It is always sad and unfortunate when a loved one dies. Often, death is the result of sickness or an accident that truly has no fault. However, there are situations in which someone else's negligence leads to a loved one's death. In such a case, you may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the responsible person or company. Wrongful death lawsuits are difficult to prove and win, but it's at least worth meeting with an attorney if any of these things are true about your loved one's death:
1. They seemed to be doing just fine, and then they died.
Was your loved one in the hospital or seeking treatment for something pretty benign before suddenly dying unexpectedly? For instance, maybe they went into the hospital with a minor infection in their foot, and two days later, they passed away from sepsis. Deaths like this are often, but not always, the result of medical negligence. The doctors may have failed to diagnose a more serious condition that they should have noticed. Or they may have administered a procedure that was more dangerous than it seemed, leading to your loved one's death. Both of these instances may warrant a wrongful death suit. If you give a lawyer the details, they can let you know how to proceed.
2. They had a complication nobody warned them of after surgery.
All surgery comes with risks, but it is important that the patient (and their family members) is aware of the risk. If your loved one suffered a complication they had no idea was a possibility after surgery, and that resulted in their death, this could warrant a wrongful death case—especially if it was an elective surgery. They might have made a different decision whether or not to pursue surgery had they know about this consequence.
3. They died as a direct result of a lack of safety protocols.
Wrongful deaths do not always occur in a hospital setting. They can actually happen almost anywhere if a person fails to adhere to certain safety guidelines and that results in a person's death. For instance, if your loved one was riding in a go-kart and the seat belt failed, resulting in their death after a crash, the go-kart company could be named in a wrongful death case because they failed to check that the seat belt worked. Always contact an attorney when any type of safety failure seems to be at the heart of a calamity.
Wrongful death attorneys are ready and waiting to help you file a claim. When in doubt, give one a call — you really have nothing to lose.
