The death of your loved one as a result of the intentional or unintentional actions of someone else will be extremely painful and traumatic. In fact, the sudden demise of your family member can take a toll on your whole life. Even though nothing can compensate for your tragic and irreparable loss, filing a wrongful death lawsuit will help to hold the person or parties responsible for your loss and claim for punitive damages.
Sometimes, you may have to encounter numerous financial obligations as a result of the sudden demise of your close one. You can claim for all those financial expenses as well by means of a wrongful death lawsuit. The common economic damages that you can claim with wrongful death cases include funeral expenses, loss of wages, medical expenses, etc. Additionally, you can claim for your non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, loss of companionship, loss of support, etc.
The common things that usually lead to wrongful death cases in California are listed below.
Medical Malpractice
This is a severe and sadly, a common cause of wrongful death cases. Medical malpractice may lead to wrongful death in many ways;
- If a doctor failed to properly diagnose the disease
- If health professional prescribed wrong medications
- If the hospital staffs were careless when attending to the victim
Product Liability
Another cause of wrongful death is product liability. This occurs when the victim dies because of the injuries caused by a defective product. In such cases, the family members of the deceased can claim damages from the product manufacturer, seller, or other parties involved in the death.
Road Accidents
If a person is dead because of the injuries caused by a road accident, the families can claim compensation from the opposite party. Usually, the other vehicle driver, his employer, company owner, etc., are held liable for such issues.
Intentional Acts
If a person is killed by another person intentionally, the murderer can be held liable for the death. Here, you can easily claim for punitive damages.
Drowning
Another common cause of wrongful death, especially when it comes to children and elderly people is drowning. Under the premises act, the property owner is obliged to maintain his/her premises in safe and proper conditions. So, the property owner, security guard, caretaker, etc., are held responsible for the death in this case.
Once you file a wrongful death lawsuit, you are likely to go through the following legal procedures.
- Law enforcement investigations
- Negotiating with insurance representatives or companies
- Courtroom trials
- Settlement hearings
- Appeals
So, make sure to rely on the services of a credible wrongful death attorney to make all these steps comfortable and easy.