In a T-bone crash, who had to yield depends on what controlled the intersection: a traffic signal, a stop or yield sign, a left turn, or a driveway. Chapters 544 and 545 of the Texas Transportation Code state the rule for each of those situations. Texas then divides fault by percentage under Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 33, which bears directly on any personal injury claim.
The short version
- Red signal: a vehicle that is not turning must remain standing until an indication to proceed is shown (Tex. Transp. Code § 544.007(d)).
- Dark signal: where a signal is present but shows no indication in any of its heads, an approaching operator must stop, yield, and grant immediate use of the intersection (§ 545.151(a)(1)(B)).
- Stop, yield and turn: at a stop sign, a driver who has stopped yields to a vehicle that entered from another highway or is an immediate hazard (§ 545.153(b)); at a yield sign, a driver yields to a vehicle already in the intersection, or coming on another highway, that is an immediate hazard (§ 545.153(c)); a left-turning driver yields to oncoming traffic in or near the intersection that is an immediate hazard (§ 545.152).
- Shared fault is divided by percentage, and a claimant whose share of responsibility exceeds 50 percent recovers no damages (§ 33.001).
- Time limits: generally two years to file a personal injury suit (§ 16.003(a)), and notice of a claim against a governmental unit is due within six months (§ 101.101(a)).
What happens when a driver runs a red light?
A driver facing only a steady red light must stop at a clearly marked stop line, and a driver who is not turning must then remain standing until an indication to proceed is shown (Tex. Transp. Code § 544.007(d)).
After stopping, and after waiting until the intersection can be entered safely and yielding to pedestrians and to other traffic lawfully using it, a driver may turn right, or turn left if both intersecting streets are one-way and a left turn is permitted (§ 544.007(d)). Our failure-to-stop accidents page is a related read on that kind of crash, and our pedestrian right-of-way rules in Texas article covers people on foot.
A green light does not end the inquiry. Under § 544.007(b)(1), a driver facing a circular green still has to yield to vehicles lawfully in the intersection when the signal is shown, so a driver with a green light can owe a duty to a vehicle already lawfully in the intersection. For other crash patterns, see our overview of the top causes of car accidents.
Which rule applies when the traffic light is dark?
An approaching driver must stop, yield and grant immediate use of the intersection when a signal is present but shows no indication in any of its heads. After stopping, that driver may proceed when the intersection can be entered safely, without interference or collision with traffic on a different street or roadway.
Section 545.151(a) has two triggers: an official traffic-control device, including a stop sign or yield sign, and a signal that is present but dark. Which driver’s conduct controls turns on the evidence, including witness accounts, and our Houston witness article explains why witnesses matter.
Who yields at a stop sign or a yield sign?
A driver at a stop sign must stop and then yield to a vehicle that entered the intersection from another highway, or that is so close as to be an immediate hazard. A driver at a yield sign must slow to a reasonable speed and yield to a vehicle already in the intersection, or coming on another highway, that is an immediate hazard.
Under § 545.153(b), unless a police officer or an official traffic-control device directs the driver to proceed, an operator who has stopped as § 544.010 requires must yield to a vehicle that entered from another highway, or that is so close as to be an immediate hazard to the operator’s movement in or across the intersection. Section 545.153(c) applies the yield-sign duty after the driver has slowed to a speed that is reasonable under the conditions.
The statute also contains a narrower presumption. If a driver goes past a yield sign without stopping and then collides with a vehicle in the intersection, the collision itself is prima facie evidence that the driver failed to yield (§ 545.153(d)). That presumption applies only to that situation.
Is the driver who turned left always at fault?
No. The left-turning driver must give way to oncoming traffic that is in the intersection, or near it in a way that poses an immediate hazard. That duty is real, but the oncoming driver’s speed and lookout are still weighed, and fault is divided by percentage.
Section 545.152 covers a left turn at an intersection or into an alley, private road or driveway. The duty runs to oncoming traffic that is already in the intersection or near enough to the intersection to pose an immediate hazard.
