SERIOUS ATTORNEYS FOR SERIOUS INJURIES
Practice Areas
Chandler Ross is the best hands down! You can not go wrong with these attorneys!
— Tracy P.
A drunk driving crash can change your life in seconds. Whether it happened on US-380, along the Sam Rayburn Tollway, or at an intersection near Collin County’s busy commercial corridors, the injuries you suffered were not your fault. If a drunk driver hurt you or someone you love in McKinney, you deserve real answers and a legal team that fights for you. Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys, based at 110 N. Woodrow Ln, Ste 120, Denton, TX 76205, represents injured people throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth region, including McKinney and Collin County. Call us at (940) 800-2500 to talk with our team today.
Table of Contents
- Drunk Driving Is a Serious Problem in Texas and in McKinney
- Texas DWI Laws That Apply to Your Civil Injury Claim
- Who Can Be Held Liable After a McKinney Drunk Driving Accident
- Damages You Can Recover After a McKinney Drunk Driving Crash
- What to Do After a Drunk Driving Accident in McKinney, Texas
- Why Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys Handles McKinney Drunk Driving Cases
- FAQs About McKinney Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers
Drunk Driving Is a Serious Problem in Texas and in McKinney
Texas has the highest number of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities of any state in the country. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), alcohol-impaired-driving traffic fatalities in 2024 were highest in Texas, at 1,676. That number is not a distant statistic. It represents real families, real communities, and real roads, including the highways and streets that run through McKinney every day.
Every day, about 32 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes. In 2024, 11,904 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths. McKinney sits at the crossroads of several major roads, including US-75, US-380, and the Sam Rayburn Tollway (SH-121). Heavy traffic, active nightlife near downtown McKinney, and the area’s rapid population growth all create conditions where impaired drivers pose a real risk to everyone on the road.
Eighty-four percent of the 13,500 drivers with alcohol in their systems who were in fatal traffic crashes in 2024 had BAC levels at or above 0.08 g/dL, and 56 percent had BACs at or above 0.15 g/dL. That means most drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes were not borderline impaired. They were severely impaired. When one of those drivers hits your vehicle near the McKinney Towne Lake area or on a busy stretch of Eldorado Parkway, the consequences can be catastrophic.
If you were hurt in a crash like this, you have legal rights. Texas law gives injured victims a path to compensation. The personal injury lawyers at Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys are ready to help you pursue every dollar you are owed.
Texas DWI Laws That Apply to Your Civil Injury Claim
Texas Penal Code Chapter 49 defines the criminal rules around drunk driving, and those rules matter directly to your civil injury claim. Under Texas Penal Code Section 49.01, a driver is legally “intoxicated” when they do not have the normal use of their mental or physical faculties due to alcohol or drugs, or when they have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or more.
Under Texas Penal Code Section 49.04, operating a motor vehicle in a public place while intoxicated is a criminal offense. A standard DWI charge is a Class B misdemeanor, carrying a minimum of 72 hours in confinement. If the driver’s BAC tested at 0.15 or higher, the charge rises to a Class A misdemeanor. If the driver was in a school crossing zone with a reduced speed limit in effect, the offense becomes a state jail felony.
Texas Penal Code Section 49.045 creates an even more serious charge. A driver commits a state jail felony if they drive while intoxicated and a passenger under 15 years old is in the vehicle. And under Texas Penal Code Section 49.08, if a driver causes someone’s death while intoxicated, that is intoxication manslaughter, a second-degree felony.
Here is why this matters for your civil case: a criminal conviction for DWI is powerful evidence in a personal injury lawsuit. It helps establish that the driver was at fault. Even without a conviction, your attorney can use BAC test results, police reports, field sobriety test data, and witness testimony to prove the driver was impaired. If the crash happened near downtown McKinney or on a high-traffic corridor like Virginia Parkway, there is often surveillance footage and witness evidence that supports your claim.
Who Can Be Held Liable After a McKinney Drunk Driving Accident
The drunk driver is the most obvious responsible party, but Texas law allows injury victims to pursue more than one defendant. In many drunk driving crash cases, a bar, restaurant, or other licensed alcohol provider shares legal responsibility for what happened.
