Carrollton Wrongful Death Lawyer

Did your family lose someone in a fatal accident in Carrollton, TX?

At Kelso Law, we are wrongful death lawyers who pursue full recovery for injured clients and their families.

If your family lost someone in a fatal accident in Carrollton, Texas law permits a surviving spouse, child, or parent to bring a wrongful death claim. The claim compensates those family members for their own losses, which include both the financial support the person provided and the relationship itself.

Kelso Law has served Texas since 2012. Our Carrollton, TX wrongful death lawyer conducts the investigation, communicates with the insurers, and documents the long-term financial loss, so that the family is not required to manage those matters. Consultations are free.

Wrongful Death Lawyer Carrollton, TX

Alcohol-related crashes caused 102 deaths in Dallas County during 2024, out of 1,053 statewide, according to TxDOT fatality data. Approximately one in ten alcohol-related traffic deaths in Texas occurs in this county. Impairment is one cause among several. Fatal collisions in Carrollton also arise from excessive speed, failure to yield, and commercial vehicle operation.

Wrongful death lawyers represent the surviving family members rather than the estate of the person who died. Liability is governed by ordinary negligence, the same standard that applies to any injury claim. The difference lies in the measure of damages, because the loss is calculated over the remainder of a working life and a family relationship rather than over a period of medical treatment.

Types of Wrongful Death Cases We Handle in Carrollton

A wrongful death claim may arise from any incident that would have supported an injury claim had the person survived. The legal framework is consistent across these situations, but the evidence required differs considerably.

• Car accidents. Fatal collisions between passenger vehicles account for the largest share of these matters. Liability is established in the ordinary manner, though the investigation must proceed without an account from the person who died.
• Truck accidents. A collision involving a commercial vehicle is substantially more likely to be fatal, and the motor carrier’s insurer generally begins its investigation within hours.
• Motorcycle accidents. Riders are overrepresented in fatal collisions, and the assumptions commonly made about motorcyclists carry into the wrongful death claim that follows.
• Pedestrian accidents. A person struck at speed rarely survives. These claims frequently turn on lighting conditions, crossing design, and driver attention.
• Bicycle accidents. Fatal cycling collisions often involve a disputed account of how the crash occurred, which places particular weight on independent evidence.
• Rideshare accidents. Where a trip was in progress, a commercial policy may apply, and the coverage available in a fatal case frequently determines whether a full recovery is possible.
• Nursing home neglect. Deaths resulting from untreated infection, pressure injuries, falls, and dehydration are documented in the resident’s medical chart, which is reviewed alongside the facility’s own incident reporting.
• Fatal assaults on commercial property. A property owner aware of a foreseeable danger who failed to address it may be responsible for a death that followed. These claims depend on what the owner knew and when.
• Workplace incidents. Fatal construction, industrial, and equipment accidents may support a claim against a contractor, an equipment owner, or a property owner, separate from any benefits process. Identifying every entity operating on the site is the first step.

Why Choose Kelso Law as my Wrongful Death Lawyer in Carrollton, TX?

Cases Prepared for Trial

Defendants in fatal cases are frequently corporations headquartered outside Texas, and many move these matters into federal court. Rhiannon Kelso holds admissions in Texas state court and in all three federal districts in the state, so a removal does not change who handles the case. She has tried more than 25 cases to a jury verdict since founding the firm in 2012, is a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and works with families in English and Spanish. Retaining a personal injury lawyer in Carrollton, TX with trial experience affects how a defendant evaluates the matter.

No Cost While the Case Is Pending

A family that has lost a wage earner should not be asked to fund litigation. We accept wrongful death matters on contingency, which means there is no retainer, no hourly billing, and no invoice during the case. We are compensated from the recovery itself, and if the case does not succeed the family owes nothing. The firm has recovered millions of dollars over 13 years, more than $20 million in total, and the initial consultation is provided at no charge.

What Is Important to Understand About a Wrongful Death Case?

What Is The Wrongful Death Case Timeline?

