Losing someone you love before their natural time is always a tragedy, and while money alone cannot make up for this immense loss, demanding civil compensation for specific “damages” you and your family members have because of your loss can be key to protecting your best interests now and in the future.
No two lawsuits over “wrongful death” are exactly alike, and that is why you should make hiring a skilled Cut Off wrongful death lawyer a top priority. From beginning to end of the legal process, your dedicated personal injury attorney could be a vital ally fighting by your side to make sure the people responsible for your family member’s death are held accountable.
What Counts as a Wrongful Death?
A wrongful death is a death caused by another person’s negligent or intentional misconduct. “Negligence” describes someone acting in a way that directly leads to a fatal injury, such as driving drunk and causing a car crash. Intentional misconduct usually applies to someone breaking the law and maliciously trying to hurt or kill another person.
Wrongful death claims are civil cases, which means they operate on different sets of rules than criminal cases over charges like manslaughter or homicide. As a Cut Off wrongful death attorney could further explain, this means it is possible to hold someone civilly liable for causing another person’s death even when they were never charged with a crime or acquitted of criminal wrongdoing.
Getting Paid Fairly Through a Wrongful Death Claim
According to Louisiana Civil Code § 2314.2, the right to file suit over a wrongful death falls first to the deceased person’s spouse or children, then to their parents, siblings, and grandparents, but each family member only has the right to sue when there are no surviving family members above them in this priority order. They can demand money for various types of losses they have already suffered and are likely to suffer in the future because of their loved one’s death, including:
- Funeral and burial costs
- Grief and emotional anguish
- Lost guidance, support, love, and companionship
- Loss of help around the house and/or with caring for children
- Medical bills for care the deceased person got between when they were first injured by someone else’s misconduct and when they passed away from those injuries
- Lost income and other financial support the deceased person would have provided in the future
State law typically gives people one year at most after their family member passes away to begin a lawsuit, so talking to a wrongful death lawyer in Cut Off quickly after a fatal accident can be important to enforcing legal rights.
A Cut Off Wrongful Death Attorney Can Help
A wrongful death lawsuit cannot erase the pain you feel after losing a family member before their time, but it can keep your family’s personal finances stable while you focus on your emotional and spiritual needs and get some justice for the harm unfairly done to all of you.
Speaking with a Cut Off wrongful death lawyer may give you a better idea of the options you have and the steps you should take in your unique situation. Call today to set up a meeting.