Under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.003(a), the factfinder divides responsibility, in percentages, among the claimant, the defendants, any settling person and any designated responsible third party. A driver who turned in front of oncoming traffic may therefore share responsibility with an oncoming driver who was speeding or not watching the road. For speed, see our reckless driving crashes article, and for inattention, see our distracted driving page.
How is a crash involving a driveway or side street decided?
A driver about to enter a highway from an alley, building, private road or driveway must yield to a vehicle approaching on that highway. The driver on the highway must still control speed as necessary to avoid colliding with a vehicle on or entering the highway in compliance with law and the duty of each person to use due care.
Section 545.155 requires an operator about to enter or cross a highway from an alley, building, or private road or driveway to yield to a vehicle approaching on the highway to be entered. The highway driver is not always free of responsibility. Section 545.351(b)(2) requires that driver to control speed as necessary to avoid colliding with such a vehicle, and a driver who could have avoided a car leaving a driveway by slowing down may be found to share responsibility.
How is fault proved when both drivers say they had the green light?
Fault can be shown with evidence that does not depend on either driver’s account, such as the crash report, witness statements, photographs of the vehicles and their final positions, and any scene video. That evidence should be collected early, while it still exists.
The officer’s report is the first document to request. Under Tex. Transp. Code § 550.062(a), an officer who investigates a collision must write a report if it caused injury or death, or property damage to any one person that appears to be $1,000 or more. Section 550.062(b) requires that report to reach the department electronically no later than the tenth day after the collision. For a copy, see our guide to requesting a crash report in Houston.
Witness names and telephone numbers should be taken at the scene. Photographs of the vehicles, taken before they are moved when it is safe, can show where each car was struck. For the photographs, see our list of shots to take at a crash scene.
On Friday, April 3, 2026, ABC13 reported a T-bone collision at Hutchins Street and Pierce Street near downtown Houston that police said left one person dead and five injured. The Houston Police Department was still investigating, and the article said it was “unknown at this time who was at fault, in addition to whether speed or impairment played a role in the deadly crash.” The article was read on 2026-10-16.
What if both drivers share the blame?
Texas sets each driver’s percentage side by side, so the claimant’s own percentage is found alongside the other driver’s. Above 50 percent, the claimant’s recovery is zero; at 50 percent or less, the damages are cut by the claimant’s share.
Under § 33.012(a), if the claimant is not barred, the court reduces the damages by the claimant’s percentage, so a driver found 20 percent responsible recovers 80 percent of the damages found. For more on shared fault in Texas, read the piece on comparative negligence, and for what the damages in a claim can include, the damages article.
Under § 33.013(b)(1), a defendant found more than 50 percent responsible is answerable jointly and severally for the damages recoverable under § 33.012. Otherwise, under § 33.013(a), a liable defendant answers only for its own percentage of the damages.
Can someone other than the two drivers be responsible?
Sometimes. A governmental unit or a manufacturer can be a party, and each has its own requirement. Notice to a governmental unit must come within six months, and a design-defect suit against a manufacturer carries its own proof burden, including a safer alternative design.
Under § 101.101(a), a governmental unit must receive notice within six months after the incident, and the notice must say what injury or damage is claimed, when and where the incident occurred, and what happened. Section 101.101(c) sets the notice requirement aside where the unit has actual notice that a death occurred, that the claimant suffered some injury, or that property was damaged.
In a design-defect claim, the claimant must show a safer alternative design existed and tie the defect to the injury as a producing cause (§ 82.005(a)). The product side is a related read in our vehicle defects article, and for several vehicles, see our multi-vehicle liability article.
What should I do after a side-impact crash?
Get medical care first, report the crash to the police right away, and be careful about describing who was at fault to anyone, including an insurer, before you have the facts. The injury lawsuit window in Texas is generally two years.
Where a crash within city limits injures or kills a person, or damages a vehicle so that it cannot be driven normally and safely, the driver is to notify the local police department immediately, by the quickest means of communication (§ 550.026(a)(1)). Under § 16.003(a), subject to §§ 16.010, 16.0031 and 16.0045, a personal injury suit has to be filed no later than two years after accrual.
