Losing a loved one to someone else's negligence — in Plano or anywhere — is a different kind of legal case. The Texas Wrongful Death Statute (Tex. CPRC § 71.004) is technical: who can file (surviving spouse, children, parents only), what damages are available, how the proceeds get distributed. We handle these cases with the care and skill they require.
See our overview of wrongful death cases ?
Plano context.
Major Roadways
US-75 (Central Expressway) running through the city north-south, the President George Bush Turnpike (PGBT, SH-190), the Dallas North Tollway, SH-121 (Sam Rayburn Tollway), and the Plano Parkway corridor.
Local Courts
Collin County Civil District Courts at the Collin County Courthouse (2100 Bloomdale Rd., McKinney) and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division.
Trauma Care
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano (Level II trauma), Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Plano, and Medical City Plano.
Why It Matters Here
Plano is one of the largest Dallas metro suburbs and a major North Texas employment center — corporate headquarters for Toyota North America, Frito-Lay, Liberty Mutual, JPMorgan Chase, and many others. Heavy commuter traffic on US-75, the PGBT, and the Dallas North Tollway produces frequent high-speed crashes. The city's suburban growth has stretched older intersection designs, and the Collin County stretch of US-75 sees significant truck volume serving regional distribution.
Who can bring a Texas wrongful death claim?
Texas wrongful death law (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §71.004) limits standing to:
- The surviving spouse
- The children of the decedent
- The parents of the decedent
If none of those eligible parties files within three months, the executor or administrator of the estate may do so (unless the eligible family members object). Separately, a survival claim belongs to the estate itself — covering the pain and suffering the decedent experienced before death.
What damages can be recovered?
- Loss of financial support the decedent would have provided
- Loss of household services — childcare, home maintenance, day-to-day work
- Loss of companionship, comfort, and society
- Mental anguish of the surviving family
- Loss of inheritance
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Survival claim damages — the decedent's pre-death medical bills and pain and suffering
- In cases of gross negligence (e.g., drunk driving): punitive damages
The evidence that builds the case.
- The official crash or incident report and any criminal investigation files
- 911 audio, dispatch records, and first-responder statements
- Medical records, autopsy reports, and toxicology
- Surveillance video and dashcam footage — preserved quickly
- For truck cases: ECM data, ELD logs, driver qualification file
- For premises cases: prior incident reports, maintenance records, security footage
- Economic and life-care experts for damages calculations
Texas deadlines.
Two years from the date of death to file (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code §16.003). Cases against governmental entities require notice within much shorter windows — sometimes as little as six months. Texas applies modified comparative fault: you can still recover if you were 50% or less at fault. More on comparative fault ?
How we work with families.
Wrongful death cases require something different from other personal injury work. The legal questions matter, but so does the way the family is treated through the process. We keep clients informed, we don't push for premature settlement, and we never charge a family a dime unless we recover. Our founder Shawn Barnett has lived through serious injury himself — the recovery, the long road back — and that perspective informs how we treat families who've lost someone they love.