How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Collin County, Texas?

For most personal injury claims, Texas gives you two years from the date of injury to file suit (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §16.003). This is a hard deadline with only narrow exceptions — the discovery rule (for injuries that could not reasonably be discovered at the time), tolling for minors (the clock generally does not begin until the minor turns 18), and a few other statutory tolling provisions. Two years passes quickly when medical treatment, insurance negotiations, and evidence gathering are all happening simultaneously, so acting early matters. If your claim is against a government entity — the City of McKinney, the City of Plano, the City of Frisco, Collin County itself, or a local transit authority — a much shorter pre-suit notice deadline applies on top of the two-year limitations period. Under the Texas Tort Claims Act (Ch. 101) the default notice period is six months, but most Collin County municipalities operate under city charters that shorten that deadline to 90 days from the incident. Failing to provide timely written notice to the correct government entity can bar the claim entirely, regardless of how clear the government's fault was. If a city vehicle, a transit bus, or a dangerous condition on public property was involved, consult an attorney immediately — don't wait to see how the medical treatment unfolds before addressing the notice deadline.

I was partially at fault for my Collin County accident. Can I still recover damages?

It depends on your percentage of fault. Texas uses a modified comparative responsibility system (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ch. 33) with a 51% bar. If you are found 50% or less responsible for your own injury, you can recover — but your total damages are reduced by your fault percentage. So if your damages are $200,000 and you're 25% at fault, you recover $150,000. But if you are found 51% or more responsible, you recover nothing. This makes fault allocation the central battleground in most Collin County injury cases. Insurance adjusters for the defendant work to push the plaintiff's share above 50%, because crossing that line eliminates the claim rather than just reducing it. Evidence that establishes what happened — police or crash reports, traffic and surveillance camera footage, witness accounts, physical evidence, and in some cases accident-reconstruction experts — is therefore critical. Collin County's highway network (US-75, the Dallas North Tollway, SH-121, and SH-289) generates substantial accident volume, and comparative fault disputes are common in these cases. An attorney experienced in Texas personal injury law will focus on keeping the plaintiff's share at or below 50% through thorough investigation and expert analysis.

I was hurt on a Collin County construction site. What are my options?

Construction site injury claims in Collin County involve an analysis that differs sharply from most states because Texas does not require most private employers to carry workers' compensation insurance. The threshold question is whether your employer subscribes to the Texas workers' comp system or has opted out as a "non-subscriber." If your employer is a workers' comp subscriber, the Texas workers' comp system is generally your exclusive remedy against the employer, but you may still sue any negligent third party — a general contractor, a subcontractor, an equipment manufacturer or rental company, a property owner, or another company whose negligence contributed to your injury. Third-party claims often carry significantly higher value than a workers' comp claim alone. If your employer is a non-subscriber (opted out of workers' comp), you may sue the employer directly for negligence — and critically, Texas law strips non-subscriber employers of three major common-law defenses: contributory negligence, assumption of the risk, and the fellow-servant rule. This makes non-subscriber claims potentially much stronger for injured workers. Collin County's booming construction sector — residential subdivisions in Prosper, Celina, and Anna; commercial corridors in Frisco and McKinney — has a significant non-subscriber presence among smaller contractors and subcontractors. Determining your employer's status and identifying all potentially liable parties should happen immediately, before evidence degrades.

What happens if a government vehicle or dangerous public road caused my Collin County injury?

Claims against government entities in Texas are significantly more restricted than claims against private parties, and are governed by the Texas Tort Claims Act (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ch. 101). The state and local governments waive sovereign immunity only in limited circumstances — most relevantly, injuries caused by the operation or use of a motor vehicle by a government employee acting within the scope of employment, and injuries caused by a condition or use of tangible personal or real property. The damages caps are lower than private-party claims: generally $250,000 per person and $500,000 per occurrence against local government units. Most importantly, pre-suit notice deadlines are strict and short. The Texas Tort Claims Act's default requires notice within six months, but many Collin County cities — McKinney, Plano, Frisco, Allen — operate under city charters that shorten the notice deadline to 90 days. The notice must be in writing, properly addressed to the correct entity, and must identify the incident with reasonable specificity. If you miss the applicable notice window, the claim may be barred regardless of how clearly at fault the government entity was. This means that if a city vehicle, county vehicle, or DART bus struck you, or if a dangerous road condition on a public street caused your crash, consulting an attorney within the first week or two is essential to preserve your options.

What free or low-cost legal resources are available for injury victims in Collin County?

Collin County has several resources for residents who cannot afford a private attorney. Legal Aid of Northwest Texas (LANWT) provides free civil legal assistance to income-qualifying individuals across North Texas, including Collin County residents, through its offices and hotline (888-529-5277; lanwt.org; 1515 Main St., Dallas TX 75201). LANWT handles a range of civil matters, though its capacity for contingency personal injury cases is limited — for those, private counsel is typically more appropriate. For personal injury cases specifically, most Collin County attorneys work on a contingency fee arrangement — no upfront cost, with a fee (typically 33% pre-suit or up to 40% if litigation is required) taken only from any recovery. This means financial resources are not a barrier to getting qualified representation. The Collin County Bar Association (collinbar.org) maintains a lawyer referral service, and the State Bar of Texas Lawyer Referral Service (1-800-252-9690) can also connect residents with screened attorneys. For medical care while a claim is pending, some providers in the county will treat on a medical lien (deferring payment until the case resolves), and any recovery may be subject to hospital liens under Texas law. Because Collin County cities have 90-day notice requirements for claims against government entities, and because the two-year limitations period (§16.003) begins running from the date of injury, reaching out to an attorney early — even just for a free initial consultation — helps protect your rights.

