# T-Boned in Texas? What to Do Next | DG Collision > The stay-put duty (§544.007), proving who ran the light, what a side impact hides in the pillars — and the UM door with its $250 deductible when they’re uninsured. - Canonical page: https://dgcollision.com/guides/t-boned-car-accident-texas/ - This file: Markdown twin of the page above (clean text for AI assistants and crawlers) - Business: DG Collision Center, 693 Metro Park Cir #20, Lewisville, TX 75057 — (972) 219-0864 (text: 817-907-2822) — since 1978 - Hours: Mon–Fri 8:30am–5:30pm, Sat 10am–1pm, closed Sunday · 24/7 towing · 4.9/5 on 500+ Google reviews - Full site index for assistants: https://dgcollision.com/llms.txt - Last generated: 2026-08-14 --- # T-BONED AT AN INTERSECTION — NOW WHAT? Short version: intersection fault in Texas comes down to who had the duty to stay put — a driver facing a steady red “shall remain standing until an indication to proceed is shown” (Transp. Code §544.007(d)), and the same logic governs stop signs. Proving who ran it is an evidence game you start winning at the scene. And a side impact is the hit your car is worst-built to take: inches of door between the bumper that hit you and the seat you were in. This one guide covers the whole family — someone ran a red light, someone blew a stop sign, and the honest version of what happens if the someone was you. Call Now: (972) 219-0864 Free computerized structural measurement We bill their carrier or yours direct Free loaner — no day limit Quick Answer Fault belongs to whoever ignored the signal — and your job in the first ten minutes is making that provable. Texas law is blunt about intersections: a driver facing a steady red must stop at the marked line and remain standing until the light says go (§544.007(d)); a stop sign carries the same stay-put duty. The driver who rolled through owes your repair through their liability carrier — no deductible — but intersections are where “they had the green” meets “no, I did,” so witnesses, cameras, and the damage geometry itself decide it. If they turn out to be uninsured, your own UM property coverage picks it up with a $250 statutory deductible (§1952.105). And whatever the paperwork says, get the car measured: a side hit spends its energy in the doors, pillars, and rocker — the parts holding the roof up. TL;DR T-bone, ran-a-red-light, blew-a-stop-sign — legally it’s one family. The anchor is the stay-put duty: §544.007(d) requires a driver on a steady red to stop at the line and remain standing until an indication to proceed is shown, and Texas compares negligence from there (§33.001 — you recover unless you’re more than 50% responsible). Proving it: no statute assigns intersection fault automatically, so the winner is usually the better file — witness phone numbers before they drive off, nearby business and doorbell cameras asked for the same day, dashcam clips saved, photos of both cars where they came to rest, and the CR-3 police report when officers respond. The car: side impacts crush doors into hot-stamped pillars and rockers built to be replaced, not straightened — [a door that won’t latch](https://dgcollision.com/answers/door-wont-close-after-accident/), curtain airbags down, or a wheel knocked off true means measure before anyone prices it. The money doors: their liability (no deductible), your collision (fast, deductible chased back), or UM/UMPD if they’re uninsured or gone — roughly 1 in 8 Texas drivers carries no insurance, which is exactly why UM exists. On this page Who Ran It Proving It What A Side Hit Does Every Claim Door The 5 Steps Gallery FAQ The Legal Ground ## THE LAW AT AN INTERSECTION IS “STAY PUT” Reviewed by [Shah Jiwani](https://dgcollision.com/about/shah-jiwani/), Owner · I-CAR Gold Class Certified · 30+ years DFW collision repair experience · Updated October 1, 2026 Texas Transportation Code §544.007(d) is the sentence most intersection claims turn on: a driver facing a steady red signal “shall stop at a clearly marked stop line” — or before the crosswalk if there’s no line — and a vehicle that isn’t turning “shall remain standing until an indication to proceed is shown.” Not “pause,” not “look both ways and judge it” — remain standing. Stop signs impose the same stay-put-then-yield duty in their own statute. So when two cars meet in the middle of an intersection, the legal question is almost never exotic: one driver had a duty to be stationary, and wasn’t. Whoever that was carries the fault, and their