Did you lose someone you love in a fatal accident in Galveston, TX? Call The Law Firm of Alton C. Todd Personal Injury Lawyers at (409) 207-9299 for legal assistance today. During your free consultation, an experienced Galveston wrongful death lawyer can help you understand your family’s right to pursue financial compensation.
Between us, our attorneys have over 58 years of experience advocating for injury victims and grieving families. We’ve succeeded in winning over $500 million in settlements and verdicts. You may deserve significant compensation, and we’re ready to help you fight for compensation to cover medical bills, lost financial support, and your family’s pain and suffering.
Why Should I Call The Law Firm of Alton C. Todd Personal Injury Lawyers To Handle My Family’s Galveston Wrongful Death Claim?
The Law Firm of Alton C. Todd Personal Injury Lawyers is one of the most respected and trusted personal injury law firms in Texas. Our team is led by one of the few lawyers who has been certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
We’ve also been recognized for our success within the legal community, including by:
- Super Lawyers
- The National Trial Lawyers
- Best Lawyers
We’ve earned top peer ratings from the Lexis Nexis and Martindale-Hubbell lawyer rating services. Over the years, our team has won some of the largest verdicts in Galveston County.
Now, our Galveston personal injury attorneys are here to put our track record of success to work in your case. It’s never too early to learn about your family’s legal rights. Contact our team today to schedule a free case review with a lawyer who can help you fight for justice in Galveston, Texas.
Overview of Texas Laws on Wrongful Death
Wrongful death claims in Texas are civil matters. You can file a claim for compensation to hold the responsible party financially accountable. This right is completely separate from any criminal issues.
While most wrongful death cases involve accidents, you can seek to hold the at-fault party responsible for any death caused by their:
- Wrongful act
- Neglect
- Carelessness or unskillfulness, or
- Default
Regardless of how the death occurred, the responsible party can be held liable in civil court. That’s true whether their actions were intentional or merely careless.
What Should I Know About the Process for Filing a Wrongful Death Claim in Texas?
Wrongful death cases are very similar to personal injury cases. Most start with negotiating a settlement with an insurance company. If the settlement offer isn’t acceptable, you can file a lawsuit in civil court.
Only certain family members can file a lawsuit, including:
- A surviving spouse
- The victim’s biological or adopted children
- The victim’s parents
Often, the victim’s personal representative files the lawsuit. When damages are recovered, those damages are distributed to the victim’s survivors–based on their will or Texas intestate laws if no will exists.
How Much Money Is My Family’s Galveston Wrongful Death Case Worth?
Your loved one is not replaceable. No amount of money can ever truly compensate for your loss. Still, recovering compensation is usually your only option for getting justice. It’s important to understand how much compensation you deserve before you sit down at the negotiating table.
Factors that will be relevant to calculating your case value include:
- The extent of your family’s financial costs, including medical bills
- Your loved one’s age and life expectancy at their time of death
- Your loved one’s prior earnings history and expected future earnings
- The cost of replacing the non-financial contributions your loved one made to the household
- Who survived your loved one, in terms of children or a spouse
- The circumstances of the death
- Your loved one’s pain and trauma
Your compensation award should attempt to compensate for any loss your family experienced due to the death of your loved one.
Your family’s situation is unique. You don’t have to let the insurance companies push you into taking a settlement that doesn’t seem right. Hiring an experienced Galveston wrongful death attorney is the best way to ensure you’re receiving every dollar you deserve.
What Types of Damages Are Available if My Galveston Wrongful Death Case Succeeds?
You can pursue compensatory damages for any actual losses your family has experienced due to the death. That includes economic damages and non-economic damages.
Examples of possible damages in a wrongful death case include:
- Medical expenses incurred to treat the fatal injury
- Loss of your loved one’s financial support
- Lost employment benefits
- Loss of inheritance
- Loss of the reasonable value of household services
- Loss of consortium, or loss of a spouse’s companionship and support
- Funeral expenses
- Costs associated with administering the victim’s estate
Courts in Texas also have the authority to award punitive damages if the defendant’s acts were intentional or showed a conscious and shocking disregard for human life.
Can I Pursue Compensation for Wrongful Death if My Loved One Shared Blame for a Fatal Accident in Texas?
Texas’s modified comparative negligence laws apply in both personal injury and wrongful death cases. Victims lose their right to damages once their share of fault exceeds 50%. Otherwise, their compensation award is reduced in proportion to their share of fault.
This system seeks to ensure that all parties are held accountable for their actions. That said, it’s not a perfect system–and allocating blame is not an exact science. If someone is blaming your loved one, it’s especially important to hire an experienced attorney.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Wrongful Death Lawyer in Texas?
Like most personal injury law firms, The Law Firm of Alton C. Todd Personal Injury Lawyers operates on contingency. With a contingency fee structure, you only pay if your attorney recovers compensation.
The amount you pay depends entirely on how much we win. Once your case is resolved, we’ll deduct a fixed percentage from your settlement or verdict.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Wrongful Deaths in Galveston?
Any type of accident can prove fatal if it’s serious enough. 4,150 people were killed in traffic accidents across the state of Texas in 2024 alone.
Our attorneys handle all types of fatal injury cases, including cases involving:
- Car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, and other motor vehicle crashes
- Dangerous property conditions
- Slip and fall accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Bus accidents
- Uber or Lyft accidents
- Boating accidents
- Construction accidents and other workplace accidents
- Falls from heights
- Dog bites and animal attacks
- Defective products
- Medical negligence
- Nursing home abuse and neglect
- Intentional torts, including gun violence, domestic violence, and vehicular manslaughter
It’s important to hire an attorney with experience handling a wide range of cases. Our lawyers have decades of experience between us. You can count on us to put the full weight of our expertise to work in your family’s case.
Who Can Be Liable for Wrongful Death in Texas?
Anyone whose actions or omissions contributed to the death can be held financially liable.
That might include:
- Careless drivers or drunk drivers
- Property owners who fail to maintain safe property conditions
- Business owners
- Medical professionals in medical malpractice cases
- Manufacturers of defective products
- Employers of negligent parties
- Criminal actors
Establishing liability hinges on determining how your loved one was killed. Once we understand the case, we’ll be equipped to identify all responsible parties.
What Is the Legal Basis for a Wrongful Death Claim in Texas?
Negligence is the most common legal theory involved in wrongful death cases. In negligence-based cases, the defendant didn’t mean to kill anyone. Even so, they can be held financially responsible.
Proving negligence means establishing:
- The defendant owed your loved one a legal duty of care (such as a duty to obey traffic laws and use reasonable caution)
- They breached that duty because they didn’t use the amount of caution that a reasonable person would have used in the situation
- That breach caused your loved one’s death
- Your family can point to specific damages you suffered as a result
Our attorneys have experience handling these types of cases. Once you hire us, we’ll launch an investigation to uncover any available evidence to establish your family’s right to compensation.
How Much Time Do I Have To File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit After a Deadly Accident in Texas?
Grieving families in Texas have just two years to file a lawsuit. The two-year statute of limitations starts on the date of your loved one’s death. Missing the deadline means giving up your right to valuable compensation. That’s why we always recommend consulting an experienced attorney as quickly as you can.
Call a Trusted Galveston Wrongful Death Lawyer for a Free Consultation Today
If your loved one was killed due to someone else’s actions in Galveston, Texas, our team at The Law Firm of Alton C. Todd Personal Injury Lawyers is here to advocate on your behalf. Call us today to learn how an experienced Galveston wrongful death attorney can help you fight for the money you need and deserve.
