When a person loses a loved one due to the negligence of another person or company, it can be an extremely difficult time. Even if the death is an accident and cannot be prevented, losing a loved one still leaves survivors with many unanswered questions, unprocessed feelings, and financial difficulties.
You might feel unsure about how you can best help your family members and friends after they’ve suffered such a tragic loss. You may even feel unsure about what your friend or family member should do next.
As such, this article will provide you with information regarding wrongful death lawsuits and how you can help someone who has lost someone as a result of another person’s negligence.
Read on for more details…
Page Contents
What Is A Wrongful Death Lawsuit?
A wrongful death lawsuit is a type of civil lawsuit that allows someone to seek monetary compensation from a party who caused the death of their loved one.
You must have been financially supported by the deceased person in order to file a wrongful death lawsuit. This means you must have been either a spouse, child, parent, or financially supported by the deceased person.
If any of these situations apply to you, you may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit with the help of wrongful death attorneys.
How Do Wrongful Death Lawsuits Work?
If a loved one has died due to the negligence of another person or company, you may be wondering how best to proceed. Well, the first step is to identify which party caused the death of your loved one. From there, you can decide whether you want to pursue the matter in criminal or civil court.
Criminal court is designed to punish the person responsible and make them pay for their actions in terms of jail time and fines. However, if the person responsible has little to no assets and/or is broken, the criminal court may not provide you with compensation, and you may find yourself grieving without closure.
On the other hand, civil court is designed to compensate you for your losses. Because of this, you can file a wrongful death lawsuit and petition the court for financial compensation for your loss to help yourself and your loved ones move forward after such a tragic event.
Why File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit?
You may wonder why you would even consider filing a wrongful death lawsuit. First and foremost, you have to understand that the person who caused your loved one’s death is responsible for the death. In addition, they are responsible for the costs associated with the death, including medical bills and funeral expenses.
Because of this, filing a wrongful death lawsuit with the help of wrongful death attorneys allows you to seek financial compensation from the responsible party to help cover these costs and allow you and your loved ones to proceed with their lives.
Key Takeaways – What To Expect
The terms for damages in a wrongful death lawsuit are a bit different than that of a normal personal injury case.
While the goal of most personal injury cases is to get the injured person back to where they were before the accident, the goal of a wrongful death lawsuit is to compensate the loved ones left behind for the deceased’s loss of income, as well as their grief, suffering and other damages.