1. Early investigation. Evidence is secured before vehicles are released and conditions at the scene change. Independent witness statements are especially important in these cases, because no account is available from the person who died.
2. Records and documentation. The crash report, the medical examiner’s findings, employment and earnings history, and the household’s financial records are assembled.
3. Economic analysis. An economist or life-care planner calculates lost earnings, benefits, and household services over the person’s expected working life.
4. Demand and negotiation. The claim is presented to each responsible party’s insurer with the full measure of loss documented.
5. Suit and trial. Where an offer does not reflect the loss, filing suit places the matter on a court schedule and proceeds through discovery, mediation, and trial.

The Texas filing deadline under Section 16.003 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code is two years, and in a death case it generally runs from the date of death rather than the date of the incident. Families managing an estate sometimes learn of the deadline late, which is reason enough to have it reviewed early even if no decision has been made about bringing a claim.

What Are Important Aspects of a Wrongful Death Case?

• The claim belongs to specific family members. A surviving spouse, children, and parents may bring it. Siblings, grandparents, and unmarried partners generally may not, and confirming who holds the claim is an early step.
• Records are obtained from several offices. A certified death certificate is issued through Texas death records. Where the county investigated the death, the Dallas County medical examiner maintains forensic findings separately from any law enforcement file.
• The financial loss is calculated rather than estimated. The figure depends on earnings history, career progression, employment benefits, and the value of services the person provided to the household.
• Family members generally give testimony. Surviving relatives are usually asked to describe the relationship and the loss. Concerns about testifying in court are common, and we prepare clients for that testimony in advance.
• Not every wrongful death claim involves a vehicle. Matters arising from nursing home neglect, from circumstances associated with elder abuse, and from assault on a property require different evidence but rest on the same negligence framework.

Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Wrongful Death Cases

Liability requires the same showing as any injury claim: a duty owed, a breach of that duty, and a death caused by the breach. The surviving family may recover the following categories of damages.

• Lost earning capacity, meaning the financial support the person would have provided over a working lifetime.
• Lost care, maintenance, services, advice, and counsel, which accounts for contributions to the household beyond income.
• Lost love, companionship, comfort, and society.
• Mental anguish suffered by the surviving family members.
• Loss of inheritance, meaning the estate the person would likely have accumulated.
• Funeral and burial expenses.

If the person who died bore some responsibility for the incident, the fault allocation rule in Chapter 33 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code reduces the recovery by that percentage and bars it entirely above 50 percent. Defendants commonly raise this argument in fatal cases, and responding to it requires independent evidence of how the incident occurred.

Most Dangerous Locations for Fatal Accidents in Carrollton

Fatal collisions are concentrated on the corridors carrying the heaviest traffic at the highest speeds.

Streets:

• Belt Line Road. The city’s busiest east-west route, with corresponding collision volume.
• Josey Lane. Long signalized stretches where speeds increase between intersections.
• Peters Colony Road. Connects residential areas to the arterial network with limited separation from traffic.
• Hutton Drive. Commercial and industrial frontage where heavy vehicles turn across travel lanes.
• Old Denton Road. An older alignment carrying current traffic volumes past industrial driveways.

Highways:

• Interstate 35E. The highest-speed corridor in the city and the location of its most severe collisions.
• President George Bush Turnpike. Sustained highway speeds along the northern edge of Carrollton.

Statewide accident statistics provide broader context, and the courts hearing these matters depend on which county the incident occurred in, as Carrollton lies within three.

What Should You Bring to Your Wrongful Death Consultation?

Bring whatever is readily available. Nothing listed here needs to be complete before an initial conversation.

• The crash report or incident report, if one has been released.
• The death certificate, or confirmation that it has been ordered.
• Recent pay records, tax returns, or benefit statements, which establish the financial support the household has lost.
• The names of everyone who may hold a claim, including children from prior relationships.
• Any correspondence already received from an insurance company or an employer.

Reach Out to Kelso Law to Schedule a Consultation

We do not ask families to request records, provide recorded statements, or communicate with insurers. Those responsibilities belong to our firm from the date we are retained. Contact us to arrange a consultation, and we will explain what a claim would involve and whether bringing one is appropriate. There is no charge for that conversation and no fee unless we recover compensation for your family.