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code Section 2.02, commonly called the Texas Dram Shop Act, allows an injured person to bring a claim against an establishment that served alcohol to someone who was already obviously intoxicated. To succeed, you must show two things: first, that it was apparent to the provider at the time of service that the person was obviously intoxicated to the extent they presented a clear danger to themselves and others, and second, that the intoxication was a proximate cause of the damages you suffered.
This matters in McKinney because the city’s entertainment and restaurant district, as well as venues near the McKinney Performing Arts Centre and along Highway 5, serve alcohol regularly. If a bar or restaurant kept pouring drinks for a visibly drunk patron who then got behind the wheel and hit your car, that business may owe you compensation too.
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code Section 2.02(c) also creates liability for adults who knowingly provide alcohol to minors under 18. If an adult who is not the minor’s parent, guardian, or spouse provided alcohol to a minor who then caused a crash, that adult can be held liable for the resulting damages.
Identifying all liable parties is one of the most important steps in a drunk driving injury case. A thorough investigation, including bar receipts, surveillance footage, and witness interviews, can reveal whether a third party shares responsibility and whether a dram shop claim is available to you.
Damages You Can Recover After a McKinney Drunk Driving Crash
Texas law allows drunk driving accident victims to seek compensation for a wide range of losses. The damages you can pursue depend on the facts of your case, the severity of your injuries, and the evidence available. Past results in other cases cannot guarantee the same outcome in your case, as every matter involves different facts and law.
Economic damages are the measurable financial losses you suffered. These include medical bills for emergency treatment, surgery, hospitalization, physical therapy, and any future care you will need. They also include lost wages if your injuries kept you out of work, and loss of future earning capacity if your injuries affect your ability to work long-term. Property damage to your vehicle is also recoverable.
Non-economic damages cover the harms that do not come with a price tag but are just as real. Pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and disfigurement all fall into this category. These damages can be significant, particularly in cases involving traumatic brain injuries, spinal injuries, or other catastrophic harm, which are common outcomes in high-speed drunk driving crashes.
In drunk driving cases, Texas law also allows courts to award exemplary damages, sometimes called punitive damages, under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 41. These damages go beyond compensating the victim and are designed to punish especially reckless conduct. Drunk driving, by its nature, is the kind of gross negligence that courts and juries take seriously. Your attorney can evaluate whether exemplary damages apply in your specific situation.
The estimated economic cost of all motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States in 2019, the most recent year for which cost data is available, was $340 billion, of which $58 billion resulted from alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. These numbers reflect just the tangible losses. The full human cost is far greater. At Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys, we work to make sure the full scope of your losses is documented and presented to the insurance company or jury.
What to Do After a Drunk Driving Accident in McKinney, Texas
The steps you take immediately after a drunk driving crash in McKinney can affect your ability to recover compensation. Protecting your health and your legal rights at the same time is possible if you know what to do.
Call 911 right away. McKinney Police and Collin County law enforcement will respond to the scene. A police report documents the crash, and if officers suspect the at-fault driver is impaired, they will conduct field sobriety tests and may request a blood or breath sample. That evidence is critical to your civil case. Do not leave the scene before officers arrive, even if the crash seems minor.
Seek medical attention immediately, even if you feel okay. Adrenaline can mask pain. Injuries like traumatic brain injuries, internal bleeding, and spinal damage may not show clear symptoms right away. Going to Medical City McKinney or another emergency facility creates a medical record that ties your injuries to the crash. Gaps in treatment give insurance companies reasons to dispute your claim.
Document everything you can at the scene. Take photos of vehicle damage, road conditions, traffic signals, and any visible injuries. Get the names and contact information of witnesses. Note the location, whether it is near Stonebridge Ranch, the Historic Downtown McKinney Square, or a stretch of US-75. These details help reconstruct what happened.
Do not speak with the drunk driver’s insurance company without legal representation. Insurance adjusters are trained to minimize payouts. Anything you say can be used to reduce or deny your claim. Contact Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys at (940) 800-2500 before giving any recorded statement. We represent clients throughout McKinney and the surrounding area, and we handle the insurance companies so you can focus on healing.
