San Antonio Transportation & Mass Torts Attorneys: Your Advocates for Complex Injury Claims

When Catastrophe Strikes on Land, Sea, or Air, We Provide Unmatched Legal Force

At Barton & Associates, Attorneys at Law, our commitment to San Antonio and South Texas injury victims extends far beyond the standard car accident claim. While our firm has a renowned reputation for securing justice in cases involving trucks, workplaces, and medical facilities, some of the most devastating injuries occur within the world of complex transportation systems and large-scale torts. These areas are governed by a labyrinth of specialized federal laws, international treaties, and regulations that demand an attorney with specific, hard-won expertise. Our Transportation & Mass Torts practice group is dedicated exclusively to navigating these high-stakes legal waters for individuals, workers, and families who have suffered life-altering harm.

When you or a loved one is injured in an aviation disaster, on the railways, aboard a vessel in the Gulf, or by a defective product that harmed thousands, you face opponents with immense resources—multinational corporations, government entities, and global insurance conglomerates. These adversaries rely on the complexity of the law to limit your recovery. Our seasoned litigators neutralize this advantage. We combine our deep roots in Texas courtroom strategy with a focused mastery of the nuanced statutes that control these cases, such as the Jones Act, the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA), and the complex procedures of multidistrict litigation (MDL). We don’t just handle personal injury cases; we litigate catastrophic institutional failure, and we do so with the investigative resources, expert networks, and tenacious trial preparation necessary to win.

A Practice Area Built on Specialized Knowledge and Strategic Action

Why Transportation & Mass Torts Cases Demand a Specialized Firm

Standard personal injury law is based on state-level principles of negligence. Transportation and mass torts, however, often operate in a different legal universe. Success hinges on understanding:

• Overarching Federal Jurisdiction: Many claims fall under federal statutes and are adjudicated in federal courts, requiring procedural expertise many local firms lack.
• Unique Liability Frameworks: Laws like FELA for railroad workers or the Jones Act for maritime sailors establish specific rights and lower burdens of proof for injured employees, distinct from Texas workers’ compensation.
• Corporate and Governmental Defendants: These cases almost invariably involve challenging well-defended corporations or public entities shielded by layers of legal protection and caps on damages.
• Complex Causation and Investigation: Proving liability often requires immediate, sophisticated investigation—securing black box data from a plane, analyzing event recorder data from a train, or working with toxicologists to trace an illness to its source.

At Barton & Associates, we have built a practice that meets these demands head-on. We invest immediately in your case by partnering with leading experts—accident reconstruction specialists familiar with FAA protocols, maritime industry consultants, railroad safety experts, and nationally recognized epidemiologists. This foundational work allows us to construct an undeniable narrative of liability and harm, positioning us to negotiate from a position of uncompromising strength or to present a compelling, clear case to a jury.

Our Core Practice Areas Within Transportation & Mass Torts

1. Aviation Accident Litigation

Plane and helicopter crashes are among the most catastrophic events imaginable, often resulting in severe injury or tragic loss of life. Whether it involves a commercial airline, a private charter, a military aircraft, or an unmanned drone collision, aviation accident law is intensely specialized. Claims can arise from pilot error, mechanical failure, defective aircraft parts, inadequate maintenance, or negligent air traffic control.

Our Legal Approach: The investigation begins instantly. We act to preserve all evidence, including flight data and cockpit voice recorders (“black boxes”), maintenance records, and FAA reports. We navigate the interplay between potential claims against airlines (governed by international treaties like the Montreal Convention) and separate claims against manufacturers for defective design or parts. For families who have lost loved ones, we pursue wrongful death claims that fully account for both economic loss and the profound personal grief caused by such a preventable tragedy.

2. Maritime, Offshore & Jones Act Injuries

San Antonio’s proximity to the Texas Gulf Coast means many residents work in maritime and offshore industries. If you work on vessels, oil rigs, platforms, or in ports, your injury claim is not covered by standard state workers’ compensation. Instead, your rights are defined by maritime law and the Jones Act.

