Losing a loved one is such a frustrating incidence, and it gets even worse when the cause of death is something that could have been avoided. It is the most painful experience that you can go through. While there is nothing you can do to undo the damage, the least you can do is to fight for justice. You need to ensure that the at-fault party pays for his/her negligence. One of the ways to do so is by filing a claim. You need to seek financial compensation for the pain you have been put through.
What is wrongful death?
Before embarking on the case filing process, you need to understand precisely what a wrongful death is. This can be termed as death caused by someone else’s carelessness or unlawful behavior. Also, a case can be termed as wrongful death if the responsible party fails to take the necessary action, in other words, due to negligence.
Who can recover damages caused by wrongful death?
In most cases, the family or relatives have the right to file a claim and claim compensation for the death of their loved one. However, the process can be a bit daunting, and that is why you should seek the help of a Pensacola wrongful death lawyer to take you through the case until you get the justice you deserve.
What areas are compensated?
There are different scenarios of wrongful deaths, but they all have one thing in common. In all situations, the death of your loved one must have been caused by another person’s carelessness or negligence. Take an example of a death caused by medical malpractice. This is where the doctor misdiagnoses the patient, gives him/her the wrong medication, and the main problem keeps escalating to the point of death. It could also be that due to a wrongly done surgery that results in over bleeding until death. Medical malpractice can also be a case where the doctor neglects the patient and does nothing to help him/her, and the patient dies. The other example of wrongful death is a truck, motorcycle, or car accident caused by another person’s drunk driving. Also, if the victim loved one suffers from food poisoning due to product consumption before death, that counts as wrongful death, not to forget deaths caused by property hazard accidents and assaults.
Regardless of which of the case you can seek compensation for;
- The damages caused to your loved one between the time of injury to death – There were probably lots of medical complications and agony before death. The chances are that the patient was rushed to the hospital where s/he died hours, days, or months later, depending on the degree of injury. You have the right to claim compensation for the hospital bills, lost wages, and emotional pain.
- Compensation for damages incurred after death – These include funeral costs and other related expenses after the end of your loved one.
- Losses suffered by the family of the deceased – Any losses or damages caused to the dead person’s family, heirs, dependents, and beneficiaries should be catered for.
In all these cases, you should be able to prove that you deserve the compensations, and that is why you need a wrongful death lawyer to help collect enough evidence and plead your case.
Here is everything you need to know about wrongful death and what to do if the unfortunate event happens to you.