Travis County, TX · Free Consultation
Great Hills, TX Wrongful Death Lawyer
It is a cruel move, but insurers often blame the person who died to cut what a family recovers. If your loved one is being faulted for a fatal Great Hills crash, SMB Law, PC pushes back with the facts. A Great Hills wrongful death lawyer knows insurers will blame the person who died to cut what a family recovers. Shane has been licensed since 2003 and personally pushes back on that tactic with the facts for Central Texas families.
At the busy Great Hills junctions along US-183 and Jollyville Road, a fatal crash is often reconstructed after the fact — and the driver or insurer who survived may try to shift blame onto the person who cannot speak for themselves.
Where a Great Hills wrongful death claim is handled
Great Hills is in Travis County, so a wrongful death suit is filed with the Travis County District Clerk at the Civil and Family Courthouse on Guadalupe Street in Austin. Many claims resolve with the insurer first.
When the insurer blames the person who died
Texas uses a modified comparative fault rule, and insurers exploit it in fatal cases. A family’s recovery is reduced by the percentage of fault assigned to the person who died, and — critically — if that person is found more than 50 percent at fault, the family recovers nothing. That gives the other side a powerful incentive to pin blame on the one who is no longer here to give their account. Left unchallenged, an inflated fault percentage can gut or erase a legitimate claim. Countering it takes independent evidence: witnesses, camera footage, the physical scene, phone and vehicle data, and often a crash reconstruction that shows what truly happened. The burden of proving the deceased’s fault rests with the party asserting it, and we hold them to it. For a Great Hills family, refusing to let a loved one be scapegoated is often what protects the recovery entirely.
Refusing to let a loved one take the blame
Because Texas can bar a family entirely when the person who died is found more than half responsible, the fight over fault in a Great Hills wrongful death case is often the whole case. The other side may lean on a one-sided crash report or the surviving driver’s self-serving account. We answer that with the objective record: independent witnesses, footage from nearby cameras, the marks and debris at the scene, event-data-recorder and phone information, and, where warranted, an accident reconstruction. That evidence can move the fault percentage back to the truth and preserve a family’s claim. Someone has to speak for the person who can no longer speak for themselves, and building that record is how we make sure a grieving Great Hills family is not written out of a recovery by a convenient story.
Compassionate, experienced counsel when it matters most
A wrongful death case is never really about money — it is about accountability and about protecting a family’s future. You work directly with attorney Shane M. Boasberg, who has represented Texans for more than two decades and has been licensed by the State of Texas since 2003. He handles these cases with the care they deserve, keeps families informed at every step, and takes on the insurance company so you can focus on grieving and healing. You get a lawyer who treats your loss with respect — not a case manager reading from a script.
Working with us from Great Hills
Our office is in downtown Austin, an easy reach from Great Hills. We handle most consultations and case updates by phone and video, and there is no fee unless we recover for you. If travel is difficult, we can also come to you.
Why families choose SMB Law, PC
- Direct attorney access — you talk to Shane, licensed since 2003, not a call center.
- No fee unless we recover — wrongful death cases are handled on a contingency basis.
- Honest, patient guidance and transparent terms explained before you commit.
What working with us looks like
- Free, private consultation to understand your family’s situation and the law that applies.
- Investigation — we preserve evidence, obtain the reports, and identify every responsible party and insurer.
- Negotiation or court — we settle when the offer is fair and litigate when it is not.
- Resolution handled with care so your family can move forward.
Frequently asked questions
Can we still recover if my loved one was partly at fault?
Often yes, as long as they were not more than 50 percent at fault. The recovery is reduced by their share of responsibility.
What if the insurer says the crash was my loved one’s fault?
Their fault has to be proven, not just asserted. Independent evidence and reconstruction can rebut an unfair attempt to shift blame.
Why does the 51 percent rule matter so much?
Because if the person who died is found more than half at fault, Texas law bars the family from recovering anything, so the fault split is decisive.
Do I have to travel to your office from Great Hills?
No. Our downtown Austin office is about 11 miles south via US-183 and Mopac, and we handle Great Hills wrongful death matters by phone and video.