notice within a much shorter window. Missing the deadline forfeits your right to file suit, regardless of how strong the claim is. We recommend contacting our Richardson personal injury lawyer well before that deadline approaches.

What Compensation Can I Pursue After an Accident in Richardson?

Texas law allows recovery for medical expenses, lost wages, diminished earning capacity, pain, mental anguish, physical impairment, and disfigurement. When a defendant’s conduct rises to gross negligence, exemplary damages may be available. The value of any personal injury claim depends on the documented losses and the available insurance coverage.

How Long Will My Personal Injury Case Take?

Timelines vary. Straightforward car accident law cases with clear liability and moderate injuries sometimes resolve within six to nine months. Catastrophic injury claims involving spinal cord damage, brain trauma, or multiple surgeries can take two years or longer because the medical treatment must stabilize before lifetime damages can be calculated.

Should I Talk to the Other Driver’s Insurance Company?

No. Their adjuster works for the carrier, not for you. Recorded statements are designed to lock you into positions that help the defense. Anything you say, including casual reassurances that you feel okay, becomes part of the permanent claim file. Let our Richardson personal injury attorney handle those communications.

What If the Other Driver Has No Insurance?

Texas requires liability coverage, but not every driver carries it. If you were hit by an uninsured driver, your own uninsured or underinsured motorist policy may cover your losses. We review every available coverage source, including Uber accident cases and Lyft accident claims where layered commercial policies apply.

Do I Have a Case If I Was Partially at Fault?

You may still recover damages. Texas allows injured parties to pursue a claim as long as their share of fault does not exceed 50 percent. Your award is reduced by whatever percentage of responsibility is assigned to you. Insurance carriers often push to inflate that number, which is why fault investigation matters early.

What Should I Bring to My First Meeting With a Lawyer?

Bring whatever you have when meeting with our Richardson personal injury lawyer. Police reports, photos of the scene and your injuries, medical records, insurance information, and recent pay stubs all help. You do not need a complete file. We can subpoena records and request documents once you retain us.

How Does Kelso Law PLLC Handle Personal Injury Cases?

Our Richardson personal injury attorneys prepare every case with the assumption that it may go to trial. That means thorough investigation, organized medical records, qualified witnesses when needed, and a damages model that reflects every category of loss. Most cases settle, but carriers pay more when they know the file is trial-ready. Our team has handled these claims for over 13 years.

What Sets Kelso Law PLLC Apart From Other Firms?

Rhiannon Kelso has spent her career on the plaintiff side of personal injury law. She does not represent insurance companies or corporations. That singular focus, combined with more than 25 jury verdicts and more than $20 million in recoveries, shapes how carriers evaluate our demand packages. Understanding how insurers value your claim is part of why preparation matters.

Local Information for Richardson Personal Injury Cases

Most Dangerous Locations for Personal Injury in Richardson

Traffic volume and road design contribute to where serious injuries occur most often in Richardson:

• US-75 (Central Expressway) carries heavy commuter traffic through the center of the city and produces some of the most severe high-speed collisions.
• I-635 (LBJ Freeway) borders Richardson’s southern edge with constant congestion and frequent rear-end and lane-change crashes.
• Belt Line Road runs through commercial zones with frequent turning conflicts, especially near shopping centers.
• Campbell Road at Coit Road is one of the busiest intersections in the city, with a consistent history of T-bone and left-turn collisions.
• Arapaho Road sees heavy commuter and commercial traffic, particularly between US-75 and Plano Road.

What Are Important Local Resources for Richardson Personal Injury?

Several local organizations may be useful if you or a family member has been injured in Richardson. Inclusion on this list does not constitute an endorsement by Kelso Law PLLC.

• Methodist Richardson Medical Center – (469) 204-1000
• Richardson Police Department – (972) 744-4800 (non-emergency)
• Texas Department of Insurance – 800-252-3439 (consumer help line for insurance disputes)
• CDC Injury Prevention – federal data on leading causes of injury and prevention resources

About Kelso Law PLLC

Kelso Law PLLC has been serving Texas since 2012. Founder Rhiannon Kelso earned her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where she received the CALI Excellence for the Future Award, and holds a B.A. in Political Science and Near Eastern Studies from the University of Arizona. She is admitted to practice in Texas state courts and in the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas.

What Our Clients Say

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“I was involved in a bad motor vehicle accident. The other driver tried to blame me for it so I hired Ms. Kelso to fight for my case. I highly recommend Ms. Kelso for any personal injury case. She is very experienced, dedicated and obtained the best outcome for me.” – Felix Chavez

Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.

Contact Kelso Law PLLC

A serious injury in Richardson affects every part of your daily life, and sorting out what you are owed should not fall on you alone. We take personal injury cases on contingency with no fee unless we recover. Your first consultation is free and confidential. We will walk through the facts of your situation and give you an honest assessment of where things stand. Contact us to schedule a meeting with our Richardson personal injury lawyer.