Any death great tragedy, but that tragedy is even more profound when a loved one’s death was avoidable and caused by someone else’s bad behavior. That sudden absence can throw a grieving family in financial turmoil overnight and create additional, undeserved anxiety for them due to the change in household circumstances on top of their emotional trauma. The Reseda wrongful death lawyers at Walch Law know this sudden uncertainty means you need money as quickly as possible to ease your mind and your financial burdens, so as soon as you hire us we will start fighting for the compensation you deserve. Robert and Gary have spent over four decades working to get settlement checks for victims like you and have a success rate of 95+%! Contact us today to set up your free initial consultation, get your questions answered, and get started!
What Causes a Wrongful Death?Though sometimes a person’s untimely death truly is the result of a tragic accident, most often the loss of life occurred due to someone else’s negligence, recklessness, intentional action, or criminal conduct. It’s common to see wrongful death lawsuits filed when life is lost during:
Reseda is a bustling city in the San Fernando Valley between the 101 and 405 freeways northwest of Los Angeles. Though the area is generally considered safe, incidents do happen that can cause avoidable deaths. Violent crimes may result in death, doctors may commit malpractice and cause untimely death of their patients, car accidents on Reseda’s busy roads are common due to drunk driving or distracted driving and do result in fatalities, and construction projects needed for the city to successfully accommodate its growing community can create dangerous conditions which can easily result in fatalities and wrongful death lawsuits. Just this year, a pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run by a drunk driver on Tampa Street. Even when exercising caution, deadly accidents can happen that give rise to wrongful death claims for grieving family members.
Legal Standing to SueThough it’s natural for someone’s family, friends, neighbors, or even coworkers to feel emotionally affected by their unexpected, avoidable death, not everyone is entitled to compensation for their grief in California. Only people with certain family connections have the legal right to bring a wrongful death lawsuit. Because a deceased person usually has many relatives of varying degrees of closeness and the waters can easily get muddy on who should and shouldn’t be entitled to compensation, laws were created setting out tiers of relatives with different levels of priority to sue. These laws can be confusing, so you should speak with a Reseda wrongful death lawyer about your unique situation to see if you have standing.
The first tier of with top priority is generally the deceased’s immediate family. If one or more of these individuals exist, no one from the other tier of relatives may file a wrongful death lawsuit. The first tier includes a deceased individual’s:
If no relatives in the first tier exist, a second tier of relatives gets the ability to sue for wrongful death if they can show they financially depended on the deceased. This includes relatives like parents and stepchildren.
Wrongful Death DamagesIf you have standing to sue and can prove your loved one’s death was due negligence or other wrongful behavior, you may be eligible for compensation. In wrongful death cases, most injuries victims recover for revolve around financial and emotional harm due to the deceased’s sudden, permanent absence. Damages may include:
Losing a loved one in any situation is a traumatic experience. Unfortunately, too often grieving loved ones are also thrown into financial uncertainty due to a sudden loss of household income and think a Reseda wrongful death lawyer would be too expensive given their situation. However, Robert and Gary want to make sure everyone has the chance to fight for the compensation they deserve, so every case we take is on a contingency fee basis. This means you don’t pay until after we win your case and you get paid, so you can still pursue the check you deserve and have successful attorneys in your corner to build the best case for recovery possible. Call us today to get your questions answered and take the first step towards getting a check and closure!