liability insurance owes the other car’s honest repair. What keeps intersection claims interesting is that both drivers usually believe they had the right of way — and sometimes both are partly right. A left-turner misjudges a yellow; a through-driver accelerates into a stale one; a stop-sign driver creeps past the line to see around a parked truck and gets clipped. Texas handles all of it with comparative negligence (§33.001): fault is split in percentages, you recover as long as you’re not more than 50% responsible, and your recovery shrinks by your share. A driver who entered on a genuinely green light but was speeding can still eat a slice of the fault; a driver who ran the red can argue the other car could have avoided it. Percentages are argued from evidence — which is why the next section matters more than this one. One more scene-level duty: Texas requires an immediate report to police when a crash injures or kills someone or leaves a vehicle that can’t be driven away (§550.026) — and in a side impact, “can’t be driven” is common, because the struck wheel and suspension often take part of the hit. When officers respond, the CR-3 crash report they file becomes the single most persuasive document in the fault argument. When the crash is minor enough that they don’t, [the claim still works](https://dgcollision.com/answers/do-i-need-a-police-report-for-an-insurance-claim-texas/) — your documentation just has to carry more of the weight. He Said, She Said ## PROVING WHO RAN IT — THE EVIDENCE GAME No statute decides which of two drivers is telling the truth about a light. Evidence does, and most of it has a shelf life measured in hours. Witnesses first: the drivers behind each of you saw the signal with no stake in the answer — a name and phone number collected before they pull away is worth more than almost anything else you can do at the scene. Cameras second: DFW intersections are ringed with them — gas stations, drive-throughs, storefronts, apartment gates, residential doorbells facing the corner. Businesses overwrite footage fast, often within days, so the polite ask (“there was a crash out front around 5:40 — could you save that clip?”) happens the same day or it doesn’t happen. If either car was running a dashcam, save the file before the loop recording eats it. Then there’s the witness that never forgets: the metal. Where each car is hit, and how deep, tells a reconstructable story — a strike centered on the front doors says the striking car arrived when you were already mostly across; damage at your front corner says a different sequence. That’s also why photos of both vehicles where they came to rest, before anything is moved, are disproportionately valuable in this crash type — resting positions plus crush depth let an adjuster or reconstructionist replay the intersection. Photograph the wide scene with the signal heads or stop sign in frame, both cars from all four corners, both plates, skid marks or the absence of them, and debris fields. Ten minutes of photography routinely decides a five-figure fault argument. A note on tickets: if police cite the other driver for running the light, that citation is a strong card in the insurance argument — but it isn’t a verdict. Carriers weigh the officer’s conclusion alongside everything else, and a driver who got the ticket can still dispute civil fault. Treat the citation as evidence to collect, not a case-closer — and treat the absence of one the same way. General information, not legal advice; for injury questions, a doctor first and a lawyer when it’s serious — our lane is the car. The Part You Can’t See ## WHAT A SIDE IMPACT DOES WHERE YOU CAN’T SEE IT A front or rear hit has feet of crumple zone to spend before anything important moves. A side hit has inches — a door skin, a door beam, and then you. Engineers answer that math with some of the strongest steel on the car: hot-stamped ultra-high-strength pillars and rockers that form a cage around the cabin, built to take the hit by deforming in controlled ways — and built to be replaced at factory seams, not straightened, because steel that strong cracks rather than bends back. That’s why a T-boned car deserves a measurement even when the doors “just look dented”: the B-pillar, rocker, and floor structure behind them decide whether the cabin is still the shape the airbags and crash sensors assume it is. The car reports its own damage, if you listen in the first days. [A door that won’t close