San Antonio Fatal Car Accident Attorney

Michael Grossman, Wrongful Death Attorney in San Antonio TX, Discusses Fatal Car Accidents

Losing someone you love in a fatal car accident is a devastating experience. Family members often wish to seek justice through a wrongful death lawsuit, but do not realize how difficult of a task this is.

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Car accident lawsuits are very complex, and filing a wrongful death claim only complicates the process further. Non-attorneys are almost always overwhelmed by the tasks associated with these lawsuits. But experienced San Antonio fatal car accident attorney Michael Grossman from Grossman Law Offices is here to help you build a strong claim and seek justice against those responsible for your loved one’s death.


Damages in a Wrongful Death Claim

No amount of money can truly compensate a family for the loss of a loved one. But the truth is that losing a family member often puts severe financial strain on a family in addition to the mental and emotional burden. To that end, our attorneys work hard to make sure your family receives the compensation it needs. Damages in a wrongful death lawsuit are broken down into two broad categories: survival damages and wrongful death damages.

Survival damages include the damages for which the victim could have sought compensation if he or she had survived the accident in question. These damages typically include:

  • Medical expenses
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity due to the accident
  • Physical pain and suffering
  • Mental and emotional turmoil

Wrongful death damages are different in that they compensate the plaintiff for his or her own loss due to the victim’s death. In general, these damages include:

  • Funeral and medical expenses
  • Loss of economic support from the victim’s death
  • The loss of companionship and general emotional turmoil caused by the loss of a loved one

Seeking compensation for these two types of damages requires two separate claims which must be handled using specific legal tactics. The process is complex, but our attorneys will do everything in their power to make sure that your family receives the compensation it deserves.


Should I Hire an Attorney to Represent my Family after a Fatal Auto Accident?

In almost every case, hiring an attorney can only help your case. A few common warning signs that your case may be much more complex than it might initially appear include:

  • One or more of the other drivers in the accident are not cooperating
  • Insurance adjusters are asking you questions about your loved one (particularly telling if they wish to record your statements)
  • An insurance adjuster is offering you a small settlement if you will agree not to file a wrongful death lawsuit
  • The insurance company’s settlement does not seem adequate for an accident involving the death of a family member
  • You have not heard of the insurance company representing one or more of the other motorists in the accident
  • Any of the drivers involved in the accident do not have insurance

Insurance adjusters are particularly dangerous before you have hired a legal professional to represent you. Many insurance companies will attempt to take advantage of family members’ grief after fatal car accidents. They often hammer a family member with questions and requests for statements within hours of the fatal accident occurring. They are typically trying to get you to sign a settlement before you have spoken to an attorney so that you will no longer have the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit. San Antonio fatal car accident lawyer Michael Grossman is here to make sure that this does not happen to you.

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In theory, auto insurance providers should estimate the damages caused by your loved one’s car accident (in the case of fatal car accidents, these damages are typically quite large). The insurance company would then offer a settlement to the victim’s family to compensate that family for their loss. However, this rarely happens in any car accident case – much less a car accident involving a death, where the damages are so much higher. The insurance company is always working against you, trying to minimize the amount of money that they will have to pay. Unfortunately, they are often successful in these attempts, simply because many people do not realize that they need the help of an attorney until it is too late and their case has been irreparably damaged. In recent years, insurance adjusters have begun acting much more friendly and cooperative. They want to be as non-threatening as possible so that you are not tempted to hire a legal professional to represent you. But know that this is a trick, and insurance adjusters are not on your side.


Let San Antonio Fatal Car Accident Lawyer Michael Grossman Help You

Many people mistakenly believe that they can scare an insurance company into offering a fair settlement by threatening to file a lawsuit. The truth, however, is that insurance companies simply are not afraid of lawsuits filed by non-attorneys. Non-attorneys do not have the legal experience necessary to litigate a case, even if they have knowledge of car accident law.

But our legal professionals can scare an insurance company into offering you the settlement you deserve. Insurance companies always offer the smallest amount of money that they feel they can get away with – and without a legal professional on your side, insurance companies can get away with a lot.

However, our attorneys have twenty years of experience helping car accident victims and their families. We have successfully litigated and investigated hundreds of car accident claims, and won many high-profile lawsuits. We have faced every major insurance company in the nation, and their adjusters know how successful we have been. In many cases, they will offer our clients sizable settlements once they learn that we are on the case. They just do not want to face our attorneys in court, and this means that we can secure for your family the compensation it deserve. We conduct thorough investigations of every case we accept, and we make sure that you are informed about the status of your case at every step, so that you can make the best decision for you and your family. We can explain even complex legal ideas in straightforward, concise terms so that you are not left in the dark. So if someone in your family has been killed in an auto accident in San Antonio, contact San Antonio fatal car accident lawyer Michael Grossman today for a free consultation. Do not let those responsible for your loved one’s death go unpunished. Let Grossman Law Offices help you secure the compensation your family needs and the justice it deserves.


