The death of a loved one can be one of the most painful, traumatic, and difficult events a person can experience. However when that loss is due to another person or corporate entity’s malice, incompetence, greed, negligence, or malice, the pain, anger, and stress the family, friends, and loved one’s of the departed experiences is often stronger and more overwhelming. If your loved one experienced a wrongful death for any of the aforementioned reasons or others, know that you are not alone. Wrongful death lawsuits are common, especially due to the roughly 40,000 annual deaths caused by car accidents. Other examples of wrongful deaths include falls, fatal medical errors, assaults, and injuries caused by another person’s negligence.
If someone you know and love suffered a wrongful death, you don’t have sit around and passively hope that your life will improve and justice will be served. You might feel helpless in vindicating your loved one’s death or even accepting it, but the best thing you can do is to be proactive in pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit with the help of a personal injury law firm and the accident lawyers that work there.
Although no amount of cash money will bring your loved one back to you, a personal injury lawyer such as a wrongful death lawyer or accident attorney can help to secure a settlement for you that aids in the healing process and provides a true sense of justice. The settlements can also save the lives of others and may event prevent other wrongful deaths in the future by exposing malpractice or negligence.
But before you can proceed with a lawsuit that has a good chance of ending in your and your deceased loved one’s favor, it’s important to find a wrongful death lawyer. Filing a wrongful death lawsuit with the professional legal representation of a wrongful death lawyer will greatly increase your chances of an outcome in your and your loved one’s favor and is sure to make the often emotional and stressful court proceedings much more bearable.
Here are some important things to keep in mind when trying to find a wrongful death lawyer.
Ask around
Internet searches are a great way to do research on products and services in your area, and this also applies to the professional services provided by wrongful death lawyers. However you shouldn’t base your entire search for an wrongful death attorney on an internet search. Contact your state’s bar association for detailed information regarding wrongful death attorneys in your area. If you’re deceased loved one was working with a medical provider, ask them if they can refer a personal injury or wrongful death attorney that their patients felt comfortable working with. And if you knew of someone who filed a personal injury, malpractice, or wrongful death lawsuit in the past, you can also want to ask them for a personal recommendation or referral.
Experience is important
Just because a lawyer has decades of experience, doesn’t mean they’re qualified to handle your specific case. Keep in mind that even lawyers hire other lawyers to represent them in cases that are beyond their scope of experience. As such, it’s important to retain a lawyer that has direct experience in wrongful death cases related to yours. If your loved died as a result of a personal assault or in a car accident, it’s best to work with a personal injury attorney. If they died as a result of a medical error, it’s best to find a medical malpractice attorney.
Determine your comfort level
Even if everything looks good on paper but a wrongful death attorney makes you feel uncomfortable in anyway or for any reason during your initial consultation, it’s important to run far and fast. These feelings of discomfort often indicate problems in the future, so it’s best to steer clear of them altogether. Be sure to use the initial consultation as a time to gather as much information as possible, so don’t hesitate to ask tough questions and take notes. In fact, this is encouraged!