Our Legal Approach: We protect the rights of “seamen”—a broad legal term covering crew members of vessels—who are injured due to employer or vessel unseaworthiness. Under the Jones Act, we must prove employer negligence, but the burden is lighter than in standard personal injury cases. We also handle claims for maintenance and cure, which are no-fault benefits covering living expenses and medical care until you reach maximum medical improvement. For harbor workers, longshoremen, and others, we pursue claims under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA). We understand the unique financial pressures on maritime families and fight to secure all available compensation swiftly.

3. Railroad Worker Injuries (FELA) & Crossing Accidents

Railroad workers for companies like Union Pacific or BNSF are protected by the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA), a crucial federal law that provides greater compensation than standard workers’ comp but requires proving the railroad’s negligence contributed to the injury.

Our Legal Approach: We represent engineers, conductors, brakemen, and yard workers suffering from traumatic injuries, repetitive stress disorders, or occupational illnesses caused by unsafe equipment, poor training, or hazardous work environments. We leverage FELA’s favorable provisions to hold railroads accountable. Separately, we represent motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists injured at dangerous railroad crossings. These complex cases often involve liability shared between the railroad company (for failing to provide adequate warnings or clear vegetation) and local government entities (for poor road design or signage). We untangle this shared liability to ensure all responsible parties are held accountable.

4. Mass Torts & Product Liability Catastrophes

When a single defective product, dangerous drug, or toxic environmental exposure causes widespread harm to hundreds or thousands of people, these individual claims may be consolidated into a mass tort. These are not simple class actions; each client’s case is evaluated on its own merits for the specific injuries and damages suffered.

Our Legal Approach: We carefully monitor emerging national litigation related to defective medical devices (hip implants, pacemakers), harmful pharmaceuticals, toxic consumer products, and environmental contamination (such as water or soil pollution from industrial operations). For our clients in San Antonio and across Texas affected by such disasters, we provide individualized representation while efficiently integrating our efforts with the broader national litigation. We handle the complex science, work with shared discovery pools, and ensure our clients’ voices are heard, fighting for settlements that truly reflect the severity of their unique injuries.

The Barton & Associates Difference in Complex Litigation

Choosing the right legal team for a transportation or mass torts case is a decision that echoes for a lifetime. Our approach is defined by several unwavering principles:

• Immediate, Resource-Intensive Investigation: We deploy our network of premier experts from day one to gather and preserve the critical evidence that often disappears quickly.
• Mastery of Dual Legal Systems: We are as comfortable and effective in federal courtrooms as we are in Texas state courts, understanding the procedural nuances of each.
• Trial-Ready Stance from the Start: We prepare every case with the assumption it will go to trial. This mindset builds undeniable leverage in negotiations and ensures we are never forced to accept a lowball settlement out of fear.
• Compassionate, Individualized Client Partnership: Despite the scale and complexity of these cases, we never lose sight of you, the individual client. We maintain clear, consistent communication, explaining each step in understandable terms and ensuring you are empowered in every decision.

Facing a Giant? You Need a Fierce and Experienced Advocate.

If you or a family member has suffered a catastrophic injury in an aviation, maritime, or railroad incident, or if you believe you have been harmed by a widely distributed defective product or toxin, do not face this battle alone. The opposing side will have a team of sophisticated lawyers whose goal is to minimize what you receive. You deserve a team that fights with equal sophistication, but with your best interests as its only goal.

Contact Barton & Associates Today for a Free, In-Depth Case Evaluation.

Let our Transportation & Mass Torts attorneys review the unique details of your situation. We will provide you with a straightforward assessment of your legal options and the powerful representation we can provide. Call us 24/7 at 210-500-0000 or complete our online Free Consultation form. Your journey to justice and recovery starts here.

Main Category: Personal Injury
Barton & Associates, Attorneys at Law
115 Camaron St, San Antonio, TX 78205
Office: 210-500-0000