Why Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys Handles McKinney Drunk Driving Cases
Drunk driving accident cases involve multiple layers of liability, time-sensitive evidence, and aggressive insurance defense tactics. Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys handles these cases for injured people throughout the McKinney area and Collin County, working to build the strongest possible claim on your behalf.
Our firm investigates every angle of your case. We gather police reports, BAC test results, toxicology evidence, bar and restaurant records, surveillance footage, and witness statements. When a dram shop claim is available, we pursue it alongside your claim against the driver. When injuries are catastrophic, such as those involving traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, or wrongful death, we work with medical professionals and financial experts to document the full value of your losses.
We understand that life does not pause while your case is pending. Medical bills pile up. You may be unable to work. The stress of dealing with insurance companies on top of physical recovery is overwhelming. Our team handles the legal work so you can focus on your family and your health.
Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003 gives most personal injury victims two years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit. That deadline applies to drunk driving injury claims in McKinney. Missing it means losing your right to compensation entirely. Do not wait. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can preserve evidence and protect your rights.
Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys serves clients throughout Denton, Collin, and Dallas counties. Call (940) 800-2500 or visit us at 110 N. Woodrow Ln, Ste 120, Denton, TX 76205. There is no cost to speak with us, and we only get paid if we recover compensation for you.
FAQs About McKinney Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers
How long do I have to file a drunk driving accident lawsuit in McKinney, Texas?
Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003, most personal injury victims have two years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit. If you wait too long, you lose your right to seek compensation, no matter how strong your case is. Contact Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys as soon as possible to protect your rights and allow time for a thorough investigation.
Can I sue the bar or restaurant that served the drunk driver who hit me?
Yes, in many cases you can. Under Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code Section 2.02, known as the Texas Dram Shop Act, an alcohol-serving establishment can be held liable if it served someone who was obviously intoxicated to the point of being a clear danger, and that intoxication caused your injuries. Bars, restaurants, and other licensed providers near McKinney’s entertainment areas can all be subject to this law. An attorney can investigate whether a dram shop claim applies to your situation.
What if the drunk driver has no insurance or not enough insurance?
This is a real concern in drunk driving cases. If the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured, you may be able to pursue a dram shop claim against the establishment that served them. You may also have an underinsured motorist (UIM) claim through your own auto insurance policy, depending on your coverage. An attorney can review all available sources of compensation and help you pursue every option available under Texas law.
Does a DWI conviction help my civil injury case?
Yes. A criminal conviction for DWI under Texas Penal Code Section 49.04 is strong evidence in a civil personal injury lawsuit. It helps establish that the driver was impaired and at fault. Even if criminal charges are pending or reduced, your attorney can still use BAC test results, police reports, and other evidence to prove negligence in your civil case. The criminal and civil proceedings are separate, and you do not have to wait for the criminal case to resolve before pursuing your injury claim.
What types of injuries are most common in drunk driving crashes?
Drunk driving crashes often happen at high speeds or involve head-on and T-bone impacts, which cause severe injuries. Common outcomes include traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, broken bones, internal organ injuries, and lacerations. In the worst cases, victims suffer permanent disability or fatal injuries. These are the types of serious, life-altering harms that Texas personal injury law is designed to address, and the full cost of these injuries, including future medical care and lost earning capacity, should be part of your compensation claim.
More Resources About Car & Motor Vehicle Accidents
- McKinney Car Accident Lawyer
- McKinney Rear-End Accident Attorney
- McKinney Head-On Collision Attorney
- McKinney Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer
- McKinney Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyer
- McKinney Intersection Accident Lawyer
- McKinney T-Bone Accident Lawyer
- McKinney Multi-Vehicle Accident Lawyer
- McKinney Rollover Accident Lawyer
- McKinney Highway Accident Lawyer
- McKinney Fatal Car Accident Lawyer
- McKinney Uninsured Motorist Accident Lawyer
- McKinney Underinsured Motorist Accident Lawyer
- McKinney Rental Car Accident Lawyer
