If your loved one’s death resulted from someone else’s negligent behavior in Jacksonville, our wrongful death lawyers can seek fair compensation on behalf of certain family members. Pursuing compensation may be especially important if your loved one was a primary income earner for your family.
Our Jacksonville personal injury lawyers can assist you through this time, protecting your legal rights and advocating for your future well-being. We offer a no-cost consultation to discuss your situation and explore your options for pursuing financial compensation.
How To Know When You Can Bring A Wrongful Death Case
If we can show that someone else’s negligence led to your loved one’s injuries and passing, we can help you bring a wrongful death case. Unintentional or intentional negligence may have resulted in a wrongful death.
We can also help you seek compensation through a wrongful death case if you lost your loved one due to a criminal act. A criminal case against the defendant may proceed in addition to any case you bring for compensation.
We can help you understand whether or not you can bring a wrongful death case. Call for a free initial consultation.
Types Of Cases We Can Assist With
Wrongful death can occur in a variety of ways. However, the most common causes are as follows:
- Slip and falls: Falling can be fatal if the slip and fall result in serious injuries, such as head trauma or internal bleeding, or if the fall occurs in a dangerous location.
- Auto accidents: A truck crash can be fatal due to its large size and weight, which can cause severe injuries and damage to other vehicles and individuals involved in the accident. The same goes for cars and motorcycles; if the speed is high enough, it could end in a fatal crash.
- Boating accident: If the boat driver doesn’t take proper care or is intoxicated while driving, lacks a boating license, or is speeding, a boating accident could be fatal.
- Pedestrian or bicycle accident: Whether riding a bicycle or walking as a pedestrian, people could be at risk of death if others on the roads don’t take the proper precautions.
- Defective products: If the manufacturers of a product don’t take proper care or skip steps while making a product, people could die using the product. A defective product could include children’s toys, trucks, and cleaning products.
If your family member died due to one of these situations, or something similar, we could help you evaluate the possibility of pursuing legal action.
Damages You Could Recover In A Jacksonville Wrongful Death Case
Our legal team will work with you to document the actual damages associated with your loss and determine a monetary value for them. The value could include some or all of the following damages:
- Medical expenses
- Funeral expenses
- Loss of income
- Lost support and services before death
- The projected loss of support and services
- Burial expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Loss of companionship
The value of your claim will also depend on your relationship to the deceased, their age at the time of death, their life expectancy, and the nature of the event that led to their passing.
A Settlement Or Verdict Can Go A Long Way To Help Your Family
Most families are not prepared financially to lose someone, especially if that loved one contributed income to the household. You deserve to properly honor the memory of your loved one, as well, but this can get expensive. We can seek awards that can help you cope in your loved one’s absence.
While we handle the legal process, you can be free to grieve with your family in peace. We want to make seeking compensation as stress-free as possible, so we shoulder all the clerical work.
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What Factors Affect A Wrongful Death Settlement?
Many of our clients want to know the average settlement for a wrongful death lawsuit. But because every case is different, we don’t have an average amount. But we can tell you what factors determine the amount of your settlement:
The Severity Of Injuries Before Death
The severity of the injury or illness suffered by the deceased is a major factor in determining your settlement. If a catastrophic injury, such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, or paralysis, led to their death, more money might be awarded for medical bills and pain and suffering.
On the other hand, if the deceased died from an illness diagnosed before their death, less money may be available for medical expenses. A Jacksonville wrongful death lawyer can help you understand your legal rights and assist in negotiating a fair settlement.
Number Of Liable Parties
The number of liable parties involved in a wrongful death case can also affect the settlement amount. If multiple parties were responsible for the death, they may be held jointly liable, meaning that anyone could be held liable for the entire amount.
In this case, the settlement amount depends on the total damages incurred by all parties combined. Additionally, negotiations with each party could potentially increase the overall settlement amount if there are multiple defendants in a wrongful death case.
Degree Of Negligence
The degree of negligence or recklessness involved in the death of a loved one is another important factor in determining wrongful death settlement amounts. If the death was caused by another person’s intentional or reckless behavior, punitive damages might be awarded to punish and discourage the behavior.
