When a person passes before their time, their loved ones must figure out how to manage their affairs and continue living after the loss. Fatal accident cases are some of the most challenging legal actions to litigate, so it is essential to hire a Glendale wrongful death lawyer to handle your case.
At Zanes Law, we recognize no amount of money will bring back your loved one, but monetary damages could help you and your family get back on your feet after such an unfortunate loss. Consider talking to a seasoned personal injury attorney about pursuing a lawsuit.
Addressing the Complexities of a Wrongful Death Case
There are several incidents that can lead to the wrongful death of a loved one, all of which can cite negligence as their driving force. Even if your case can be classified as a wrongful death case, there may be circumstances that force you and an attending attorney to come at your case from an unconventional angle.
More specifically, all the following accidents can lead to the wrongful passing of a loved one:
- Car accidents
- Premises liability accidents
- Product liability accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Boat accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Truck accidents
Should you find yourself contending with complex questions about liability or losses in the wake of these accidents, know that our attorneys can identify your best course of action moving forward. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to fight for compensation on behalf of a departed loved one.
When to File a Wrongful Death Claim
When faced with the consequences of a personal injury accident, it can be difficult to know whether you should file a personal injury claim or a wrongful death claim. You can, after all, include the costs associated with a loved one’s untimely passing in a personal injury claim.
Generally speaking, wrongful death claims are a subset of personal injury claims. A wrongful death claim can be more specific than a personal injury claim when identifying a liable party and requesting loss-related damages. There are, however, limitations placed on the parties who can acceptably pursue a wrongful death claim on another person’s behalf.
When faced with these questions, it’s best to ask a wrongful death attorney what the best classification for your suit may be. We can work together to label your complaint and ensure it complies with the formatting demands that Glendale courts place upon it.
For a free legal consultation with a wrongful death lawyer serving Glendale, call 866-499-8989
You Can Hold Different Parties Accountable for a Loved One’s Untimely Passing
As there are different types of accidents that can result in the wrongful death of a loved one, so too are there multiple forces that you can name liable for your losses. While you may instinctively want to hold someone at the scene of your accident liable for your losses, corporations, mechanics, and manufacturers may hold equal blame.
For example, consider the passing of Vivian Marela in 2015. The Marela family fell victim to a rear-end accident in Phoenix, AZ. Instead of taking up a lawsuit against the driver of that vehicle, however, the family pursued a claim against Fiat Chrysler, the manufacturer of the offending car.
The family claims that the car’s lack of an automatic emergency brake represents Fiat Chrysler’s violated duty of care. At this point in time, Arizona Supreme Court is moving the family’s case forward despite Fiat Chyrsler’s assertions that the installation of an automatic emergency brake was optional at the time of an accident.
Proving Liability in a Wrongful Death Lawsuit
If you want to prove wrongful death liability, you need to bring forward evidence of the negligence that put your loved one in harm’s way. You can work with our wrongful death attorneys in Glendale to determine what evidence may viably uphold your case. This can include:
- Photos of your accident
- Videos of the accident
- Police reports detailing your losses
- Black box records, if applicable
- Physical evidence from the scene of the accident
- Bystander testimonies
- Expert witness statements
You need this evidence to establish the story of your accident and subsequent losses. You should also bring forward evidence indicating that you can stand in for your loved one in a court of law. Our team can help you gather this information before submitting your complaint to a county clerk.
Glendale Wrongful Death Lawyer Near Me 866-499-8989
Wrongful Death Beneficiaries in Glendale
State law does not allow everyone to sue for wrongful death. Only spouses, children, parents, and guardians may file a fatal accident claim. If an individual is not one of those permitted family members, they should contact a wrongful death attorney in the area to discuss whether an exception may allow them to sue.
Standard exceptions include domestic partners, grandchildren, and estate representatives.
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Recoverable Damages in a Wrongful Death Action
If you are eligible to receive damages in a wrongful death claim, you may receive payment for any or all the following depending on the specifics of your case:
- Funeral costs
- Burial costs
- Other costs related to the death
- Costs related to medical treatment after the accident
- Loss of the loved one’s financial contribution to the family
- Loss of rights to an inheritance
- Loss of property
- Emotional trauma and grief for the family members
- Pain and suffering the loved one may have suffered in the accident
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of companionship
You can work with a Glendale wrongful death attorney to calculate the economic value of these losses when you’re first building your complaint. Our team can find the sum of all your bills while accounting for the multipliers needed to stand in for your non-economic losses.
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Services a Wrongful Death Lawyer Provides
When you hire Zanes Law to represent your family in your loved one’s wrongful death claim, our team of lawyers will provide a number of services, including:
Paperwork and Communications
Your claim needs to make it to a county clerk in Glendale before your statute of limitations expires. This statute, Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-542, limits your actionable time to two years. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your grief or options, however, we can step in. We can file all of your essential documents within Arizona’s deadlines.
Research
Insurance companies can be loathed to give you the help you need to recover from an accident, even accidents resulting in the loss of a loved one. We don’t want you to have to elaborate on the validity of your losses while you’re grieving a loved one’s loss. That’s why we can negotiate with applicable insurance companies for you.
We can represent your claim as efficiently as possible while protecting you from the invasive questions that might exacerbate your grief. You can work with our attorneys ahead of time, too, to adequately elaborate on the goals you have related to insurance-based negotiations.
Witness Interviews
It’s our job to assess any and all evidence relevant to the case you want to present to a Glendale civil court. This means that our team can assess police reports, gather witness statements, and contact professionals who can better value your losses.