Some of Our Most Recent Successful Cases
$180,000.00 Recovery - Automobile Accident (Soft-Tissue Injuries and Labor Complications)
Recovery for pregnant car accident victim who suffered a premature delivery and soft tissue injuries.
Total Recovery:
$180,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$38,333.00
Litigation Expenses:
$138.00
$700,000.00 Recovery - Commercial Vehicle Accident / Work Injury (Fractured Pelvis, Other Internal Injuries)
A loading dock employee suffered a fractured and damage to internal organs as the result of a crushing injury sustained when an 18-wheeler backed into him and crushed him between the trailer and loading dock.
Total Recovery:
$700,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$175,000.00
Litigation Expenses:
$1,084.00
$25,000.00 Recovery - Automobile Accident (Soft-Tissue Injuries)
Recovery for the victim of a automobile accident.
Total Recovery:
$25,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$8,250.00
Litigation Expenses:
$100.00
$100,000.00 Recovery - Third-Party Dram Shop Accident (Broken Arm)
Recovered for client injured in a liquor liability accident.
Total Recovery:
$100,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$40,000.00
Litigation Expenses:
$5,000.00
$60,000.00 Recovery - Commercial Vehicle Accident (Soft-Tissue Injuries & Chiropractic Treatment)
Recovered for client who was rear-ended by an 18-wheeler resulting in soft tissue injuries and chiropractic treatment.
Total Recovery:
$60,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$20,000.00
Litigation Expenses:
$1,050.00
$71,197.00 Recovery - Automobile Accident (Soft-Tissue Neck Injury)
(policy limits + UIM claim) Recovery for client who sustained soft tissue injuries to neck which required steroid injections and chiropractic treatment.
Total Recovery:
$71,197.00
Attorney Fees:
$23,852.00
Litigation Expenses:
$125.00
$100,000.00 Recovery - Automobile Accident (Soft-Tissue Injuries)
Recovery for client injured in an automobile accident.
Total Recovery:
$100,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$33,000.00
Litigation Expenses:
$500.00
$530,000.00 Recovery - Commercial Vehicle Accident (Back Injury Requiring Surgery)
Plaintiff, a delivery driver, suffered a back injury resulting in spinal fusion surgery when he was injured in an accident involving falling cargo from an 18-wheeler. The defendants cited the plaintiff's failure to take evasive action as a source of contributory negligence and litigation commenced accordingly which culminated in an acceptance of liability and eventually satisfactory resolution.
Total Recovery:
$530,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$210,000.00
Litigation Expenses:
$5,000.00
$90,000.00 Recovery - Commercial Vehicle Accident (Soft-Tissue Injuries and Leg Contusions)
Recovered for client who suffered soft-tissue back injuries and leg contusions in an 18-wheeler accident.
Total Recovery:
$90,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$30,000.00
Litigation Expenses:
$562.00
Confidential Recovery - Wrongful Death / Commercial Vehicle Accident
(policy limits) Our firm was hired by the wife and children of a retired Army Colonel who was killed in an underide 18-wheeler accident. In addition to being a decorated veteran, the decedent worked both professionally and on a voluntary basis to establish numerous learning institutions and vocational programs for at risk youths. The accident occurred as the decedent was traveling on a rural highway when an 18-wheeler failed to yield the right of way and made a rolling stop through a stop sign.

This placed the trailer of the 18-wheeler in a position whereby it blocked the entire roadway and shoulder, leaving the decedent no option but to collide with the trailer. Witnesses on the scene attempted to revive him but to no avail. Furthermore, while two female eye witnesses struggled to pry open the decedent's door to provide emergency care, the truck driver stayed in his truck and offered no assistance. Despite what appeared to be an incredibly apparent case of negligence on behalf of the defendant, defense counsel refused to accept liability resulting in rather lengthy litigation.

The defendants initially denied the claim based on the allegation that the decedent was speeding and the truck driver therefore could not adequately gauge the amount of time he had to pause at the stop sign. The physical evidence contradicted this notion entirely, notwithstanding the fact that even if the decedent had been contributorily negligent, that would not have outweighed the severe degree of negligence on the part of the defendant. Nevertheless, our attorneys were able to conclusively refute this argument based on eye-witness testimony and the testimony from police investigators who calculated the decedent's speed to be precisely at the posted speed limit. In a desperate and largely unprecedented move, the defendants then designated the state as a responsible third party.

Generally speaking, a defendant will often threaten to designate a third party in order to leverage their position but it is rare that such an arbitrary and arguably frivolous designation is actually carried out. However, that is precisely what occurred and the state was thusly incorporated into the lawsuit by the defendants. The basis of the defendant's argument was that the state erected a large street sign that obstructed the truck driver's view of approaching traffic.

Several months of intense litigation were required to before the defendant finally acquiesced in regard to this argument. The argument was finally abandoned by the defendants when in the first mediation our attorneys presented video footage shot (in a controlled setting) from the perspective of an 18-wheeler driver which showed that the sign simply did not obstruct enough of the roadway in order to be a hazard. The case was ultimately resolved through litigation.
Total Recovery:
Confidential
Attorney Fees:
Confidential
Litigation Expenses:
Confidential

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