Orlando Attorneys Helping Families With Wrongful Death Claims

It’s a dangerous world. Anyone may be suddenly and severely injured. In the worst scenario, a loved one could suffer a wrongful death caused by another party’s negligence. If that happens, speak to an Orlando wrongful death attorney at the Orlando Personal Injury Law Offices.

A wrongful death can happen almost anywhere at almost any time. These fatalities happen in traffic collisions, job-related accidents, and swimming pool accidents. Your cell phone or cigarette lighter could explode for no apparent reason. Even a dog bite could result in a fatality.

Here in central Florida, a wrongful death attorney at the Orlando Personal Injury Law Offices can review the incident that led to your loved one’s death and offer sound, personalized legal advice about your family’s rights and legal options after such a tragedy.

Who May File a Wrongful Death Claim?

You must be an immediate family member of the wrongful death victim in order to file a wrongful death claim in the State of Florida. If you take legal action, your attorney will identify the negligent party or parties and act to hold that party or parties accountable on your behalf.

A Florida wrongful death lawyer will negotiate aggressively for the compensation that your family needs, deserves, and is entitled to by law. Wrongful death claims are usually resolved outside of the courtroom when the attorneys for both sides meet and negotiate privately.

But if an insurance company makes a settlement offer that’s too low, or if the insurance company denies your family’s wrongful death claim entirely or argues that your loved one was at fault for his or her own death, you will need an attorney’s help, and you’ll need it immediately.

Learn more about this topic by reading our blog post on wrongful death claims.

If No Acceptable Settlement Offer is Made

If no reasonable settlement offer is forthcoming during the private negotiations, your wrongful death attorney will take your case to trial and fight aggressively for justice on your family’s behalf.

Of course, no amount of money can compensate for losing someone you love. The heartache may be devastating and profound after you’ve lost a beloved family member, but your family’s future after a wrongful death is a genuine and necessary consideration.

When a family faces the emotional difficulty of a loved one’s unexpected death, they do not need a financial crisis too.

What Compensation Can Survivors Expect?

If your family may face a financial hardship after the wrongful death of a family member, you must speak at once to an attorney who has substantial experience representing families in wrongful death cases – an attorney at the Orlando Personal Injury Law Offices.

The surviving immediate family members of a wrongful death victim are entitled under Florida law to full compensation for their expenses and losses arising from the wrongful death. Family members may also be compensated for their own personal pain and suffering.

How Do You Prevail With a Wrongful Death Claim?

In Florida, a wrongful death case is quite comparable to a personal injury case. The family members bringing the claim must prove the same “elements” of their claim that plaintiffs must prove in personal injury cases:

1. The defendant (the party presumably liable for the death) had a duty of care to the victim.
2. The duty of care was breached by the defendant’s negligence.
3. The defendant’s negligence was a direct cause of the death.
4. The defendant should compensate the wrongful death victim’s family for their losses.

Along with your family’s compensation, in some cases, Florida courts may order the payment of punitive damages intended to punish the defendant and deter negligent behavior in the future.

When Should You Speak to a Wrongful Death Lawyer?

If you accidentally lose a child, a parent, or a spouse, it may be almost impossible to focus on anything but grief. Nevertheless, you must reach out quickly to a wrongful death lawyer who will explain your family’s rights and how the law applies in your own wrongful death case.

In Florida, the statute of limitations for filing a wrongful death claim is two years from the date of the death. Don’t wait two years and try to file a claim at the last minute. An Orlando personal injury attorney will need to review the evidence and speak to the witnesses as quickly as possible.

Your first legal consultation with one of our attorneys is free and entails no obligation. If your family moves forward with a wrongful death action, you will pay no attorney’s fee until and unless we recover compensation on your family’s behalf.

To learn more, or to begin the legal process, call the Orlando Personal Injury Law Offices at (407) 270-0052, or use the contact form here on our website. If you lose a loved one because someone else was careless, the help of a good wrongful death attorney is your family’s right.