Finance and Law

What is Wrongful Death and Who Can File a Claim?

<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Wrongful death is a type of personal injury that takes a loved one away from dependents due to the negligence&comma; intentional actions&comma; or reckless accident of another person or a business&period;  Some examples include car crashes&comma; medical malpractice&comma; construction accidents&comma; defective products&comma; and serious medication side effects not made public&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>Why Get an Attorney&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Guidance&comma; support&comma; and explanations at every step can make a substantial difference in how successful a claimant becomes at getting the compensation sought and deserved&period;  Cases tend to be confusing and complex&period;  Compensation can be settled or awarded for several reasons&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">A spouse and children can seek damages to maintain their current lifestyle&comma; ensure opportunities in the future&comma; replace the loss of inheritance&comma; pay for emotional support and traumatic recovery services&comma; and coverage of final expenses for the deceased&comma; among other reasons&period;  A foundation or charity founded by the person gone due to wrongful death may sue for continued financial support&period;  Other examples of compensation are listed at <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;allinjuryattorney&period;com&sol;" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">www&period;AllInjuryAttorney&period;com<&sol;a>&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>Statutes<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Another reason to get an attorney is that each state has different laws regarding wrongful death cases&period;  One law dictates the <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;lawyers&period;com&sol;legal-info&sol;personal-injury&sol;wrongful-death&sol;wrongful-death-faq&period;html" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">statute of limitations<&sol;a>&comma; or time allowed&comma; to file a claim&period;  Many states place the statute at two-years from the date of death&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Under some circumstances in California&comma; claims can be filed three-years from the date of the alleged wrongful death&period;  Kentucky statute of limitations is one year from the date of death or the date of discovery&period;  This means that if wrongful death was not suspected or noticed immediately&comma; claimants can file even if the one-year has expired&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>An Example<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">A product is proven to have caused the death of a person because the model was defective in design&period;  Dependents who can prove the same product was used at the time of death of their loved one will have one-year from that date to file a claim&period;  An experienced attorney will be needed in these cases&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>Who Has the Right to File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit&quest;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Most claims are filed by a spouse&comma; children&comma; or a representative of the estate&period;  Other dependents&comma; such as employees&comma; business partners&comma; a mistress&comma; or a person who has been financially or emotionally supported by the deceased can also file a wrongful death lawsuit&period;  This is where claims can get complicated&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">An individual who is unknown to the immediate family may file a claim and must prove dependency to continue with the case&period;  A child from an affair&comma; for example&comma; could be supported unbeknownst to the surviving wife&period;  These claims are often challenged which drags out a case and invites negative publicity and personal animosity&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2>Burden of Proof<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">The plaintiff and the attorney have the same <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;lawyers&period;com&sol;legal-info&sol;personal-injury&sol;how-wrongful-death-lawsuit-works&period;html" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">burden of proof<&sol;a> as if the victim lived through the accident or incident&period;  In the case of negligence&comma; the same points must be proved for the deceased as it would for someone who suffered serious or permanent injuries or disability&period;  These include&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<ol style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">&NewLine;<li>The defendant owed the deceased a duty of care<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>The defendant breached that duty<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>The breach caused the death<&sol;li>&NewLine;<li>That death caused the damages for which compensation is desired<&sol;li>&NewLine;<&sol;ol>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Wrongful death leaves survivors shocked&comma; traumatized&comma; and often in financial hardship&period;  If the death was caused by another party due to actions&comma; inactions&comma; or failure to keep the victim safe filing a claim can make up for some aspects of the loss&period;  Contact an attorney for a consultation if there is any doubt about the cause of an unexpected death&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

Hardik Patel

Hardik Patel is a Digital Marketing Consultant and professional Blogger. He has 16+ years experience in SEO, SMO, SEM, Online reputation management, Affiliated Marketing and Content Marketing.

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