Personal Injury in Collin County, Texas

A more practical personal injury guide for Collin County, Texas: fault pressure, the local fork that changes next steps, and local sequence

A sharper personal injury guide for Collin County, Texas that clarifies notice flow, fault pressure, and the practical pressure points that matter first.

Reviewed January 2026 3 min read Official-source grounded Ver en Espanol En Español

Key Takeaways

Texas modified comparative fault — 51% bar under Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ch. 33: more than 50% at fault means zero recovery
Two-year personal injury statute of limitations (§16.003); Collin County cities typically require 90-day written notice for government-entity claims under the Texas Tort Claims Act
Texas does not require most employers to carry workers' comp — non-subscriber employers can be sued directly and lose contributory negligence, assumption of risk, and fellow-servant defenses
Major trauma care: Baylor Scott & White McKinney (469-764-1000), Texas Health Presbyterian Plano (972-981-8000), Medical Center of McKinney (972-547-8000)
Collin County's construction boom (Frisco, McKinney, Prosper, Celina) generates high rates of worksite injuries with third-party and non-subscriber claims
Legal Aid of Northwest Texas (888-529-5277) serves Collin County; most PI attorneys work on contingency — no upfront fee

Personal injury cases in Collin County are filed in the district courts seated at the Collin County Courthouse (210 S. McDonald St., McKinney TX 75069), with civil filings handled by the Collin County District Clerk (972-548-4320). Texas follows modified comparative responsibility under Chapter 33 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code — the "51% bar rule" — meaning a plaintiff found more than 50% at fault recovers nothing at all, while a plaintiff at 50% or less recovers but has damages reduced by their fault percentage. This single rule shapes every Collin County injury negotiation and trial: insurance adjusters and defense lawyers consistently attempt to shift blame onto the injured person because crossing that 51% line wipes out the entire claim. Understanding how fault is allocated, and building the evidence to contest the defense's version, is central to any serious personal injury case here.

The statute of limitations for most personal injury claims in Texas is two years from the date of injury (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §16.003), with narrow exceptions for latent injuries under the discovery rule and tolling for minors. Collin County's explosive growth — it has ranked among the fastest-growing counties in the United States for over a decade — creates a high volume of construction site and infrastructure injuries. The surge of residential and commercial development across McKinney, Frisco, Prosper, Celina, and Anna means that scaffold collapses, trench failures, struck-by incidents, and equipment accidents are common. Texas's unique workers' compensation opt-out system means many construction employers in Collin County operate as non-subscribers, allowing injured workers to sue directly while depriving employers of contributory negligence, assumption of risk, and fellow-servant defenses.

Major trauma care in the county runs through Baylor Scott & White Medical Center — McKinney (5252 W. University Dr., McKinney TX 75071; 469-764-1000), Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano (6200 W. Parker Rd., Plano TX 75093; 972-981-8000), and Medical Center of McKinney (4500 Medical Center Dr., McKinney TX 75069; 972-547-8000). For the most severe injuries, patients are often transported to UT Southwestern Medical Center's Level I trauma services in Dallas. The choice of hospital and the documentation of treatment — emergency records, imaging reports, surgical records, and rehabilitation notes — becomes central evidence in the eventual civil claim, making early evidence preservation critical.

Claims against government entities in Collin County are governed by the Texas Tort Claims Act (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ch. 101), which waives sovereign immunity only for motor vehicle use and certain dangerous property conditions, and caps damages against local government units (generally $250,000 per person and $500,000 per occurrence). Notice deadlines are short and jurisdiction-specific: the City of McKinney, City of Plano, City of Frisco, and City of Allen each operate under their respective city charters, most requiring written notice of a claim within 90 days of the incident — well within the Act's default six-month period. A crash involving a city vehicle, a DART or local transit bus, or a dangerous condition on a public road or city-owned property demands immediate attention to identify the responsible government entity and serve proper written notice before the window closes. Failing to comply can bar an otherwise meritorious claim.

Collin County is among the most affluent and well-educated counties in Texas, with a large professional workforce employed at corporate headquarters in the Legacy West corridor of Plano (Toyota Motor North America, JP Morgan Chase, FedEx Office, Frito-Lay) and in Frisco (Charles Schwab, PGA of America HQ). The county's Indian-American, Chinese-American, and Korean-American communities are substantial, reflecting the tech-sector immigrant workforce. For income-qualifying residents, Legal Aid of Northwest Texas (888-529-5277; lanwt.org; 1515 Main St., Dallas TX 75201) provides free civil legal help and serves Collin County residents. The Collin County Bar Association (collinbar.org; McKinney) maintains a referral service, and most personal injury attorneys in the area work on a contingency fee with no upfront cost.

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