Call Us atWhen a beloved family member passes away, you may feel devastated, especially if they did not die of natural causes. If someone’s negligence is fatal to another person, surviving loved ones might experience shock, anger, and grief.
If you lost someone you care about because of another’s actions, a skilled personal injury attorney might help you process some of those difficult feelings. A Bothell wrongful death lawyer could help you hold the responsible party accountable for their wrongdoing and fight for your family’s rightful compensation.
Establishing How Someone Unfairly Died
Holding the responsible party accountable requires a Bothell attorney to prove that someone died because of the defendant’s recklessness or carelessness. Establishing necessary evidence depends on the circumstances surrounding the individual’s passing.
Many different scenarios could result in a fatal accident. Some incidents that might form the basis of a wrongful death lawsuit include:
- Crashes involving cars, trucks, buses, or motorcycles
- Bicycle or pedestrian accidents
- ATV wrecks
- Drownings
- Defective products
- Falls in public places
- Fires
- Exposure to toxins
- Medical malpractice
- Nursing home abuse
- Electrocutions
A death might occur in any circumstance, including ones not listed above. Once it is demonstrated that someone else’s behavior caused the accident, it must be proven that the event caused the decedent’s injuries. Making this connection often requires an expert to testify, which a Bothell fatal accident attorney could help a plaintiff choose and guide through the legal process.
Damages in a Bothell Fatal Accident
The plaintiff in a lawsuit like this was usually dependent on the decedent, such as their spouse, domestic partner, or child. Dependence does not only mean that the plaintiff benefitted from the deceased person’s salary. A spouse or child could have been dependent on a deceased person to provide services like childcare, cooking, maintenance, transportation, and other domestic tasks.
Types of Recoverable Compensation
A Bothell attorney could help a family calculate the cost of their loved one dying and help them support their claim for compensation. Damages could cover medical expenses incurred after the injury until death, funeral and burial expenses, lost income over the decedent’s expected working lifespan, and the value of their services.
Children could claim damages for the loss of their parent’s love, guidance, and support. Spouses and domestic partners could claim damages for the loss of the marital relationship and companionship.
What Happens if the Decedent is a Minor?
If the deceased is a minor, the Revised Code of Washington §4.24.010 allows a parent or guardian involved the child’s upbringing to sue for wrongful death. In addition to seeking reimbursement of medical expenses and funeral costs, the parents could seek compensation for the loss of love and companionship of the child and loss of the child’s emotional support.
Civil Proceedings Following an Incident Where Someone Wrongly Dies
Families might hope that their lawsuit results in criminal punishment like jail. However, a lawsuit for deadly injuries happens in civil court, and the only remedy a civil court can provide is compensation.
An incident that results in someone dying might form the basis of criminal charges, and a prosecutor will make that decision after seeing the evidence law enforcement personnel gathered. If there is a prosecution and the defendant pleads guilty or is convicted, that fact could be evidence supporting the plaintiff’s case.
However, a family could consider a lawsuit regardless of whether a prosecutor brings criminal charges. A wrongful death attorney in Bothell could help a family understand the differences in the civil and criminal forms of justice.
Call a Bothell Wrongful Death Attorney Now
Money could never make up for your loved one passing away, but compensation could help your family move forward emotionally and with financial security.
A Bothell wrongful death lawyer could compassionately guide you through this difficult time and help you reach a place of greater peace. Schedule a consultation today to learn more about your legal options.
