Fatal accidents happen each and every day, but it never really hits home until it happens to a loved one. When an accident may have been avoided and it was the fault of another party, the loss of a life may be defined as "wrongful death." Wrongful death cases are often difficult and tragic, and they generally involve financial and emotional hardships.
If you are considering filing a wrongful death claim, it is essential that you speak with a wrongful death accident attorney. Unfortunately, learning to accept the pain of losing a loved one sometimes begins with finding closure through a wrongful death claim and wrongful death accident lawyers will be able to walk you through each step of the case.
What Is Wrongful Death?
Hearing an attorney say they represent the victims in wrongful death cases may be confusing for some. So, what does wrongful death mean? Wrongful death claims are used when someone has acted recklessly, acted negligently or deliberately caused harm to another person. Some examples may include:
- Driving while intoxicated resulted in the death of someone
- A fatal accident occurred resulting from texting and driving
- A death occurred as the result of machinery that was intentionally not properly repaired
- There was medical malpractice, such as a doctor treating a wrong diagnosis or misusing medications
- A death resulted from buildings that were not kept up to code
How Do Wrongful Death Accidental Lawyers Prove Wrongful Death?
If you are considering filing a wrongful death claim it is vital that you have a strong legal team on your side in order to prove that a wrongful death did occur. A wrongful death accident attorney must prove must prove several factors, including that a death did occur as the result of negligence or recklessness of someone else, that the decedent of the individual is owed a duty of care and the actual damages.
Where to Start
Once you have gone through the grieving process and gathered your thoughts, contacting a wrongful death accident attorney is the next step. Before your initial meeting with an attorney, you should attempt to gather the following information:
- All police reports that were filed at the time of the accident
- Any available statements from witnesses
- Doctor, hospital and coroner reports
- As much information as you can collect about the case and/or the person who passed away, such as their employment, their family and families financial reliance upon the deceased individual and any personal information regarding your knowledge of and relationship to the deceased individual.
Keep in mind that although it may be painful to gather this information, it is essential that you provide your wrongful death accident attorney as much information about the accident as possible.
Wrongful death cases may take a long time to complete. It is important to have support during this time to help you through the proceedings, and it is often beneficial to have someone with you when you are seeking legal representation as well. It is understandable that you need time to heal and gather your thoughts before proceeding with legal matters, as emotional difficulties are completely normal; however, it is essential that you act as quickly as possible following a tragic death.
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