Every year, thousands of people lose their lives in fatal car accidents in Texas. The Texas Department of Transportation reported 4,283 deaths in 2023 – about one person every 2 hours 3 minutes. If you tragically lost a loved one in a deadly automobile accident, you and your family have legal rights. You can protect them with help from an Austin car accident attorney.
What Are the Deadliest Types of Car Accidents?
While any type of automobile accident could inflict catastrophic and critical injuries on those involved, certain types of accidents are statistically more likely to result in fatalities than others.
The most common types of fatal car accidents in Texas are:
- Truck accidents
- Bicycle and pedestrian accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Drunk driving accidents
- Head-on collisions
- T-bone and intersection accidents
- Rollovers
- High-speed collisions
- Pile-ups (multi-vehicle crashes)
- Rear-end collisions involving large vehicles
In 2023, 1,090 people were killed in motor vehicle accidents where a driver was under the influence of alcohol. This equates to over one-fourth of the total number of traffic accident deaths in the state.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents?
Driver error is the number one cause of deadly car accidents in Texas and throughout the country. Drivers can make careless and reckless decisions behind the wheel that result in fatal collisions, such as driving under the influence, speeding, running red lights and stop signs, texting while driving, and failing to yield the right-of-way.
How to File a Fatal Car Accident Claim in Texas
A fatal car accident can inflict immense emotional pain on the victim’s surviving loved ones. It can also result in significant financial harm, especially if the victim was the family’s main breadwinner. Filing a wrongful death claim in Texas could result in financial compensation being given to help your family pay for related bills and hold someone accountable.
Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 71.002 states: “A person is liable for damages arising from an injury that causes an individual’s death if the injury was caused by the person’s or his agent’s or servant’s wrongful act, neglect, carelessness, unskillfulness, or default.” This law grants the right to file a wrongful death claim against a negligent or at-fault party after a fatal car accident.
To pursue financial compensation in a wrongful death action, you must be the deceased person’s spouse, child or parent. Otherwise, you must be named as the personal representative of the decedent’s estate. You must identify the liable party or parties and bring a claim against them with clear and convincing evidence of fault.
How Can an Attorney Help After a Deadly Auto Accident?
It can be difficult to obtain the financial compensation that your family deserves after losing someone in a fatal car accident in Texas. Hiring a wrongful death attorney in Austin can allow you to have greater peace of mind while a law firm takes care of the legal process for you. An attorney can communicate and negotiate with car insurance companies on your family’s behalf to fight for a fair settlement. If necessary, your attorney can take your case to trial.
To discuss a specific car accident or wrongful death case with one of our Austin personal injury attorneys, request a free consultation at (512) 982-9328. We have more than 100 years of combined legal experience.