Wrongful Death
When the Unthinkable Happens: Wrongful Death & Catastrophic Injury in Texas.
When the Unthinkable Happens: Wrongful Death & Catastrophic Injury in Texas.
There Are No Easy Words for This
If you're reading this page, something devastating has already happened.
Maybe you lost someone you love because of another person's negligence. Maybe you or a family member suffered an injury so severe that life — as you knew it — has fundamentally changed. And now, on top of the grief and the shock and the medical appointments, someone is telling you that you need to deal with lawyers and insurance companies and legal deadlines.
It's a lot. We know that.
What we want you to know is this: you don't have to figure it all out right now, and you don't have to figure it out alone. This page will walk you through what Texas law actually provides for families in your situation — plainly, without the legal jargon — so you can make informed decisions when you're ready.
-
What Is a Wrongful Death Claim?
A wrongful death claim is what the law provides when someone dies because of another person's — or company's — negligence, carelessness, or misconduct. It is civil law's way of acknowledging that the people left behind have suffered real, measurable losses — financial and otherwise — and that the responsible party should be held accountable for them.
This is not about putting a price on a human life. It's about making sure that the people who depended on that person — and who now have to carry on without them — aren't left to absorb the full financial weight of someone else's failure.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Claim in Texas?
Texas law limits who can bring a wrongful death claim. The people eligible to file are:
The deceased's spouse
The deceased's children — biological or adopted, regardless of age
The deceased's parents
If none of these family members file a claim within three months of the death, the estate's executor or administrator may file on behalf of the estate — unless the family members have specifically instructed them not to.
What Can Be Recovered?
Every case is different, and no attorney can promise a specific outcome. What Texas law allows families to pursue includes:
Economic losses — Medical expenses incurred before death. Funeral and burial costs. The income and financial support the deceased would have provided over their lifetime.
Non-economic losses — The loss of companionship, care, and emotional support. The grief and mental anguish experienced by surviving family members. In some cases, the pain and suffering the deceased endured before passing.
These losses are real, even when they're hard to put a number on. An experienced attorney's job is to make sure every category of loss is documented, argued, and accounted for.
-
Wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases are among the most complex in personal injury law — and the stakes are among the highest.
These cases typically involve multiple defendants. Insurance companies with significant legal resources defending against your claim. Medical experts who need to document the full scope of current and future losses. Economists who calculate lifetime earning capacity. Accident reconstruction specialists. It takes a coordinated, experienced legal effort to build a case that truly accounts for everything a family has lost and will lose going forward.
This is not the kind of case to navigate alone, and it's not the kind of case to hand to an attorney who treats it like a file number.
-
Texas law gives most wrongful death and personal injury claimants two years from the date of death or injury to file a lawsuit. This is called the statute of limitations, and it is a hard deadline.
Two years can feel like a long time when you're in the middle of grief or recovery. It isn't. Building a strong case takes time — gathering evidence, securing expert witnesses, documenting the full extent of future losses. The earlier you start the conversation with an attorney, the better positioned your family will be.
If you're unsure whether your window is still open, the answer is to call and ask. That conversation is free.
Not Sure If You Have a Case?
Tell us what happened — we'll give you an honest answer, no strings attached. Give us a call (832) 810-3664 or fill out the form below.