The skilled personal injury attorneys at Shouse Law Group can help you restore your life if you lost a loved one due to a fatal accident or injury. While we cannot bring your loved one back, we can provide you with the resources to support your family and get your life back on track. These resources include the maximum compensation possible for your losses.
Common causes of fatal accidents include
- car crashes,
- workplace accidents, and
- acts of medical malpractice.
In the event of a fatal injury, most states say that the deceased’s family members can bring a wrongful death lawsuit against the person responsible for causing the injury. This is provided that the person caused the injury out of:
- negligence,
- reckless acts, or
- intentional acts.
If you succeed in a wrongful death case (either at trial or via a settlement), you can recover compensation for such losses as:
- burial and funeral expenses,
- amounts the deceased would have earned as income, and
- compensation for the loss of the deceased’s companionship and support.
Our experienced personal injury lawyers can file a wrongful death claim on your behalf. They can also assist by:
- helping you find emotional support for your loss,
- advising you of all your legal rights and options, and
- calculating your compensation award.
The Shouse Law Group is a personal injury law firm that represents clients on a national basis. Our skilled wrongful death attorneys and personal injury lawyers have years of experience, work tirelessly for all their clients, and aim to get you the biggest settlement possible. Contact our law firm today to get the legal help you deserve.
What are common causes of fatal accidents?
Some of the most common causes of fatal injuries include:
- car wrecks,
- truck accidents,
- workplace accidents,
- acts of medical malpractice, and
- drownings.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), motor vehicle accidents are the top cause of unintentional fatal injuries.1 Fatal car accidents are often caused by:
- instances of drunk driving,
- poor road conditions,
- negligent drivers (for example, a driver running a red light), and
- acts of reckless driving.
Who are common defendants in these cases?
Common defendants in these cases include:
- motorists and negligent drivers,
- doctors and medical professionals,
- property owners,
- product manufacturers, and
- employers.
Note that our injury attorneys and car accident lawyers typically file a wrongful death action in the event of a fatal injury or accident.
The laws of most states say that a deceased person’s surviving family members, or the person’s estate, can initiate a wrongful death action if the person’s death was caused by someone else’s wrongful act, whether the act was:
- negligent,
- reckless, or
- intentional.2
Examples of family members that can bring a wrongful death claim include:
- surviving spouses,
- domestic partners,
- children, and
- grandchildren (if the deceased person’s children are also deceased).3
If you succeed in bringing a wrongful death claim, you may recover:
- the financial support the deceased would have contributed to your family during his/her lifetime,
- the loss of gifts or benefits you could have expected to receive from the deceased,
- funeral expenses and burial expenses, and
- compensation for the loss of the deceased’s companionship and support.
Note that recoverable damages do not include financial amounts for:
- your or another heir’s grief, sorrow, pain, and suffering,
- the emotional distress caused by your loved one’s death,
- the medical bills related to the deceased’s medical care, and
- punitive damages.
What is the role of an injury attorney in a fatal accident case?
Wrongful death lawyers play an enormous role in fatal injury cases.
They can help you by:
- advising you of your legal rights and options,
- finding resources to help you cope with any emotional or psychological trauma caused by the death of your loved one,
- collecting all of the decedent’s medical records,
- gathering evidence to show that a person acted negligently, recklessly, or intentionally,
- appointing medical experts to help explain and understand evidence, and
- filing a lawsuit on your behalf and representing you in court.
What is the benefit of an injury lawyer in a fatal injury case?
Injury attorneys provide reliable and passionate help during this very difficult time. They can also help maximize the compensation for your losses.
Please keep in mind that it is sometimes difficult to assign a dollar value to certain financial losses in wrongful death cases (for example, the amount for the loss of a decedent’s companionship). Personal injury attorneys can step in and help approximate a reasonable award for your losses.
Wrongful death attorneys can also help discover hidden value in your case to make sure responsible parties truly pay for their wrongful acts.
Further, lawyers take care of the day-to-day administration and management of a case. This means, from the first moment an attorney takes your case on, you can focus on healing and recovering from your loss.
Note that most personal injury attorneys provide free consultations. A free case evaluation means you can get legal advice for no fee.
For additional help…
Call us for help
If a loved one died because of another person’s wrongful acts, we invite you to contact our legal team at the Shouse Law Group. Our personal injury attorneys provide both free consultations and legal advice you can trust.
We work tirelessly to get you the maximum compensation available for your case.
Legal References:
- See the CDC website, “Injury Prevention and Control.”
- See, for example, California Code of Civil Procedure 377.60 CC.
- See same.