Red-light and failure-to-yield crashes are among the most severe collisions on Dallas–Fort Worth roads. These crashes often happen in a split second, at full speed, and leave little room for defensive driving. After an intersection collision, many drivers assume fault is obvious. In reality, liability is frequently disputed. Missing footage, conflicting statements, and insurer tactics can quickly complicate what appears to be a clear case.
What you do immediately after a DFW intersection crash can directly affect the potential success or failure of your claim. Dallas and Fort Worth both track which roads see the most fatal and serious collisions, and their latest numbers point to specific corridors every DFW driver should know.
Why Red-Light and Failure-to-Yield Accidents Are So Dangerous in DFW
DFW has some of the busiest multi-lane intersections in Texas. High traffic volume, short signal cycles, distracted driving, and aggressive lane changes combine to create high-risk conditions. Failure-to-yield and red-light violations often result in side-impact collisions, also known as T-bone crashes. Unlike rear-end accidents, side impacts provide little structural protection, allowing crash forces to transfer directly into the passenger compartment.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) 2025 crash report shows that 955 people died in Texas crashes at or related to an intersection that year. In Dallas, the crash study behind the city’s Vision Zero Action Plan found that red-light running and failing to yield on a left turn were each a factor in about 10% of crashes that killed or severely injured someone on city streets. About half of those severe crashes happened at intersections, and most of those had a traffic signal.
DFW Corridors and Intersections With the Most Serious Crashes
The dangerous intersections in the DFW Metroplex share common traits: heavy cross traffic, complex signal patterns, high-speed approaches, and limited sight lines. Dallas and Fort Worth track these locations through a High Injury Network, a map of the streets where a disproportionate share of deadly and serious crashes happen. Because crashes cluster along stretches of road, both cities measure risk by corridor. Each corridor includes the busy intersections along it, such as Buckner Boulevard at Lake June Road.
Dallas
According to the City of Dallas, its High Injury Network covers about 7% of city roads but accounts for 62% of crashes that cause death or severe injury. Using the city’s Vision Zero data, The Dallas Morning News reported the Dallas segments with the most fatal and serious crashes between vehicles. In the order reported, they are:
- Great Trinity Forest Way, from Jim Miller Road to U.S. Highway 175
- Buckner Boulevard, from Lake June Road to Great Trinity Forest Way
- Northwest Highway, from Walton Walker Boulevard to Harry Hines Boulevard
- Buckner Boulevard, from Interstate 30 to Forney Road
- Great Trinity Forest Way, from South Central Expressway to Pemberton Hill Road
- Storey Road, from the Irving city limit to Northwest Highway
- Buckner Boulevard, from Lake June Road to Bruton Road
Several of these segments are part of Loop 12, which circles Dallas under names that include Buckner Boulevard, Great Trinity Forest Way, Ledbetter Drive, and Walton Walker Boulevard. TxDOT and the city added traffic signals at 16 locations along Loop 12. The city also lowered speed limits on parts of the road and increased speed patrols. According to figures presented to the Dallas City Council in April 2026, fatal crashes on Loop 12 fell about 52% from 2024 to 2025, and fatal crashes citywide fell 19%.
Fort Worth
Fort Worth adopted its Vision Zero Safety Action Plan in November 2025 after studying crashes from 2019 through 2023. The plan names ten High Injury Network corridors as priorities for safety reviews. Those flagged for motor vehicle crashes include:
- South Beach Street, from Avenue H to Mitchell Boulevard
- Evans Avenue, from East Morningside Drive to East Berry Street
- Mark IV Parkway, from Meacham Boulevard to the crossover ramp, which the city also flagged for commercial vehicle and motorcycle crashes
- Pennsylvania Avenue, from South Main Street to 8th Avenue
- Sycamore School Road, from the South Freeway to West Everman Parkway
- Ellis Avenue, from NW 21st Street to NW 28th Street
The city picked these corridors using crash history along with road design and land use, so the list shows where Fort Worth plans to focus safety work, not a strict ranking by crash count. The plan also calls for studying the 50 Fort Worth intersections with the most crashes.
Why Video Evidence Matters at These Intersections
Texas banned red-light cameras in 2019 under Transportation Code Section 707.020, so there is usually no automated photo showing which driver ran the light. City traffic cameras, business security systems, dashcams, and doorbell cameras may still capture a crash. Many of these systems record over their footage within days or weeks, and video can be lost if no one asks for it quickly.
Common Injuries in Intersection and T-Bone Crashes
Because crashes at intersections typically involve a collision with the side of your vehicle, the injuries suffered are often severe, including:
- Traumatic brain injuries, including concussions
- Neck, back, and spinal cord injuries
- Rib fractures and internal organ damage
- Pelvic, hip, and lower extremity fractures
Even when airbags deploy, the angle and force of impact frequently lead to long-term or permanent injuries.
Texas Law on Red-Light and Failure-to-Yield Accidents
Failure to Yield Under the Texas Transportation Code
Texas law requires drivers to yield the right of way at intersections under specific circumstances, including left turns, stop signs, and flashing signals. A driver turning left must yield to oncoming traffic that is in the intersection or close enough to be an immediate hazard under Section 545.152. A driver facing a circular green light must also yield to vehicles lawfully in the intersection under Section 544.007(b). At a stop sign, Section 545.153(b) requires a driver who has stopped as required by Section 544.010 to yield to a vehicle that has entered the intersection or is approaching so closely as to be an immediate hazard.
