Wrongful Death

There is nothing that can take away the pain caused by knowing the death of your loved one could have been prevented. Compensation, however, can help you pay for bills left after your loved one's death. Compensation can help you feed, clothe, and house your children without the income of your spouse. Furthermore, compensation from a wrongful death lawsuit serves to hold negligent parties accountable for their actions, especially when profit was the motive for the negligence that resulted in death. The personal injury lawyers at Jacoby & Meyers are dedicated to ensuring you receive the full recourse permitted by the law.

What is Wrongful Death?

A wrongful death is a situation that occurs when a preventable death was a direct result of someone else’s negligent action, or failure to take action. A wrongful death claim can be brought against a number of different people in a variety of situations.

Wrongful death claims include every type of accidental death, regardless of the specific cause. Some common causes for a wrongful death include:

• Motor vehicle accidents
• Medical malpractice
• Defective drugs
• Nursing home neglect and abuse
• Animal attacks including dog bites
• Work-related accidents
• Premises liability

Family Members who Can File Suit in a Wrongful Death Claim

Spouses, children, and parents of wrongful death victims are typically eligible to recover damages. You may be entitled to collect damages for:

• Medical expenses
• Funeral expenses
• Loss of companionship
• Emotional pain and suffering.

In medical malpractice wrongful death suits, only a legal spouse and children under 25 years old or who were financially dependent may collect damages.

Not about Revenge

A wrongful death case is not about seeking revenge. It is about being able to cover the costs of burial and medical care. It is about a family that must continue on without their loved one, in a situation that should have been prevented. There are many victims left in the wake of a wrongful death, and those victims have the right to be compensated.

Besides the suffering and emotional pain of losing a loved one, surviving family members now are suddenly faced with financial hardship. Many households depend on two paychecks to cover mortgages, utilities, car payments and credit card bills. Being reduced to one paycheck can not only make it difficult to pay bills, but the death expenses can also pose a new economic challenge.

If you have lost a loved one due to someone else’s negligence, please contact our wrongful death attorneys today to schedule a consultation. Jacoby & Meyers has offices in New York, Southern California, Arizona, Alabama, and Florida.