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If you believe your loved one was killed because of the negligence of another person or company, then you may have a wrongful death case. While no amount of money can absolve the grief you feel over the loss, a wrongful death claim can give your family the financial support they need and ease the financial burden of losing a loved one. You may be able to recover monetary awards to cover medical expenses, funeral costs, and anticipated future financial support. For wrongful death cases, like many other cases, there is a time limitation for filing suit so it’s important to seek out legal advice as soon as possible given the seriousness and complexity of them. We understand that you and your family need time to grieve and are committed to handling your claim as compassionately as possible for you. To help, we prepared an overview of wrongful death cases for you.
If you and your family have experienced the loss of a loved one due to another person’s careless or negligent actions, you need assistance from a compassionate and experienced attorney. Attorney Kevin Patrick is dedicated to helping families find some closure in the aftermath of a tragedy.
Wrongful death cases can become incredibly complex and involve a multitude of parties. This can include the defendant, their insurance carrier, legal teams, and more. Most individuals do not have the experience or resources available to conduct a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding a wrongful death. Your Atlanta wrongful death attorney will be responsible for handling all aspects of your case. They will:
In many wrongful death cases, there will be more than one liable party. While a car accident case may revolve around a negligent driver, wrongful death cases involving work incidents, businesses, and commercial vehicles may include many parties, each with their own legal teams.
While it’s understood that a wrongful death case stems from the loss of a loved one, many people are unfamiliar with the underlying legal claims. There are actually two different claims. The first claim is a traditional wrongful death action, and the second is a separate and distinct claim brought by the estate of the deceased person.
The statute of limitations means the time allowed to bring a case before it is barred by Georgia law. In Georgia, there is typically a two-year statute of limitations for a wrongful death claim. Depending on certain facts and circumstances, this period may be longer or shorter for a particular case. The statute of limitations begins to run at the time of the negligent act. For example, a loved one may have been in a serious tractor-trailer accident and been hospitalized for several weeks before ultimately losing his or her life. The statute of limitations begins to run at the time of the negligent act, i.e. the accident, as opposed to the time the person passed away. This situation often presents itself when a person survives for many months or perhaps even years after the accident so the key is obtaining legal counsel right away to ensure the at-fault party will be held accountable under the law.
Georgia law basically has established a hierarchy of relatives who are permitted to bring a wrongful death case. The purpose of this system is to avoid multiple family members bringing identical claims. The order is rather intuitive, as follows:
As a general framework, the damages for this part of the claim again are the “full value” of the life of the deceased person measured from his or her own perspective. The factors are both economic and non-economic. The economic factors include the amount of lost wages, assuming the person was working at the time of his or her death. To calculate this amount, it is important to consider the deceased person’s salary, job benefits, like a 401(k) and bonuses. Whereas, the non-economic factors include the intangible value of missing his or her children, a lifetime with his or her spouse, along with the enjoyments of daily life. Establishing a concrete monetary figure is a difficult process because compensation can never truly heal a family, but there are tools such as a life-expectancy table to understand the likely amount of time lost as a result of an untimely death.
As a threshold matter, an estate needs to be set up for the deceased person. If the deceased person left a will, then there will most likely be a representative for the estate. If, however, the person did not have a will, which is called intestate, then there is a set of laws in Georgia to determine the representative. The representative will have the authority to hire an attorney, dictate the course of the case, and ultimately agree to a settlement.
While it is relatively easy to calculate some parts of the estate claim, such a funeral costs and medical expenses, the more challenging part is determining whether or not there was pain and suffering on the behalf of the deceased person. If the person immediately lost his or her life, then there may not be a claim. Interestingly though, Georgia law does allow recovery for even a few seconds of conscious pain. If the person lived for a period of time, then there will be a claim for pain and suffering for the estate. The decision is left to the “enlightened wisdom of a fair and impartial jury.” This standard is obviously a bit ambiguous so it is crucial to have an attorney, doctor(s), and other experts that will make a clear presentation to the jury about the scope of the pain and suffering for the deceased person.
Wrongful death cases arise in various ways in and around Atlanta. While this is not a complete list of ways a wrongful death case can originate, our Atlanta wrongful death attorneys commonly handle cases arising from the following:
Wrongful death cases are not criminal cases; they are civil lawsuits. However, many wrongful death cases are closely connected to criminal cases. For example, if a drunk driver kills someone in a crash, there will likely be criminal charges against the person responsible. The family of the deceased could also file a wrongful death lawsuit against the impaired driver, regardless of whether or not that person faces criminal charges or is found guilty of DUI.
Kevin Patrick has handled multi-million dollar wrongful death cases in state and federal courts in Georgia. He understands this complex area of the law. Another added benefit is his willingness to bring a case to a trial. Kevin will not just settle your case for less in order to avoid going to court. Most importantly, Kevin will always be mindful of the dignity and respect that your loved one deserves.
If you have lost a loved one due to the careless or negligent actions of another person, business, or entity, secure legal assistance immediately. At Kevin Patrick Law, you can count on having a compassionate and experienced team by your side throughout the entirety of your case. We understand that no amount of money will erase the loss that you and your family are experiencing. However, wrongful death cases can help bring closure to grieving families. When you need an Atlanta wrongful death attorney, you can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or by calling (404) 566-5880.
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