What Is a Wrongful Death Claim?
March 19, 2018
It’s completely devastating to lose a loved one unexpectedly. When you lose a loved one due to the negligence of another person or party, you have the right to seek compensation for your loss from the negligent party. These lawsuits are called wrongful death claims, and they seek to financially restore any losses you’ve incurred as the result of the accident. These losses might include funeral costs, lost wages, and loss of services, support, and guidance. Individuals, governmental agencies, employees, and companies can all be held legally responsible in a wrongful death suit when they’ve acted negligently.
State Wrongful Death Laws
States restrict who can seek compensation in a wrongful death claim. Most states require the survivors who file the claim to be directly and immediately impacted by the victim’s death. This typically includes immediate family members, financial dependents, and life partners. Some states allow anyone who financially suffers from the victim’s death and distant family members to file the wrongful death claim on the behalf of survivors.
Most states set a general rule allowing survivors to pursue a wrongful death claim within two years of the victim’s death. Survivors may seek compensation for both economic and non-economic damages, such as funeral expenses, loss of inheritance, loss of consortium, and pain and suffering. When the defendant has been intentionally or recklessly negligent, courts may award additional compensation to the survivors.
Wrongful Death Lawsuits in Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, the rules are that the immediate family members of someone killed due to negligence can potentially file a wrongful death claim. As survivors, they may be able to recover compensation for the loss of their loved one’s financial support, emotional companionship, among other things.
Free Consultation with an Experienced Pittsburgh Wrongful Death Attorney
Our team of legal experts at Goodrich and Geist understands how traumatizing the loss of a loved one is on survivors. Our goal is to work together to recover compensation for the emotional and financial injuries you’ve incurred. During your time of grief, it’s important to have legal representatives who you can trust. Our experienced Pennsylvania personal injury attorneys want your family to focus on healing while we help you carry the burden of filing a wrongful death claim. When you’re ready to contact our Pittsburgh office, call us at 412-837-8426.
The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.
