While grieving after a death, the financial burdens of life do not come to a halt. In the case of an untimely death that happened because of negligence, recklessness, or the careless actions of another, it can be even more complicated.

Filing a wrongful death suit will help you to cover the enormous costs after losing a loved one because of another party’s negligence. You don’t have to find the answers alone. The St. George wrongful death lawyers of 1Law can handle the legal details and help to set things right for you.

You have a legal right to pursue compensation with a wrongful death in the state of Utah. We can help.

How Can You Prove a Wrongful Death?

To have a valid wrongful death case, there must be proof that the death was caused by negligence, careless actions, or reckless behavior by the defendant.

There are four fundamental components involved in proving a wrongful death:

Duty of Care

A duty of care must be established to show that the defendant owed your loved one a reasonable responsibility to ensure their safety. For example, obeying traffic rules is a duty of care all motorists must uphold for other drivers on the road.

Breach of Duty

You have a breach of duty when you don’t obey the laws and drive safely, therefore putting others at risk of harm. An example of this would be a drunk driver causing a fatal car crash that killed someone.

Your wrongful death attorney will need to be able to show that the duty of the defendant existed and that there was a breach of duty resulting from negligence. 

Causation

Causation needs to be proven by the plaintiff. This means that you must prove how the actions of the defendant and their breach of duty resulted in the fatality. In some cases, causation is more obvious than others. 

Damages

You must prove that the death of your loved one resulted in damages. These damages must be quantifiable in nature and can not solely refer to the emotional damage that is felt when a loved one is lost. 

It is more difficult to prove and calculate how much the deceased may have provided during daily family support duties. In order to determine this number, the court can consider things such as: 

• How old the person was at their time of death
• Health condition of the person before passing
• Earning capacity of the person while living
• The needs of their children or dependents

Other details pertaining to your specific case will be considered, but these examples will help you to make an estimation. A St.George wrongful death lawyer can evaluate the details of your circumstances in order to arrive at a more accurate value.

Recovery of Damages in a Wrongful Death Case

It is difficult to consider assigning a monetary value to the loss of a loved one. Unfortunately, the financial realities of life continue in spite of your loss. The financial ramifications of losing someone can be overwhelming unless steps are taken to recover damages.

Compensation in a wrongful death case can include:

Funeral Costs

It can be staggeringly expensive to bury and memorialize a loved one. Costs of cremation, burial, and funeral arrangements can be included in your damage claim.

Loss of Income and Services

The loss of income refers not only to loss of future earnings, it also takes into account that you have lost a value of service that was performed by your loved one. Childcare, parenting, elderly care, and other services provided are a definite factor.

Medical Expenses

Medical costs for anything related to your loved one’s emergency treatment, illness or injuries are considered in the damages of a wrongful death suit. Medications, equipment, hospital bills and ambulance costs can be significant.

Emotional Loss

It’s more complicated to assign a number to mental and emotional suffering. Grief, loss of companionship, and the emotional trauma you experienced can be factors that are included in your compensation.

As you work through the loss of your loved one, it is necessary to you and your family to collect compensation. The hole that remains after a loss is emotionally devastating for the survivors, but the financial void can cause even further damage.

Experienced wrongful death attorneys can be invaluable in helping you to secure fair compensation for the loss of a loved one. Guidance from a St. George wrongful death lawyer can dramatically increase your financial recovery and help you to move on to the next steps in your life.

What Are the Causes in Wrongful Death Claims?

Many circumstances can lead to a wrongful death case, but the most common causes are:

• Motor vehicle accidents
• Drowning or boating accidents
• Medical malpractice errors and mistakes
• Pedestrian accidents
• Birth injuries
• Defective products or drugs
• Nursing home or assisted living abuse and neglect
• Workplace accidents
• Occupational illnesses due to exposure
• Premises accidents and slip and falls

Contact Us for a Case Evaluation at No Cost

If you are struggling after someone else’s negligence caused the loss of your loved one, reach out to 1Law’s team of wrongful death attorneys in St. George. We can listen to your needs and help you to establish a case for compensation. Your pain and suffering matter, and we are here to help.

Our attorneys understand the difficulty and devastation that the loss of a loved one creates. It may be hard to focus or even put one foot in front of the other during a time like this. We are ready to help you to navigate this path and help you to get back on your feet again. Contact us today. We are here to assist you with any legal concerns you may have.