Hollywood Wrongful Death Lawyers

If a loved one has recently passed away as a victim of an incident or accident, we first send our best wishes to you and your family. If you think that a wrongful death claim is possible due to the circumstances of their death, we recommend getting in touch with professional wrongful death lawyers, and we can help at The Injury Firm.

What is Wrongful Death?

Essentially, ‘wrongful death’ is a term used when somebody is taken prematurely, and another party is responsible for this death whether through direct action or negligence. Thanks to the Wrongful Death Act in Florida, loved ones left behind have an opportunity to bring a lawsuit to the responsible party. As well as seeking justice, your family may want compensation for the accident.

Types of Wrongful Death Cases

In Hollywood, Florida, we can normally live a happy life and not even consider the potential of becoming fatal crime victims. Unfortunately, many families each year learn the hard lesson that no city in the world can ever be entirely safe. At The Injury Firm, we’ve dealt with various types of wrongful death, and auto crashes are one of the most common.

No matter how careful you are and how closely you follow the rules of the road, one thing you can never guarantee is that other road users will do the same. While some drivers are reckless on the road, others take risks after consuming alcohol or drugs. With vision and judgment impaired, they cause accidents. In 2018, 814 of 3,133 deaths from car accidents were caused by drunk driving.

In Hollywood especially, the urban development of the city has been criticized many times over the years. For locals, you’ll know all about the dangers that come with State Road 7 (441), Hollywood Boulevard, Interstate 95, and Sheridan Street. While some drivers are intoxicated, others are distracted or simply make poor decisions. Your loved one may have been another driver, or they could have been a pedestrian, passenger, or cyclist.

Elsewhere, family members of fatal crime victims are able to obtain compensation for other wrongful death accidents. This includes:

• Armed robbery
• Parking lot shooting
• Apartment shooting
• Violent crime

Not every wrongful death comes as the result of a violent crime, and other examples include medical malpractice, slip, and fall accidents, premises liability, animal attacks, accidental poisoning, work-related accidents, trip and fall accidents, negligent security, and even product defects. As you can see, the term ‘wrongful death’ covers a broad range of incidents and accidents. With this in mind, we urge you to get in touch if a loved one has died as a direct result of the negligence or actions of somebody else. You can talk through the accident, explain the situation, and we’ll listen. Then, we’ll tell you whether a claim/case is possible. Don’t worry, there’s no obligation to choose us after this initial consultation.

Determining Fault

When attempting to seek justice and get compensation, the most important factor of any case tends to be the determination of fault. To be successful, you need to prove that the defendant is to blame for the fatal accident. In both wrongful death and personal injury claims, this is the factor that often separates a winning and losing case. Determining blame is a process that will involve proving three things:

• Duty of care
• A breach of this duty
• An injury or death as a direct result of the breach

At this point, we should note that there’s a statute of limitations in Florida by which you should abide. If you think you have a claim, the first thing we’d say is that it’s best to contact wrongful death lawyers as soon as possible. In the majority of cases, loved ones have two years to bring a claim or case to court. If you do not make a claim in the first two years, you may not be able to claim it at all.

Depending on the circumstances, the court may award an extension. However, the best way to avoid problems is to speak with an attorney immediately and they will get to work on your behalf.

Taking the Right Steps

If you’ve recently lost a loved one and have no idea where to start, don’t be afraid. Instead, we have some tips to get started.

Contact the Police - If the incident has been and gone, know that Hollywood police will have a copy of the police report for you. By looking at this report, you’ll get a better idea of what went on, the evidence, and an early determination of fault.

Call the Insurance Company - Many people think the insurance company simply looks at the police report, but they actually conduct an investigation of their own. Most commonly a necessary step for auto crashes, the adjuster needs to decide who was at fault for the accident.

Gather Information - We know it’s hard, but we recommend gathering as much information as you can from the very first day. Keep documents, retain medical records, and take photographs (if applicable!). With everything in one folder, this will help with the next step.

Get Help - Finally, get help from wrongful death lawyers. At The Injury Firm, we deal with cases like your own on a daily basis. Therefore, we have the knowledge and experience you need to manage the case in the right way. Hopefully, this will allow you to grieve without too much pressure and responsibility on your shoulders.

Compared to a personal injury claim, compensation will differ with wrongful death because the claimant is a relative or another loved one. There are two types of compensation in this type of case; economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages include loss of earnings, medical bills, funeral expenses, and loss of benefits. Alternatively, non-economic damages include loss of protection, loss of companionship, pain and suffering, and loss of support.

Reach out to The Injury Firm today for reliable information, advice, answers, and help!