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Wrongful Death Attorney In Sugar Land, TX
Fighting For What is Right in Sugar Land Texas
A sudden death of someone you love can leave an irreplaceable void in your life. If the heart wrenching sudden loss of a loved one was caused by the negligence of another person or an organization, then the hurt triggered by the loss increases exponentially.
It is a natural expectation to experience grief caused by of the passing of a loved one. It is not natural for the grief to morph into anger because of a wrongful death. If you are currently mourning or have recently mourned the loss of a loved one that you feel was caused by negligence, reach out to personal injury attorney Adam Capetillo to determine the best way to proceed.
The best results in wrongful death cases often come from the hard work of highly rated personal injury lawyers that have successfully litigated many wrongful death cases.
Wrongful Death Defined
Every state has written a wrongful death statute, but for Sugar Land, Texas residents, it is how Texas defines wrongful death that legally matters. According to Chapter 71 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, a wrongful death claim is filed because of “the wrongful act, carelessness, unskillfulness, neglect, or default of another person or corporation.”
Here are a few common causes of wrongful death cases in Texas:
- Drunk driving crash
- Construction site explosion
- Medical malpractice
- Defective product
- Distracted driving accident
- 18-wheeler truck crash
- Workplace fire
- Nursing home abuse
Texas law defines when there is a valid wrongful death claim, as well as who is eligible to file a wrongful death claim in the Lone Star State. Statutes pertaining to wrongful death cases in Texas lists the reasons for compensating surviving family members. Attorney Adam Capetillo has litigated wrongful death cases for several years, which means the personal injury lawyers at our law firm are highly skilled at obtaining just compensation for a number of reasons.
We refer to sections 71.001 through 71.12 of the Texas wrongful death statute to determine who qualifies for just compensation and how much our clients are eligible to receive for their pain and suffering.
Filing a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Texas
Texas wrongful death statute substantially restricts who is eligible to file a wrongful death lawsuit. According to the wrongful death statute, you have to be a surviving spouse, child, or parent of the deceased. Surviving family members can file a wrongful death lawsuit together or one eligible family member can file a wrongful death lawsuit representing the remaining surviving family members.
Here are the people that do not qualify as surviving family members:
- Sibling
- Fiancé
- Grandparent
- Grandchild
- Uncle
- Aunt
- Cousin
- Romantic partner
Personal injury attorney Adam Capetillo can help you determine whether you qualify as a surviving family members as it pertains to Texas wrongful death law. If eligible surviving members fail to file a wrongful death lawsuit within three months of the death of a loved one, then the administrator of the deceased’s estate is allowed under Texas law to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
Compensation for Wrongful Death Cases
Just the eligible surviving family members of a wrongful death case qualify to receive just compensation. This means only the surviving spouse, parents, and children can recover compensation in wrongful death cases.
Here are a few of the expenses the just compensation covers in wrongful death cases:
- Funeral expenses
- Burial expenses
- Loss of deceased’s wages
- Emotional distress
- Loss of financial support
- Inheritance loss
- Mental health treatment costs
- Loss of household services
Although expenses such as burial and funeral costs are easy to prove because of a paper or digital trail, expenses associated with emotional distress are much harder to prove. This is why you need a trusted personal injury lawyer like Adam Capetillo to fight for you during a wrongful death lawsuit. Remember that every wrongful death cases involves different circumstances, especially when it comes to establishing negligence. Juries in Texas decide how much to compensate the eligible surviving members of a family in a wrongful death lawsuit. It is up to the eligible family members to determine how to divide a wrongful death award for just compensation.
Work with an Experienced Wrongful Death Attorney
Wrongful death cases represent one of the most gut wrenching personal injury cases that the Capetillo Law Firm handles. Emotions can run high during the legal proceedings of a wrongful death lawsuit, particularly when our team of expert personal injury lawyers assign blame to the party or parties that were negligent in ensuring the safety of a loved one.
Trying to obtain just compensation on your own or by hiring an inexperienced personal injury attorney can lead to you walking out of a civil court empty handed. An experienced wrongful death lawyer such as Adam Capetillo will work hard to maximize the just compensation you receive because of the negligence of another person or corporation.
Schedule a free initial consultation with Adam Capetillo to learn more about wrongful death law in the State of Texas. You can submit the online form or call the Capetillo Law Firm at (346) 249-5544.