Monday 16 May 2011

Where to Find a Wrongful Death Attorney

By Frank Schumacher

When one of your family members dies as a result of negligence of one person or even an entity, you are entitled to an accidental death or wrongful death claim. For as long as the death was brought about by a careless, intentional or reckless act of one person or entity, it doesn't really matter whether the cause of the death is due to a car accident, medical negligence, an injury encountered during work hours, or even abuse gotten from nursing home.

And while many people will opt to settle the claims by themselves, it would always be actually prudent to hire the service of a professional wrongful death lawyer to assist you in securing the compensation from the wrongful death of such kin. Since defending a litigation claim from car accidents is one of the most difficult cases to handle, it is best for one to get a lawyer to act in his or her behalf. There will be a lot of processes to finish and a lot of questioning that only an expertise of a professional wrongful death lawyer can answer.

For instance, while we know that a family member is entitled for a claim of the wrongful death of a loved one, we do not know the circumstances involved in the mishap, which will largely dictate how small or how big will the claim be or even whether there is a litigation claim to be filed to begin with. Only a legal assistance from a qualified lawyer can ascertain that. Moreover, some statutes of limitation could also apply in certain state wrongful death laws, which will ultimately affect the eligibility of the surviving family members to claim for damages.

To start a wrongful death lawsuit, a personal representative of the deceased person's estate is determined by the court. A petition is then filed, along with the sworn statement of the established personal representative as well as the estate's attorney. With all this legalese, it is then practical to get the professional service of a qualified lawyer.

Moreover, experts on this type of lawsuits are necessary to recommend, or at the very least calculate, the damages to be filed in the court pertaining to the surviving beneficiaries of the estate. This arduous task includes double-checking the figure to be filed as far as future lost earnings of the decedent are concerned, the estimated cost for pre-death pain and suffering experienced by the surviving family members, and "loss of consortium" damages in the case of surviving spouse or child. Hence, the need to hire a qualified lawyer is inevitable.

The key to getting the professional service of a lawyer will largely depend on the law firm's experience in handling lawsuit cases. In a Washington wrongful death lawsuit or Seattle wrongful death lawsuit, for instance, those with outstanding experience in investigating, pursuing and settling wrongful death claims are hired to do the job. The benefit from the outcome will outweigh the cost of professional service in the long run anyway.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2933022

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