flush](https://dgcollision.com/answers/door-wont-close-after-accident/) or needs a shoulder to latch is the classic one — door apertures change shape before anything else. [Panel gaps that taper](https://dgcollision.com/answers/uneven-panel-gaps-after-collision/) along the struck side, [a new pull or a crooked steering wheel](https://dgcollision.com/answers/car-pulls-to-one-side-after-accident/) from a wheel that took part of the impact, glass that creaks, and side or curtain airbags that deployed — each is a structural question wearing a cosmetic costume. Deployed airbags in particular change the repair conversation enough that [we wrote a whole guide on it](https://dgcollision.com/guides/airbags-deployed-is-my-car-totaled/): genuine replacement bags, new pretensioners per procedure, and total-loss math that deployment often triggers on older cars. The decisive test is the same free one every crash gets here: [computerized structural measurement](https://dgcollision.com/answers/how-to-tell-if-your-car-has-frame-damage/) against factory reference points, in millimeters, before anyone commits to a number. The Claim Decision ## EVERY CLAIM DOOR — INCLUDING THE UGLY ONES They ran it, and they’re insured: the clean case. Their liability carrier owes your repair with no deductible, plus loss of use and [diminished value](https://dgcollision.com/guides/diminished-value-claim-texas/) — the standard playbook from [the not-my-fault guide](https://dgcollision.com/guides/accident-not-my-fault/) applies, with one intersection-specific caution: disputed-fault files stall, so if their adjuster is “still investigating” while your car sits, your own collision coverage starts the repair now and your carrier fights the fault battle for you, with §542.204 requiring them to chase your deductible back within a year or refund it. They ran it, and they’re uninsured — or gone: the Texas-sized case, because roughly 1 in 8 drivers here carries no insurance. This is precisely what uninsured motorist property damage (UMPD) coverage exists for: it pays your repair on your own policy with a $250 deductible set by statute (§1952.105) — usually far below a collision deductible. A hit-and-run at an intersection can ride UM too, with two hard requirements worth knowing before you need them: actual physical contact with your car, and a police report — [the hit-and-run guide](https://dgcollision.com/guides/hit-and-run-texas/) walks both. No UM/UMPD on your policy? Collision coverage still works; it just uses your regular deductible. You ran it: it happens to careful people, and the honest mechanics are the same ones in [our at-fault guide](https://dgcollision.com/guides/i-rear-ended-someone-texas/) — your liability pays for their car, your own collision (or your wallet) pays for yours, you notify your carrier promptly and let them handle the other side’s adjuster, and at the scene you exchange information and say what happened without narrating a confession (“are you okay” beats “I didn’t see the light”). Whichever seat you’re in, Texas law puts the shop choice with you, not the carrier (§1952.301) — and the estimate that starts every one of these doors is free and written. Start To Finish ## FIVE STEPS FROM THE INTERSECTION TO REPAIRED ### Safety, 911, And Photos Where The Cars Rest Check on everyone and call 911 if anyone’s hurt — side impacts injure people more than fender benders do. Before cars move (if it’s safe), photograph resting positions, both vehicles, both plates, and the wide scene with the signal or sign in frame. Resting positions replay the intersection later. ### Lock Down Witnesses And Cameras The Same Day Names and numbers from drivers who saw the light, before they pull away. Then the camera sweep: businesses and doorbells facing the corner, asked today — most systems overwrite within days. Save any dashcam file immediately. ### Exchange Information — And Verify Their Insurance Early Photograph their license, plate, and insurance card. When the crash requires it (§550.026 — injury, or a car that can’t drive away), police respond and the CR-3 becomes your referee. If their policy turns out lapsed, you’ll be glad you know on day one: that’s the UM/UMPD door. ### Pick The Claim Door That Fits Your Facts Clear fault + insured driver: their liability, no deductible. Disputed fault or a stalling adjuster: your collision now, deductible chased back under §542.204. Uninsured or hit-and-run: UM/UMPD, $250 statutory deductible. At fault yourself: liability