Punitive damages can add substantially to the amount of a wrongful death settlement. But if the deceased was partially at fault for their death, we will also consider the negligence degree when calculating a settlement amount.
Steps We’ll Take In Your Wrongful Death Lawsuit
We understand how important it is to seek the compensation you and your family need after losing your loved one.
We will stand by your side and advocate for you, protecting your legal rights and representing you in your Jacksonville wrongful death claim. We will offer the following services:
Gather Evidence
We will begin by assembling the necessary documentation for your claim, including details about the incident that led to your loved one’s untimely death. We may seek accident reports, witnesses’ statements, and other documentation.
If necessary, we will obtain testimony from doctors, safety experts, expert witnesses, and accident reconstruction specialists. Our firm has special expertise in compiling all available evidence and creating a convincing case for our clients to get the maximum compensation.
Prove Negligence
We will also establish liability by demonstrating the legal elements of negligence as they relate to the accident. To accomplish this task, we must prove the at-fault party had a duty of care to the deceased.
We must further show the at-fault party violated their duty of care, causing the accident that led to your loved one’s death. We’ll also use the file of evidence we create to prove the negligent parties are at fault for your loved one’s death.
Negotiate On Your Behalf
Once we submit your claim to the at-fault party or insurance company, we will push for their claims adjusters and lawyers to begin the negotiation process. We understand the importance of getting you a fair settlement as quickly as possible at this challenging time.
Insurance companies try to give you a low settlement so they can keep as much money as possible. Even when you’re in immense pain, the insurance company won’t have the sympathy to give you a decent settlement. But our experienced lawyers are ready to fight for the settlement you need.
Take Your Case To Court
We will stand ready to file a lawsuit if the insurance company does not negotiate a settlement in good faith. Whatever it takes, we will dedicate our team to working for your case’s quickest and best possible result.
The Statute Of Limitations Restricts Your Time To File A Lawsuit
We typically start a case by seeking a settlement through negotiations. However, we may need to file a lawsuit, and in this case, we will need to consider the statute of limitations.
You have just two years to file a lawsuit for a wrongful death case in Florida, per Florida Statutes § 95.11(4)(d). For this reason, we advise that you get started on your case as soon as possible. We also advise starting early to collect important evidence to build your case.
Who Can File A Wrongful Death Lawsuit?
The only party allowed to file a wrongful death claim in Florida is the deceased person’s representative listed in their will. The personal representative is usually a family member. Even though the legally appointed person is the only person allowed to file, other family members of the deceased victim are eligible to receive compensation.
The late family member’s spouse, children, parents, and other family members can recover benefits. Our wrongful death attorneys in Jacksonville can explain how the compensation will be divided between family members.
Our Wrongful Death Team Will Go The Extra Mile
Our team takes pride in offering compassionate, responsive care to our clients. We will work to make the process feel smooth for you during this challenging time. When you work with us on a personal injury claim, you can expect the following:
- To get your attorney’s phone number
- To get all of your questions answered promptly
- Help with getting a car fixed, if an auto accident was part of your case
- Help with scheduling medical appointments
It Costs Nothing Up Front To Hire Our Team
You don’t have to worry about paying legal fees at a time when you’re dealing with financial challenges. We offer contingency-fee-based representation for our clients.
This means you owe us nothing up front, and we only get paid if we win your case.
Serving You From Our Office In Jacksonville
Our firm has offices across the state of Florida, where we serve victims of injury daily, including an office in Jacksonville.
We bring our familiarity with the city and region to every case. We will use our experience with local and state law to seek the best possible results for you. Contact us to discuss your legal options.
Get Help From One Of Our Personal Injury Attorneys Today
You do not have to face this situation alone. The Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine would like to offer you a complimentary consultation and case evaluation. We will answer all your questions and help you determine the best course of action for your future.
We will help you hold the at-fault party liable for your loved one’s death. Call us or fill out the contact form on our website to get help with your case today.