For first steps, see our first steps after a crash page. Before an adjuster calls, two related reads are our piece on tactics insurers may use and our advice before talking to an insurance adjuster. Whether a claim needs a lawyer at that stage is discussed in our insurance claim article. For a crash during work driving, see claims for work-related driving crashes, and for timing, see our timeline article.
| Situation | Who must yield | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Steady red signal | A vehicle that is not turning stops at the stop line and remains standing until an indication to proceed is shown | Tex. Transp. Code § 544.007(d) |
| Steady green signal | The driver with the green yields to other vehicles lawfully in the intersection when the signal is shown | § 544.007(b)(1) |
| Signal present but dark | Each approaching operator stops, yields and grants immediate use of the intersection, then may proceed when it can be entered safely | § 545.151(a) |
| Stop sign | After stopping, the driver yields to a vehicle that entered from another highway or is so close as to be an immediate hazard | § 545.153(b) |
| Yield sign | The driver slows to a reasonable speed and yields to a vehicle already in the intersection, or coming on another highway, that is an immediate hazard | § 545.153(c) |
| Left turn | The turning driver yields to oncoming traffic in the intersection or near enough to be an immediate hazard | § 545.152 |
| Entering a highway from a driveway | The driver entering the highway yields to a vehicle approaching on that highway | § 545.155 |
Source: Texas Transportation Code, Chapter 544 and Chapter 545, read 2026-10-16.
How many people die in intersection crashes in Texas?
According to TxDOT’s 2024 crash facts report, 1,050 people were killed in Texas crashes in 2024 that occurred in an intersection or were related to one. That is about 25 percent of the 4,150 people killed in traffic crashes statewide that year.
The figure comes from TxDOT’s 2024 crash facts report, whose data are reportable crashes received and processed by the Department as of April 9, 2025. The report does not break out T-bone crashes from other intersection crashes, so the 1,050 figure is not a count of side-impact deaths. For Houston intersections, see our article on Houston’s most dangerous roads and intersections, and for the wider picture, see our auto accident overview.
Frequently asked questions
What is a T-bone accident?
A T-bone accident is a side-impact crash in which the front of one vehicle strikes the side of another. The two vehicles form a T, and such crashes can happen at an intersection or where a driveway meets a road.
Who is at fault in a T-bone accident?
Fault depends on which rule applied: the traffic signal, stop or yield sign, left-turn or driveway rule. Texas divides responsibility by percentage, and a claimant above the 50 percent line recovers no damages.
What if the traffic light was out when the crash happened?
A driver approaching an intersection where a traffic-control signal is present but shows no indication in any of its heads must stop, yield and grant immediate use of the intersection. After stopping, the driver may proceed when the intersection can be entered safely (Transportation Code section 545.151(a)).
Who must report a T-bone crash to the police?
A driver in a city crash that injures or kills someone, or damages a vehicle so that it cannot be driven normally and safely, must notify the local police department at once (Transportation Code section 550.026(a)(1)).
Is there a deadline for suing after a side-impact crash?
Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003(a) makes two years the general period for suing over a personal injury, subject to exceptions listed there. A claim against a governmental unit needs notice given within six months after the incident (section 101.101(a)).
How many people were killed in intersection crashes in Texas in 2024?
The Texas Department of Transportation reported 1,050 deaths in 2024 in crashes occurring in intersections or related to an intersection, using crash reports processed as of April 9, 2025.
Our car accident FAQ answers a wider set of questions, and our step-by-step article on what a Houston car accident lawyer does covers the claim itself. The article on what to have ready for a case evaluation lists the papers to gather, the article on texting and driving law in Texas covers distraction, and your own intersection crash can be described from the contact page.
About the authors
Sam A. Maida, Jr.
Owner and Managing Attorney
Sam A. Maida, Jr. has represented injured Texans in the greater Houston area since the firm opened in 1993.
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Bernard G. Johnson III
Litigation Managing Attorney
Bernard G. Johnson III is a board certified trial lawyer licensed in Texas since 1996 and a graduate of South Texas College of Law.