Punitive Wrongful Death Damages

Answer:

I often get calls from people who’ve lost a loved one. It’s a tough call. Emotionally, their world has just been turned upside down. They’ve lost a loved one. They’ve lost a loved one through no fault on the part of the loved one. The loved one was stopped at a stop sign, and the 18-wheeler came and plowed into the back of them. The heir, the kids, the parents, are entitled to different types of damages. In some situations, when the conduct of the bad actor is so egregious, Texas allows what is called punitive damages. In certain situations when the company has disregarded the safety rules, when the company has not cared about who they’re hiring, when the company has not cared who they’re training or supervising, the heirs potentially have access to punitive damages.

Those damages are designed to punish the bad actor because we don’t want that type of behavior in our society. We don’t want companies that are hiring people that are not trained properly, not qualified, or not supervised. We don’t want these companies allowing 18-wheelers to run amok on our streets. We don’t want innocent dead people. Depending upon the behavior of the company, we’ll determine whether the heirs have access to the punitive damages. That’s why it’s important that you get in contact with a trial attorney from the beginning. Where is the evidence on this bad actor? The trial attorney will know where to look for it with an eye toward trial one day, if we have to go in front of a judge or jury and present this. We know how to get that information and be prepared.