for their car, collision for yours. ### Measure The Structure, Then Repair And Supplement Side impacts hide their worst work in pillars, rockers, and suspension. The computerized measurement is free; pillar-grade steel gets replaced at factory seams per procedure, never straightened; whatever the teardown finds rides the claim as a documented supplement. Real Results ## A SIDE-IMPACT REBUILD, BEFORE & AFTER Pictured: a customer’s Honda Civic — doors and quarter panel caved by a side impact, rebuilt on our Lewisville floor. The same class of hit this guide describes. Drag the slider. Before After #### Side-Impact Collision — Doors & Quarter Panel Struck-side teardown, structure measured against factory points, then rebuilt — the doors close like nothing happened because the aperture is back in spec T-Boned In Texas ## FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS **Q: Is the driver who ran the red light always at fault?** A: Nearly always mostly, not always entirely. §544.007(d)’s stay-put duty makes the light-runner the presumptive answer, but Texas compares negligence (§33.001) — a through-driver who was speeding or had time to avoid can carry a slice. You recover as long as you’re not more than half responsible, reduced by your share, which is why the evidence you gather in the first hour is worth real money. **Q: We both claim we had the green. Who wins?** A: The better file. With no independent evidence, carriers can split fault or each deny the other’s claim — the worst outcome. Independent witnesses, nearby camera footage asked for the same day, a dashcam clip, or a reconstruction from photos of crush depth and resting positions break the tie. This is the crash type where ten minutes of scene documentation matters most. **Q: The other driver got a ticket. Does that settle fault?** A: It helps a lot, but it isn’t a verdict. A citation is the responding officer’s conclusion, and adjusters weigh it heavily alongside the CR-3 narrative — but civil fault is decided by the carriers (or a court), and a cited driver can still dispute it. Collect the citation number and the report; just don’t stop gathering evidence because of it. **Q: My door won’t close right after the hit. Can I drive it?** A: Treat that as the car telling you the aperture moved — a structural symptom, not a latch problem. A door that won’t latch securely is a do-not-drive condition; one that closes with effort has earned a short, careful trip to a measurement at most. The drive-or-tow triage guide covers the full checklist, and the structural measurement that settles it is free here. **Q: The side airbags deployed. Is my car totaled?** A: Not automatically — deployment doesn’t total a car by rule, it adds real cost: genuine replacement airbags (never aftermarket), pretensioners and modules per the factory procedure. On newer cars that math usually still favors repair; on older cars it can push the repair-vs-value ratio over the line. The airbags-deployed guide walks the math, and the estimate that answers it for your car is free. **Q: The driver who hit me has no insurance. Am I stuck?** A: No — this is what UM/UMPD coverage is for, and in Texas it earns its premium: roughly 1 in 8 drivers here is uninsured. UMPD pays your repair on your own policy with a $250 deductible set by statute (§1952.105). No UM on your policy? Collision coverage works with your regular deductible, and suing an uninsured driver personally is usually a last resort. The uninsured-driver guide has the full map. **Q: I’m the one who ran the stop sign. What should I do?** A: Stop, check on everyone, exchange information, and notify your own carrier promptly — your policy requires cooperation with your insurer, and your liability coverage handles the other car. Don’t narrate a confession at the scene; “are you okay” covers your legal duties, the investigation covers fault. Your own car runs on your collision coverage or cash, and the at-fault guide covers the whole honest picture, rates included. **Q: Can their insurance send me to their preferred shop?** A: They can suggest; they can’t require. Texas Insurance Code §1952.301 bars conditioning claim payment on a particular shop, whichever carrier is paying. A side impact is also the crash type where shop choice matters most — pillar and rocker repairs are procedure-heavy, replace-not-straighten work — so pick the shop that measures first and shows its documentation. One sentence settles it: “I’m using my own shop.”