West Valley City Wrongful Death Attorney

Personal injury accidents leave you and your family to contend with significant losses even when they don’t involve a wrongful death. When these accidents result in the loss of a loved one, though, it can feel like your world’s been turned on its head.

You can take legal action if you believe someone else’s negligence resulted in the death of one of your loved ones. Bring your case to one of our wrongful death lawyers in West Valley City, UT, and we can break down your case. 1Law can provide you with representation whether you want to pursue settlement negotiations or take an offending party to trial.

The Benefits of Filing a Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Tending to the estate of a passed loved one is never easy. The cost of a funeral is one thing. The loss of companionship, additional income, and/or a partner is something else entirely. In some cases, you’ll have to rethink your plans for the rest of your future.

When you file a wrongful death lawsuit, though, you fight for the right to take legal action on behalf of a loved one. This means that you can request compensation for the losses that your loved one endured prior to their passing. You can also request compensation for your own emotional losses, not to mention the loss of income or property.

Wrongful Death and Personal Injury Cases

Wrongful death and personal injury cases tend to go hand in hand. In some cases, you can choose to pursue wrongful death compensation through a personal injury suit. In other cases, the losses related to a wrongful death may be so severe that they require you to pursue compensation via a separate suit.

You can work with an attorney to determine when the right time to pursue a comprehensive wrongful death lawsuit may be. 

When to File a Wrongful Death Suit

In most cases, only a loved one’s personal representative can pursue a civil suit on their behalf. That said, if the deceased party named an heir, that party can also take legal action on their behalf. 

You can sort out the specificities of any of these assigned roles with a West Valley City wrongful death lawyer. We’ll let you know who, out of your loved ones, can represent your loved one’s best interests in court.

How to File a Wrongful Death Claim

If you believe it’s time to file a wrongful death lawsuit, you can collaborate with a wrongful death attorney in West Valley City to begin bringing your lawsuit together. To get started, you’ll need to:

Use Evidence to Assert Wrongful Death Liability

To bring a wrongful death case forward, you need to know who it is that you want to hold liable for your losses. This is easiest to do when you have evidence on hand establishing fault for your loved one’s death. Viable forms of evidence in a wrongful death case can include:

• Photos or video footage of a loved one’s accident
• Bills related to a loved one’s essential care
• Pay stubs indicating a loss of income due to a loved one’s passing
• Professional witness statements regarding the cost of a loved one’s passing
• Bystander testimony regarding the negligence of a party involved in a loved one’s passing

When you have this information on hand, you can use it to create the story of your loved one’s passing. In turn, you can present this information to a judge to then uphold your assertion of a particular party’s liability. These parties can include:

• Government representatives
• Motorists
• Pedestrians
• Business owners
• Corporate employees
• Medical professionals

Request Compensation for a Wrongful Death Loss

The bills you’re left to contend with after a loved one’s passing can readily become overwhelming. Fortunately, you can bring evidence of these expenses – most often receipts but also active invoices – to conversations about your case’s possible compensation.

Most wrongful death cases allow you to pursue compensation for the following:

• A loved one’s medical expenses prior to their passing
• The cost of redistributing or caring for a loved one’s property
• A loved one’s funeral expenses
• Lost opportunities for work while grieving
• Lost opportunities for income due to a loved one’s death

You can compound these forms of compensation with the help of multipliers. State-approved multipliers allow you to seek out compensation for non-economic losses, including the emotional distress of losing your loved one. You can discuss what the economic value of these multipliers may be with a member of our team.

Bringing a Wrongful Death to the Attention of Utah Courts

You have a limited amount of time to act on the death of a loved one. If you want to pursue financial support for your loved one’s losses, you need to bring your case forward within two years of your loved one’s passing. This deadline, known as the statute of limitations on wrongful death cases, is highlighted in Utah Code § 78B-2-304.

That said, there are circumstances that may change the amount of time in which you can act. For example, if you want to bring your case against a government official, you’ll only have a year to elaborate on your losses. Let our team break down your case’s unique features, and we’ll let you know what timeframes you may have to work within.

Overcome a Wrongful Death Loss With Our Team

Recovering from the loss of a loved one can feel impossible. If you’re contending with financial struggles in the wake of a loved one’s death, though, you can reach out to our team. The wrongful death attorneys in West Valley City, UT, can help you gather the information you need to take your case to court.

1Law specializes in offering families and loved ones the legal guidance they need to pursue lawsuits on their loved ones’ behalf. You can contact us online or over the phone to schedule a case consultation.