There are chances that if you have lost a loved one, family member, or friend in an accident, it could be a wrongful death case. Quite often, people tend to accept the fact that the death was an accident and do not question or challenge it. Irrespective, one should not rule out the chances of it happening due to an ‘accident’ only. Many people are not aware and do not know enough about wrongful deaths. When a loved one is lost in an accident, it gets extremely difficult to decide whether compensation should be retrieved or not. By critically evaluating the wrongful death FAQs, families of the deceased can then make up their mind if they would want to go ahead with the retribution. Regardless, it is always a wise idea to have a wrongful death lawyer by your side during these tough times.
What is a Wrongful Death?
A death cause by either an accidental or intentional act of another is known as wrongful death. Because of this, a family member of the deceased files a claim for wrongful death to retrieve compensation that covers medical bills, funeral expenses, as well as support the family of deceased individual. It goes without saying that this is a controversial topic and requires eye witnesses to prove that someone’s wrong actions resulted in an individual’s death. These include, but are not limited to:
For instance, a car driver breaking the law and running through a stop sign crashes into another car or driver. If this results in death of the person on impact or a doctor makes an obvious medical error during surgery which results in a death, the family members have the right to file for compensation.
Who can file a wrongful death claim?
Typically, the claim can be filed by the family members of the victim in order to retrieve compensation for the incident. These are usually referred as “real parties in interest.” The eligibility criteria widely varies from state to state, but eligible survivors could be immediate family members, life partners, financial dependents, and distant family members.
Who may be sued in a wrongful death case?
The person who is sued in a wrongful death case is closely associated with the incident. For instance, if your loved one was a victim of a car crash that involved a drunk driver, you can seek compensation from the drunk driver, the person who either sold or served alcohol to the driver, and the alcohol business owner.
If you are looking to get more information about wrongful deaths, call us at (847) 395-2200 to schedule an appointment with one of our representatives.