The legal concept of wrongful death is a civil action where you file a lawsuit against someone who wrongfully caused the death of a loved one in an accident or through some criminal action. It’s a painful scenario to have someone close to you die in an accident that was perhaps preventable. While personal injuries can often leave a person devastated, living with the pain of someone in your family dying in an accident can haunt survivors for life.
How do you go about finding a way to amend things legally? Hiring a wrongful death legal team is essential.
Finding Immediate Legal Help
If you’ve experienced the death of someone close to you as the result of an accident or negligence, we’re here to help at Hughey Law Firm. We specialize in personal injuries and can help you through the maze of a wrongful death case. Call us immediately at (843) 881-8644.
Our Results in Wrongful Death Cases
We invite you to visit our results page to see several examples of the millions of dollars we’ve helped win for our clients.
Winning a settlement or judgment can help you deal with mounting medical bills passed on to you as an heir. One successful wrongful death case involved a client escaping from a group home and being killed by a drunk driver in the process. Through our efforts, we were able to win the client’s family $3,375,000 in damages. Since our practice began, we’ve won our clients a collective $115 Million in settlements. Evidence is the key to bringing successful results like this, but remember that previous results are never a guarantee—every case is unique, so consult with an attorney to examine the strength of your claim.
Common Wrongful Death Scenarios
Wrongful death is caused by numerous factors, though some scenarios are particularly shocking. One of the most common types of wrongful death comes from drunk driving accidents. It’s unfortunate that South Carolina is sixth in the nation for the highest amount of drunk driving fatalities.
Many other accident scenarios can take place, leading to wrongful death. Some other examples could include:
- Negligence in nursing homes is a continuing problem here in South Carolina. There isn’t anything more painful than realizing a loved one died in a nursing home due to medical neglect. We’ve helped win a number of settlements against these egregious acts.
- Similar medical negligence in hospitals or clinics. A doctor misdiagnosing or overlooking something serious could lead to tragic outcomes.
- Other fatal car accidents going beyond driving while drunk. A fatality could occur from a driver who’s distracted, like texting while driving. It could also mean a car has a defect (like brake failure), leading to a tragic collision.
Who’s Typically At Fault?
Numerous people are possibly at fault in a wrongful death scenario. In the case of car accidents, it’s often the distracted or drunk driver. If the car had a defect, the manufacturer of the car may be held liable.
In the case of negligence in nursing homes, hospitals, and clinics, various people could end up taking responsibility for a death. Staff in charge of taking care of your loved one are possibly at fault. However, so are the doctors who ultimately make final decisions on what staff do. Lawsuits against doctors can often become difficult, which is why you need an experienced wrongful death attorney to represent your interests.
Collecting evidence immediately after death occurs is imperative to evaluate who truly is to blame for what happened. Ultimately, the number of those involved in your wrongful death claim can quickly grow complex, depending on the situation.
Damages You Might Recover
First and foremost, your legal team fights hard to win a settlement or judgment that helps pay for any financial hardships. When a family member dies in an accident, you’re likely responsible for paying any medical bills they incurred before death occurred. Maybe your spouse was lost in an accident, and your family depended on their income to pay bills. In other scenarios, the death of someone close to you caused so much pain and anguish, you may be unable to work for awhile.
Winning a settlement can help you gain back some financial peace of mind, even if you’ll carry the burden of loss for a very long time.
Those Liable May Try to Avoid Paying Their Fair Share
Being accused of causing a wrongful death will likely lead to a defensive mindset in the person or parties you file a claim against. As a result, they’ll often do everything they can to avoid payouts. They may try to place the blame for the accident on your lost loved one.
Insurance companies can be the most aggressive. They’ll often try to convince you to settle early for a fraction of what you should receive in compensation. Never try to negotiate with them on your own, because you may end up agreeing to a substantially lesser payment or surrendering important legal rights. Your wrongful death attorney handles all communication with insurance companies.
How Much Will Hiring an Attorney Cost?
Most wrongful death attorneys provide free consultations. Our associates also work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you won’t pay attorney fees unless they win you a settlement or judgment. Our goal is to fight hard to help you gain back at least some peace of mind after losing a member of your family. Working closely with our team, we’ll fight on your behalf without creating unnecessary financial pressures.
Contact us immediately if you’ve lost a loved one in Summerville due the negligence or intentional acts of another. Call our office at (843) 881-8644 to schedule a free consultation.