At a yield sign, Section 545.153(c) requires a driver to slow to a reasonable speed and yield in the same situations. If a driver passes a yield sign without stopping and collides with a vehicle in the intersection, Section 545.153(d) makes the collision prima facie evidence that the driver failed to yield. Prima facie evidence is proof that establishes a fact unless the other side shows otherwise. Under Section 544.008(a), a driver facing a flashing red signal must stop, and the right to proceed follows the rules for a stop sign. Under Section 544.008(b), a driver facing a flashing yellow signal may proceed only with caution.
Failing to follow these traffic rules can be evidence of negligence when the failure directly causes a collision. Negligence means failing to use reasonable care. It is the basis of most car accident injury claims in Texas.
Red-Light Violations and Disputed Fault
Running a red light may seem straightforward, but insurers often challenge timing, visibility, or signal malfunction. Drivers are frequently accused of entering on a yellow or accelerating improperly, even when evidence suggests otherwise.
Texas law treats yellow and red differently. Under Transportation Code Section 544.007(e), a steady yellow light warns that the green phase is ending or a red light is coming. Section 544.007(d), a driver facing only a steady red light must stop at the marked stop line, or before the crosswalk if there is no line. A driver who is not turning must stay stopped until the signal allows movement. After stopping, a driver may turn right on red only after yielding to pedestrians and other traffic, unless a posted notice prohibits the turn under Section 544.007(f). Disputes over which driver had the signal are common, so signal timing evidence often matters.
If a traffic signal shows no light in any of its signal heads, Section 544.007(i) requires a driver to stop as if the intersection had a stop sign. When a broken signal contributes to a crash, the city or state agency responsible for it may face a claim under the Texas Tort Claims Act, the law that sets when Texas government bodies can be sued. Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 101.060 excludes claims based on a signal’s absence, condition, or malfunction unless the responsible government body failed to correct the problem within a reasonable time after notice of it.
Comparative Fault in Texas
Texas follows a modified comparative fault system, which Texas law calls proportionate responsibility. Under Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 33.001(a), if an injured person is found more than 50% responsible for causing an accident, they may not recover any compensation for losses incurred in an accident. At 50% or less, Section 33.012 reduces their damages by their share of fault. A driver found 20% at fault for entering an intersection too fast, for example, would have their recoverable damages cut by 20%. For this reason, insurance companies often try to assign primary blame in intersection crashes to reduce payouts.
Deadlines to File an Intersection Crash Claim in Texas
Most Texas car accident injury lawsuits must be filed within two years of the crash under Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003(b). Miss that deadline, and a court will generally dismiss the lawsuit, no matter who caused the crash. A wrongful death lawsuit has the same two-year period, but the clock starts on the date of death.
Some situations change the timeline. When the injured person is under 18, Section 16.001 generally pauses the two-year clock until they turn 18. When a city, county, or state agency may share the blame, such as for a broken traffic signal, the Texas Tort Claims Act adds a separate notice rule. Section 101.101 requires written notice to the government within six months of the incident, and city charters may set their own notice deadlines. Formal notice may not be needed if the government already knew about the injury.
What To Do Immediately After a DFW Intersection Crash
- Call 911 and ensure a police report is created.
- Photograph vehicle positions, signals, skid marks, and debris.
- Note nearby businesses, homes, and traffic cameras that may have recorded the crash, and share that list with your attorney so footage can be requested before it is recorded over.
- Obtain witness names and contact information.
- Seek medical attention and document all symptoms.
- Consider talking with an attorney before giving a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance adjuster, since those statements can be used to assign fault. Your own policy may require you to cooperate with your insurer.
How Attorneys Prove Fault in Red-Light and Failure-to-Yield Cases
Intersection crashes frequently involve competing narratives, with each driver saying the light was green. Insurers may rely on partial police reports, incomplete witness statements, or assumptions about speed and reaction time. Without independent evidence, valid claims can be delayed or denied.
Proving liability often requires more than a crash report. Effective investigations may include:
- Traffic camera and nearby surveillance footage
- Event Data Recorder (black box) analysis
- Accident reconstruction
- Witness testimony and timeline verification
Our car accident and failure-to-yield attorneys can investigate intersection crashes by requesting traffic camera footage, police reports, vehicle data, and witness testimony. Our team works to establish fault clearly and pursue the compensation available under Texas law.
Talk to a Dallas Car Accident Lawyer About Your Intersection Crash
If you were T-boned or injured in a red-light or failure-to-yield accident in DFW, early legal guidance matters. Evidence can disappear quickly, and insurers move fast to protect themselves.
Bailey & Galyen, the official law firm sponsor of the 2023 World Series champion Texas Rangers, brings more than 40 years of experience to individuals throughout the DFW Metroplex and across the state of Texas, including people who have suffered any type of injury in a motor vehicle accident.
To see if you qualify for a free initial consultation, contact us online or call our offices at 844-299-0290. You can reach us by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We will meet with you evenings or weekends, if necessary.
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