A death in the family is an emotional blow. When it’s a wrongful death, that can magnify the emotions even more. When someone’s life is cut short way earlier than it should be and it was due to negligence or misconduct, that deserves justice. What should you do if something like that happens in your family? You should definitely seek legal advice.
Talk With a Lawyer
This should be the first step that you take. An experienced attorney who specializes in wrongful death will be able to walk through everything with you. They can look at all the circumstances and then tell you if you do happen to have a case. You should be prepared ahead of time with questions. These can include whether you have a legal case, who can submit the claim, what benefits you can get, if there are any challenges that you will face, how long the case can take, what compensation you could get, including punitive damages, and what verdicts similar cases have gotten.
Gather All Relevant Documents
You might think this part is overwhelming. It can be hard to decide what documents would qualify as being relevant. Just gather everything you can, including the ones you are not sure of. Your lawyer will also look through them and will be able to tell you what is or isn’t suitable for your case. Keep all of these things in a safe place so that you know you won’t lose them. These can be entered into evidence later on.
Basic ones include hospital bills, medical records, and test results. Bills for their funeral or cremation. It’s important to show their earnings, so keep their paychecks and bank deposits, along with employment contracts. Show what the impact of their loss has on your family as a whole. Get a Death Certificate.
Make Sure To Meet Statute of Limitations
This one won’t be a problem if you talk to a lawyer right away, since they will tell you when you should file. If you wait – and some families do, since the process of grief is a complicated one – you run the risk of not being able to get any kind of compensation. Each state has its own statute, so find out as soon as you can.
There are a lot of compassionate lawyers who will walk you through this difficult time. They should be willing to listen and be empathetic to your situation. Then they will do everything in their power to make sure that you and your family members get all the compensation that you deserve. After that, you will be able to help your family live their lives in the comfort that they need after this terrible loss. It won’t bring back the deceased, but it’s the next best thing.
The most important thing to do is find empathetic people who will listen to your case and then find the best way to proceed. By doing this, you can honor the person who was the victim here in the best way possible while making the people who were behind it pay for their actions.
