Texas Wrongful Death LawyersSomeone you love is gone because someone else was careless, and already the world wants paperwork.
You lost someone. A lawsuit is the last thing you want to think about.
So let us carry this part. A wrongful death claim isn’t about putting a price on the person you love; nothing could. It’s about making whoever caused this answer for it, and making sure your family is taken care of without them. But before any of that, Texas asks one quiet question: does the law even let you file?
A surviving husband or wife
A husband or wife can file, even if you were separated. Texas counts common-law marriage too, and it counts here.
Children, by birth or adoption
Any child of the person who died, at any age, a grown child has the same right as a young one. Stepchildren can file only if they were legally adopted.
A surviving parent
A mother or father, biological or adoptive, can file for the loss of their child, even a grown child with a family of their own.
That’s the whole list. In Texas, only a spouse, the children, or the parents can file, not siblings, not grandparents, not an unmarried partner, no matter how close they were. One family member can file for everyone. And if no one files within three months, it usually falls to whoever represents the estate.
In Texas, this is really two cases.
Most families don’t realize there are two. One is for what your family lost. The other is for what your loved one went through before they passed. They usually get filed together, and skipping one leaves money on the table.
The wrongful death claim
This one’s yours. It covers your family’s losses: the income and support they provided, the care and guidance, and the companionship that’s gone now.
The survival claim
This one belongs to your loved one’s estate. It covers what they went through: the pain before they died, the medical bills, and the wages lost between the injury and the end.
Why the difference matters. A wrongful death claim can’t recover for your loved one’s own pain and suffering; only the survival claim can. When there’s proof they suffered before they died, we bring both, so nothing your family is owed gets left behind.
Almost every one of these accidents could’ve been avoided.
At the center of nearly every wrongful death is someone who cut a corner, looked away, or put profit ahead of a life. These are the ones we see most across Texas.
Car & motorcycle crashes
The most common of all. A second of carelessness at speed is enough to take someone.
Drunk & distracted driving
A driver who chose to drink, text, or speed. These are the cases where Texas may let your family ask for punitive damages too.
18-wheeler & truck crashes
A loaded truck against a car is rarely survivable. Fatigue, skipped maintenance, and pressure to keep rolling cause these.
Medical negligence
A missed diagnosis, a surgical mistake, the wrong medication, or neglect in a hospital or nursing home.
Workplace, oilfield & construction
Some of the most dangerous work in Texas. Even when an employer hides behind workers’ comp, a third party who shares the blame can still be held to it.
Defective & dangerous products
A failed part, a bad design, a missing warning, on anything from a vehicle to something in your home.
Not sure who’s even at fault? Don’t count yourself out. Half our job is finding every party who played a part, the ones a grieving family would never think to look for, and the ones counting on you not to.
What the law helps your family take with them.
None of this replaces the person you lost. It’s here so their death doesn’t take your family’s security with it.
There’s no honest “average.” What a case is worth depends on how the death happened, what your loved one provided, and how strong the proof is. Anyone who throws you a number before they’ve heard your story is guessing.
The support they provided
The income, the benefits, the future earnings your family was counting on, plus the everyday work and care they did around the house.
Funeral & final medical bills
Burial and funeral costs, and the medical bills from the injury or illness that took them. Usually the most certain costs, and the first to pile up.
The loss no money touches
Your grief, the companionship and love that’s gone, a spouse’s loss of partnership, and the guidance your kids will grow up without. Texas lets families claim these.
Punishing reckless conduct
When the death came from gross negligence, a drunk driver, a company that knew the danger and rolled the dice, Texas allows punitive damages on top, to punish it and to warn off the next one. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
No verdict brings them back. Holding them accountable still matters.
While you’re grieving, the other side’s insurer is already working to pay as little as they can. We take the legal weight, the investigation, the records, the experts, the people who’d rather not answer for this, so your family isn’t fighting and mourning at the same time.
An honest word before you file.
Most firms won’t say this out loud: a lawsuit isn’t the right move for every grieving family. If it isn’t right for yours, we’ll tell you. Here’s what an honest conversation actually weighs.
You generally have two years from the date of death to file in Texas. That can feel like forever while you’re grieving, but evidence fades and witnesses move on long before the deadline does.
What a case can, and can’t, do
It can get you accountability and financial security. It can’t get you closure, or your person back. If you’re hoping a verdict will heal the loss, we’ll be straight with you: it won’t.
Is there proof, or just a feeling?
Knowing something went wrong isn’t the same as proving it. A real case needs evidence of negligence, which is exactly what we dig into before you commit to anything.
Is there someone worth going after?
A case needs a clear at-fault party with insurance or assets behind them. Part of our free review is telling you honestly whether that’s there.
Are you ready for how long it takes?
A serious case can run a couple of years and ask you to revisit hard details. We carry the weight of it, but you should see the shape of the road before you start.
Is your family on the same page?
Since a spouse, children, and parents can all share one claim, it helps when everyone’s aligned. We can walk a family through that conversation so the case doesn’t turn into another fight.
I’ve sat across from a lot of families in the worst week of their lives, and I tell every one of them the same thing. A lawsuit won’t bring your person back, and it won’t hand you closure. What it can do is make the people who caused this answer for it, and make sure your family is taken care of. If that matters to you, we’ll carry the legal part so you can grieve. You don’t pay us a dime unless we win.
Josh Alexander · Founder & Managing Attorney · Marine veteran
Texas wrongful death FAQ.
Plain, honest answers to what families ask us most, specific to Texas.
Who can file a wrongful death claim in Texas?
How long do I have to file in Texas?
What is the difference between a wrongful death and a survival claim?
Who gets the money from a wrongful death settlement?
Is a wrongful death settlement taxable in Texas?
What is a wrongful death claim actually worth?
When you’re ready, we’re here.
No rush, no obligation. Tell us what happened and we’ll listen, then tell you honestly whether you’ve got a case under Texas law, who can bring it, and what your options are. If it’s not the right path for your family, we’ll say so. One call, no cost, nothing owed unless we win.