Car accidents, medical malpractice, and slip-and-fall accidents can cause serious injuries. Sadly, these instances of negligence sometimes end in tragedy. Florida state law allows surviving family members to pursue compensation on behalf of their lost loved ones.
We extend our deepest condolences if someone close to you has recently passed away. We understand that nothing can begin to make up for your loss. However, our Riverview wrongful death lawyer can help you get monetary compensation so you can pay for medical and funeral expenses and recover financially.
Recovering Damages After a Wrongful Death
Losing a family member takes both a financial and emotional toll. You’ll likely face a long list of expenses along with the emotional trauma of losing your loved one.
“Damages” are the categories of compensation you can pursue in a wrongful death claim and are broken into two categories: economic and non-economic.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are purely financial. They include:
- Medical treatment: This damage includes the cost of any necessary medical care after an accident or injury. Medical expenses include hospital bills, doctor’s visits, prescriptions, physical therapy, and other related costs.
- Therapy and other emotional support services: These damages include counseling sessions, grief counseling, and other forms of psychological assistance.
- Funeral expenses, including headstones and venue costs: Funerals are often expensive. If your loved one died as a result of someone else’s negligence, you might be able to recover the money spent on their burial.
- Lost wages are particularly important if your loved one was a high earner: Your loss of income due to the death of your loved one can be compensated by the court.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are more difficult to calculate but equally important:
- Pain and suffering that you and your loved one suffered before their passing
- Mental trauma
- Loss of companionship or loss of consortium
How Much Will My Family Receive in Damages for a Wrongful Death?
Wrongful death cases vary considerably. The following factors impact their value:
- Whether your case involves an insurance company
- Whether your case necessitates a lawsuit
- The nature of your settlement negotiations
The variability in these case factors means it can be difficult to guess the value of your wrongful death claim. However, knowing the value of your case is important. Our team can help you estimate what your case is worth. We’ll use this estimation to protect you from unfair settlement offers.
Who Can Receive a Settlement After a Wrongful Death?
Our personal injury lawyers are also wrongful death lawyers. However, they handle wrongful death claims differently. Unlike in personal injury cases, a family member files a claim on behalf of someone who is no longer living.
Florida law provides guidelines for who gets money in a wrongful death action.
These parties include:
- Spouses: The surviving spouse of a wrongful death victim can receive compensation. However, the status of their relationship with the decedent before their passing may impact the spouse’s eligibility.
- Children: Children typically qualify for compensation after losing a parent in a fatal accident. Like spouses, though, case specifics can alter their eligibility.
- Parents: Parents of both adult and minor children can usually pursue damages after the passing of their child.
Close family members and other potential dependents typically split compensation in a wrongful death case. Your case’s specifics will influence who can pursue compensation from an insurance settlement or lawsuit. Our team can advise you on all aspects of your wrongful death settlement proceeding.
Why Should I Hire a Riverview Lawyer?
In Florida, complex wrongful death laws affect case proceedings. For instance, the surviving family members of the deceased victim must rely on a personal representative to pursue damages. Our team will navigate these regulations on your behalf and provide other services.
Negotiating With Insurers
Most wrongful death cases are settled without a lawsuit. You will likely need to negotiate with the responsible party’s insurance company to secure a settlement.
However, insurers aren’t always on your side. They may:
- Offer you a low settlement.
- Use your recorded statements against you.
- Pressure you to admit fault.
We caution you against speaking with an insurance adjuster without seeking legal counsel. An insurance company can use your words to reduce your wrongful death settlement.
When you hire a Riverview wrongful death attorney from our firm, they will negotiate with insurers on your behalf. This service includes handling all emails, phone calls, and in-person meetings that have to do with your case. We can also coach you on what you should or should not say to the insurance companies.
Assigning Liability
Florida law defines wrongful death as a “wrongful act, negligence, default, or breach of contract or warranty” that leads to a victim’s passing. To win your case, you must pinpoint the party that behaved negligently. Without a liable party, you can’t pursue compensation.
Evidence
We will gather the facts of your case, including:
- Medical reports
- Traffic footage
- Photos of a crash site
- Police reports
- Expert testimonies
- Witness interviews
- Funeral and medical invoices
Culpability
We will use that information to show the following:
- The responsible party had a reasonable duty of care to your loved one.
- They failed to uphold this duty.
- Your loved one passed because of this negligence.
- You and your family have suffered due to the wrongful death.
This approach applies to all types of wrongful death cases, regardless of how the accident happened. Your legal team must prove that another party’s negligence caused your loved one’s death.
Our personal injury attorneys are prepared to pursue compensation and assign liability. If insurance negotiations are unsuccessful, we will initiate a lawsuit. We are committed to getting justice at the negotiation table or in the courtroom.
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A Compassionate Approach to Wrongful Death Actions
We do more than pursue compensation. We take care of our clients. When you join our team as a client, we will assign a wrongful death attorney to your case and provide the lawyer’s phone number.
Your lawyer will:
- Provide prompt answers to all your questions.
- Communicate with you via emails, text, or phone calls
- Supply you with accessible legal support
Based on our client testimonials, our clients appreciate this approach to wrongful death law.
Get Started on Your Wrongful Death Case Today
Under Florida statutes, you have two years to file a lawsuit after a wrongful death due to the state’s statute of limitations. If you reach out to our offices, we’ll manage this deadline. The clock shouldn’t prevent you and your family from pursuing the compensation you deserve.
We encourage you to get started on your case as soon as possible. Our personal injury lawyers are paid on a contingency basis. This payment method means that:
- You don’t need to pay us upfront.
- We don’t get paid unless we secure compensation for you.
- Our services are completely risk-free.
Contact Our Law Firm
Our team at the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine is committed to helping grieving families recover financial compensation after losing a loved one. Clients who have suffered tragic losses often tell us that taking legal action helped them get closure.
We stand by the residents of Riverview, FL, who find themselves in this difficult situation. While our Riverview wrongful death lawyer handles your legal case, you can relax and focus on being there for your family. Call our offices for a free, no-obligation case evaluation today.
