The pain of losing someone you love when the death was unavoidable is excruciating. Losing someone you love in a wrongful death – one that should not have happened – is like a knife in the heart.
Wrongful death attorney Bill Newkirk of the Law Offices of William H. Newkirk has represented many people who, unfortunately, have lost loved ones in a wrongful death.
He is experienced in the laws that apply in such cases, often recovering significant verdicts or settlements for the family.
Common Causes of a Wrongful Death
A wrongful death is an avoidable death caused by wrongful conduct. The death could have been caused by an individual, a company, a government entity, or a hospital.
Common causes of wrongful death include:
- Medical malpractice
- Serious personal injury
- Medication errors
- Burn injuries
- Product liability
- Car accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Truck accidents
- Defective construction
- Accidents
How a Wrongful Death Lawsuit Can Help Loved Ones
A wrongful death lawsuit can make a difference. Though a wrongful death lawsuit cannot bring back your loved one, their death will not be in vain.
- Compensation: The money received from a verdict or settlement can help loved ones by providing financial security. If a family has lost a wage earner or caregiver, compensation can help fill the economic gap. If there are medical or funeral bills, this compensation can cover these expenses.
- Demanding Change: Through the court system, a verdict or settlement can reveal unsafe practices and force change. The only way we have to punish a corporation, government entity, or institution is by making them pay money. If they are forced to reimburse the people they have injured, they typically will change their practices.
The Amount of Time You Have to File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Wrongful death lawsuits must be filed within a limited period of time, called a statute of limitations.
Wrongful death lawsuits that miss the deadlines established by the law can never be brought again.
In California the statute of limitations for filing a wrongful death lawsuit is two years (except for medical malpractice lawsuits). In some instances the deadline is shortened to one year. For example, claims for against a government entity – like a county hospital – the statute of limitations is 6 months.
Your wrongful death lawsuit may include special circumstances so that the deadline is earlier or later than you expect.
Contact wrongful death attorney Bill Newkirk as soon as possible to check the statute of limitations that effects your lawsuit.
As your wrongful death attorney, Bill Newkirk can do his best work for you the sooner you bring your wrongful death lawsuit to him.
Because people's memories change over time, Bill Newkirk will interview witnesses and get all pertinent records that could help to prove your wrongful death case.
Contact Wrongful Death Attorney Bill Newkirk
Contact wrongful death attorney Bill Newkirk for a free, confidential, and no-obligation consultation.
Typically, the Law Offices of William H. Newkirk handles wrongful death lawsuits on a contingency basis. This means that you pay nothing until the wrongful death lawsuit is resolved.
