Texas Wrongful Death Attorney J. Gonzalez
The Lone Star State Mourns Hill Country Flood Tragedy
All of us at the J. Gonzalez Law Firm have been mournfully following the tragedy unfolding in our Texas Hill Country. As of Friday afternoon (July 11), 120 people were confirmed dead, with 170 more people still missing.
As each day passes, more people are asking if perhaps some of the deaths could have been prevented. With each new bit of information that comes in, it becomes more probable that more could have been done to lessen the loss of lives.
While we do mourn alongside the grieving families, as attorneys we have a duty to provide guidance and legal advice to families who come to us looking for answers. Some of their questions have already been answered.
Based on various news reports, it appears Kerr County officials never installed sirens, sensors, or any other kind of advanced alert apparatus, even though they had discussed upgrading their flood warning system for nearly a decade.
Instead, the county relied on campgrounds to alert one another of approaching floodwaters. Nearby counties that had installed sirens sustained fewer or no deaths at all.
Meanwhile, it’s clear that come campgrounds evacuated their campers as a precautionary measure, while others did not. Camp Mystic lost 27 children and adults. At Bubble Inn, 15 people died. Neither camp evacuated its residents, nor do we know why.
These are hard questions that families want answered, and it’s understandable why they would. Filing a lawsuit is difficult, but in many cases it’s the only way families will ever learn the truth of what happened. Lawsuits can also lead to reforms that will protect others in the future.
The heart of the J. Gonzalez Law Firm aches for our fellow Texans who have been gravely impacted by the Hill Country flooding, but we’re also ready to fight on their behalf if called upon to do so. We have substantial experience in personal injury and wrongful death litigation, with a long track record of bringing closure for our clients.
If you have been impacted and want answers, call us today. The initial consultation is free and you pay nothing unless we win your case. You can contact us via this website, or by calling 1-800-CAR-CRASH.
170 people still missing from flash floods
By: Nadia Lathan and Sean Murphy, Associated Press
KERRVILLE — Shock has turned into grief across Texas where at least 120 people died from flash floods and more were missing as the search for victims moved methodically along endless miles of rivers and rubble Thursday.
Photos of those who have died along with a colorful array of flowers and candles now decorate a fence in Hill Country — a growing tribute that reflects the enormity of the disaster in the region.
The victims include three friends who had gathered for the July Fourth weekend, 8-year-old sisters who were at summer camp and a 91-year-old grandmother known for her sharp wit.
More than 170 people have been reported missing, most in Kerr County, where nearly 100 victims have been recovered. The death toll remained at 120 Thursday, nearly a week since the floods first hit.
Authorities say they have carefully gone over the list of those unaccounted for, but those numbers are often tough to pin down in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
The unrelenting power of the floods forced families to make unnerving escapes with little time to spare in the middle of the night. One woman recounted how she and others, including a toddler, first climbed into an attic and then onto a roof where they heard screams and watched vehicles float past. Photos and videos captured their ordeal.