A Tragic Case of Wrongful Death
It’s never easy when word reaches a family that a loved one has been lost. The grief is overwhelming and, unfortunately, there’s never enough time provided for the family to recover from this news. When someone else was at fault for the death of a loved one, the natural question is to wonder why? What could’ve been done to prevent this senseless tragedy? In the wake of a fatal accident, the victim’s family could quickly face medical bills, funeral bills, and the loss of the financial support the deceased victim would have provided had he or she been able to keep working. A husband or wife, son or daughter, or even parent may have come to depend on the support of the victim. Now they are only left with the memory of their loved one.When Wrongful Death Claims are Necessary
In these cases, a wrongful death claim may be the answer for a family in mourning. A single person may have been responsible for the death of your loved one. An entire company or corporation may shoulder the blame for what happened. If this is the case, the Law Office of Steers & Associates can help a surviving family member file a wrongful death claim to protect the future of the remaining family.Who Can Make A Wrongful Death Claim?
California State Statue specifically allows for only a few, certain people to file a claim in the death of a family member.- The deceased person’s spouse.
- The deceased person’s domestic partner.
- The deceased person’s children.
- The deceased person’s parents.
- The deceased person’s stepchildren.
- The deceased person’s putative spouse (this covers a person who thought they were married to the deceased victim but may not have been legally married due to a technicality)
Common Instances of Wrongful Death
There are many types of accidents that can rob us of our time with a loved one. So many of these tragedies seem unforeseeable, but in a wrongful death case, the goal is to prove that a person or corporation should have been aware of the dangers that lead to the accident and was negligent by not preventing it.- Many of these accidents are all too common around Los Angeles:
- Vehicle, Motorcycle, Bus, Bicycle Accidents
- Medical Negligence
- Work-related Accidents
- Boating & Plane Accidents
- Sporting Accidents
- Dangerous & Defective Products
- Unsafe Properties
- Damages in a Wrongful Death Lawsuit
- Death and funeral expenses
- Loss of future earnings
- Medical bills
- Physical pain and mental suffering
- Property damages
- Punitive damages (damages awarded above financial losses to punish those at fault in the accident)