Katy Wrongful Death Lawyer
If you’ve recently experienced the death of a family member in an accident in Katy, TX, don’t hesitate to call Zehl & Associates. The person responsible for your tragic loss should be held accountable. Our Katy wrongful death lawyers are here to help you assert your rights and fight for the monetary justice you deserve.
For over 15 years, families throughout the state of Texas have turned to us for help after life-changing accidents. Our undefeated trial attorneys have decades of experience handling complex civil disputes, and we’ve helped clients win billions of dollars in settlement agreements and jury verdicts.
Contact us to schedule a free consultation with our award-winning litigators today. You can call us at (888) 603-3636
Table of Contents
- How Zehl & Associates Can Help You After a Wrongful Death in Katy, TX
- How is Wrongful Death Defined in Texas?
- Who Files a Wrongful Death Claim in Texas?
- What Damages Can Be Awarded in a Wrongful Death Case?
- Can Shared Fault Affect My Family’s Wrongful Death Settlement?
- How Long Do I Have to File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Texas?
- Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced Katy Wrongful Death Attorney Today
How Zehl & Associates Can Help You After a Wrongful Death in Katy, TX
After the tragic loss of a loved one, no amount of money can ever make up for your suffering. However, filing a wrongful death lawsuit can be a vital step toward justice, holding those responsible fully accountable for the harm they caused your family.
But taking on the responsible parties and their insurers is not something you can face alone. From the start, they’ll use every tactic possible to avoid paying you the full compensation you deserve. The only way to protect yourself and secure your future is by hiring the best wrongful death lawyers you can find, a team with the experience, resources, and determination to take on any opponent, including the largest companies in the world, and not just win—but set records.
At Zehl & Associates, our record of securing Billions in verdicts and settlements for families speaks for itself. We have won the largest recoveries in history for families whose loved ones were lost in some of the worst oilfield accidents, plant or refinery explosions, workplace accidents, and truck or 18-wheeler accidents in Texas and the U.S.
From the moment you hire us, we get to work fighting for your family’s future:
- Never Settling For Less Than Full Compensation: We hold the negligent and reckless parties fully accountable — we never settle for less than the maximum compensation possible.
- Securing Financial Resources for Your Family’s Future: We provide our clients and their families with the financial resources to care and provide for themselves for the rest of their lives.
- Preparing Every Case for Trial: If the defendant refuses to offer a settlement that fully compensates our clients, we will take the case to trial, where we remain undefeated.
- Preventing Future Negligence: We not only prevent the dangerous conduct from occurring again in the future, we also set records for our clients while doing so..
Our unwavering commitment is to fight for your rights and do whatever it takes to secure justice, so you can focus on what matters most. That’s why our team goes above and beyond to support you, standing by you every step of the way.
Contact us today for a free consultation at 1-888-603-3636.
How is Wrongful Death Defined in Texas?
The Texas Wrongful Death Act defines wrongful death as a death arising from the “wrongful act, neglect, carelessness, unskillfulness, or default” of another person.
At Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers, we have extensive experience representing families in wrongful death cases involving:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bus accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Uber and Lyft rideshare accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Dog bites
- Matters of premises liability
- Assault
- Sexual assault
- Product liability
- Construction accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Catastrophic injuries
If you’ve lost a family member because someone else was careless, reckless, or engaged in violent criminal acts, don’t hesitate to discuss your situation with our award-winning Texas wrongful death attorneys in Katy. We can listen to your story and help you understand your best legal options at this time.
Who Files a Wrongful Death Claim in Texas?
Not just anyone can file a wrongful death lawsuit after a fatal accident in Katy, Texas.
This right belongs exclusively to the victim’s surviving:
- Spouse
- Child(ren)
- Parent(s)
Any combination of these parties can initiate a wrongful death claim for damages.
If the victim has no surviving spouse, child, or parent, the personal representative of the victim’s estate gains the right to seek damages in a wrongful death action. Any damages awarded to the estate are then distributed to heirs and beneficiaries in accordance with Texas intestacy laws.
What Damages Can Be Awarded in a Wrongful Death Case?
The purpose of a wrongful death claim is to compensate a decedent’s surviving family members for the losses and distress they experience in the wake of a tragic loss.
So, the types of damages that can be awarded vary slightly from those that are awarded in other types of personal injury cases.
In Texas, a spouse, child, parent, or executor can seek economic damages and non-economic damages for:
- The value of the decedent’s lost wages, financial support, and benefits
- The value of household services provided by the decedent
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Medical bills paid before the decedent’s death
- Loss of inheritance
- Loss of support, advice, and maintenance
- Loss of comfort, companionship, and love
- Loss of consortium
- Emotional distress
Collectively, these awards are known as compensatory damages. Their purpose is to help offset the family’s financial costs and burdens, as well as to make it easier to deal with more personal trauma resulting from a loved one’s death.
Additional damages – known as punitive damages – are sometimes awarded. Punitive damages are intended to punish a defendant for conduct that is particularly egregious or offensive. State law allows a jury to award punitive damages when it is presented with compelling evidence of intentional misconduct, malice, or gross negligence.
Calculating the damages in a wrongful death case can be challenging, especially when it comes to harder-to-value non-economic awards. Our wrongful death lawyers in Katy will bring in expert witnesses to aid in this process.
We’ll work closely with them as we evaluate the ways in which your loved one’s death has affected your financial stability and your overall quality of life. With their help, we’ll construct a claim that helps you leverage a significant financial award from those at fault.
Can Shared Fault Affect My Family’s Wrongful Death Settlement?
Texas follows a system of modified comparative negligence with a 51 percent bar to recovery. This system applies to most personal injury cases, including the wrongful death of a loved one.
Under the state’s contributory fault law, a victim’s shared fault has a direct and adverse impact on a related claim for damages.
- Damages are reduced proportionately when liability is equal to or less than 50 percent.
- Damages are prohibited when liability is equal to or greater than 51 percent.
When you file a wrongful death lawsuit in Katy, your family member’s shared fault will be a factor. The more they contributed to their fatal accident or injuries, the less you’ll be able to recover from a negligent or otherwise liable third party.
Our Katy wrongful death attorneys will actively work to discredit any claims of shared fault. Your family member isn’t here to defend themselves or tell their side of the story. We’ll do our best to protect their good name and safeguard your opportunity to get the compensation needed to move forward with your life.
How Long Do I Have to File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Texas?
Once you’ve lost a close family member in an accident in Katy, Texas, you will have just two years to file a wrongful death lawsuit for damages.
If you miss the deadline established by the statute of limitations, you may forfeit the ability to demand compensation from an insurance company or a negligent party.
Don’t lose out on valuable compensation because of a procedural technicality. Protect your rights by reaching out to an experienced wrongful death attorney near you in Katy right away.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced Katy Wrongful Death Attorney Today
Having won Billions for accident and wrongful death victims in Texas and across the United States, our undefeated Katy Wrongful Death Attorneys have the resources and experience to hold the responsible parties, including the largest companies in the world, fully accountable and not just win, but set records.
Call 1-888-603-5603 or click here to submit a confidential email through our “Contact Us” form.
We’ll answer your questions, explain your rights, and ensure you have the information you need to make the best decision for yourself and your family.
The consultation is free, and you’ll owe absolutely nothing unless we win your case.