We want to give you every chance to fight for the compensation you deserve after a loved one’s wrongful death. When we put our analytical resources to work for you, you can trust our team to establish a comprehensive understanding of the negligence involved in your accident.
Ensuring Fair Treatment
There’s a chance, in cases involving belligerent defendants, that parties may try to intimidate you out of legal action. Similarly, insurance companies may try to bully you into accepting an insufficient settlement offer in the wake of your accident. Our team takes a two-prong approach to your defense.
To start, we calculate our own estimate of your accident compensation. When we can bring this estimate forward, backed with evidence, it’s easier for us to argue that you deserve as comprehensive of a settlement as possible.
Contact a Wrongful Death Attorney Today
Losing a loved one leaves you in a lurch emotionally and financially. Knowing that someone else’s negligence contributed to your emotional distress can make it hard to put up a fight in court, though. Fortunately, our team wants to give you every tool you need to hold the right people accountable for the loss of a loved one.
As wrongful death accident lawyers in Glendale, AZ, we know how to negotiate with insurance companies on behalf of our clients. We will fight for your right to compensation for the death of your loved one. You can contact us today to schedule your case evaluation.
Call or text 866-499-8989 or complete a
Free Case Evaluation form
Wrongful deaths include any fatalities that occur due to the negligence of another person or entity. In 2017, almost 169,936 accidental deaths occurred in the United States, according to June 24, 2019 edition of National Vital Statistics Reports.
Some of these accidental deaths could qualify as wrongful deaths in Arizona, which occur when a wrongful act, negligence, or recklessness leads to death. Another way to look at the definition is to consider if the person who passed away—had he or she survived—would have filed a personal injury claim. Arizona law allows close loved ones to file a wrongful death case on behalf of the deceased to pursue damages related to their loss.
You can rely on a wrongful death accident lawyer in Glendale, AZ, from Zanes Law to help with your case. Call us today at (866) 499-8989 for a free consultation so we can begin reviewing your case.
Understanding a Wrongful Death Claim
With a wrongful death claim, loved ones of the deceased person seek justice for their loss. Sometimes, a wrongful death claim may follow the results of a criminal trial. Other times, the family may choose to file the wrongful death claim before any criminal proceedings. Wrongful death claims are civil actions and can be pursued regardless of whether the liable party was charged with or convicted of a crime.
Parties Who Can Bring a Wrongful Death claim
Multiple people who were close to the deceased person have the right to file a wrongful death claim, including the deceased person’s:
- Spouse
- Life partner
- Children
- Parents
- Guardians
- Siblings
- Grandparents
Additionally, anyone who is financially dependent on the deceased has the right to bring a wrongful death claim.
Should the deceased have no living relatives, a personal representative may bring the suit on behalf of the deceased’s estate. If multiple family members are going to be part of the claim, the personal representative can act on behalf of all the family members together.
With Zanes Law on your side, you can spend time with your family while a wrongful death accident lawyer handles the negotiations. Call us today at (866) 499-8989 to get started.
Potentially Recoverable Damages in a Wrongful Death Action
If you are eligible to receive damages in a wrongful death claim, you may receive payment for any or all of the following depending on the specifics of your case:
- Funeral costs
- Burial costs
- Other costs related to the death
- Costs related to medical treatment after the accident
- Loss of the loved one’s financial contribution to the family
- Loss of rights to an inheritance
- Loss of property
- Emotional trauma and grief for the family members
- Pain and suffering the loved one may have suffered in the accident
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of companionship
If the case goes to trial, jurors under Arizona state law are instructed to issue damages that they deem to be fair and just. Ultimately, the actual damage amount you may be able to recover in a wrongful death lawsuit will depend on the facts in your case.
How Wrongful Death Occurs
Multiple types of accidents could result in a wrongful death. Some specific situations may include:
- Automobile accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents with a motor vehicle
- Bicyclist accidents with a motor vehicle
- Workplace accidents
- Construction accidents
- Medical misdiagnoses
- Improper administration of medication
- Slip and fall accidents after improper maintenance of a building or property
- Defective products
- Acts of neglect in a hospital or nursing home
- Acts of violence
- Accidental poisoning
These examples do not list every potential cause of wrongful death. A situation in which another person failed to prevent an accident that leads to death can be considered negligent, as well. Your wrongful death attorney in Glendale can help you determine the next steps that may be available to you following your loved one’s accident and passing.
Services a Wrongful Death Lawyer Provides
When you hire Zanes Law to represent your family in your loved one’s wrongful death claim, our team of lawyers will provide a number of services, including:
- Handling paperwork and communications: We will file all the necessary documents within the state’s deadlines.
- Negotiating with insurers: We will negotiate with the responsible party’s insurance company, giving you more time to grieve with your family members.
- Studying the case: We will analyze police reports and other information related to the case, ensuring that we can present the facts that show the damages you deserve.
- Interviewing witnesses: We can speak with people who were present during the accident, ensuring all the facts in the case are represented correctly.
- Ensuring fair treatment: We will take the time to make sure an insurance company is not trying to bully you into accepting an insufficient offer when the facts in your case indicate you should receive a greater award.
Protecting the Rights of Our Clients to Pursue Damages
As wrongful death accident lawyers in Glendale, AZ, we know how to negotiate with insurance companies on behalf of our clients. We will fight for your right to compensation for the death of your loved one.
Contact Zanes Law today at (866) 499-8989 for a free consultation. We work on a contingency-fee-basis, so you pay nothing upfront or unless we secure awards on your behalf.