How Can a Wrongful Death Attorney Help Families Seek Justice?

When someone you love dies because of another person’s negligence, there are plenty of challenges you will have to face. One of them should not be having to go through the legal process of bringing a wrongful death claim. A wrongful death lawyer with experience here in West Jordan, UT can take over the burden so you can seek justice.

What a Wrongful Death Claim Involves

A wrongful death claim lets surviving family members or the representative of an estate hold the responsible party accountable. The main purpose of the claim is to recover the money that the family lost in caring for their loved one and get compensation for the loss of that person’s care, love, and economic contributions into the future.

Steps Your Wrongful Death Attorney Takes on Your Behalf

You do not have to figure this out alone. Your attorney knows that this is a difficult time and will step in right away to handle the details so you can focus on your family. The lawyer’s first job will be to investigate the facts and collect all the evidence to show exactly what went wrong and who is responsible for it. Using this, your attorney will build your legal case by proving the four key elements necessary to show negligence. These are:

• Duty of care
• Breach of that duty
• Causation
• Damages

Your attorney will also work to figure out the full value of your claim. These include economic losses, such as the cost of the funeral, any medical bills that were incurred before your loved one died, and whatever income your loved one could’ve been expected to earn over a lifetime. You are also entitled to non-economic damages. These are much harder to measure, but your lawyer will calculate what’s appropriate to ask for. In some cases, punitive damages may also be appropriate. These are rare, but if the responsible party’s behavior was particularly egregious, punitive damages may be justified. Your lawyer can tell you more.

More Than Filling Out Forms

Your lawyer does a lot more than just fill out some paperwork. Your lawyer will manage all the communication with the insurance adjusters, and this in itself is a great benefit. Adjusters usually try to close claims quickly and as cheaply as possible, and they are not primarily concerned with your loss but their own. Your lawyer will take over all interactions with them.

Your lawyer will also review every settlement offer to make sure it’s fair to you and, if it’s not counter with evidence and continue negotiating until the amount being offered reflects the reality of your loss. And of course, if these talks fail, your lawyer will prepare a lawsuit and represent you in court, with all that this entails.

Talk to a West Jordan, UT Lawyer Today

We understand how hard this time can be, and our goal is to provide compassionate legal support during this hard time. Contact Nelson Jones, Utah Personal Injury Lawyers, today in West Jordan for a consultation.