New Orleans Wrongful Death Attorneys
We hope you never have to face the devastating experience of having a family member or loved one killed through the negligence of another party. But if you do, New Orleans law provides you with the opportunity to take legal action against the person who caused the death. Although nothing can bring back your loved one, our New Orleans wrongful death lawyers can help you make the responsible party pay for your losses and answer for their wrongful conduct. You hold them accountable by filing a wrongful death claim.
Understanding Wrongful Death Cases
Wrongful death claims are tort claims made by survivors of those who are killed through negligent or wrongful acts. Close family members, such as spouses or parents of minor children, can bring wrongful death claims when an injury leads to death. These claims help to compensate surviving family members for their loss and ensure that wrongdoers and negligent parties who cause harm do not escape responsibility for their actions simply because their victim died.
To prevail in a wrongful death case, you must prove that someone’s negligence or carelessness was a direct cause of an injury that led to death. Negligence typically is determined by considering whether an average reasonable person would have been more careful in the situation. Other legal standards may be used in certain wrongful death cases such as cases arising out of a defective product or medical malpractice. The burden is on the plaintiff, the surviving family members of the deceased, to prove the elements of a wrongful death claim.
If you can prove a wrongful death case, you may be entitled to significant compensation. Wrongful death damages may include compensation for medical bills and other losses incurred before the death, as well as funeral expenses. Wrongful death damages also include the lost financial support that the victim would have provided to his/her family over the course of his/her life had the untimely death not occurred. Finally, surviving family members can be compensated for their own non-financial losses sustained as a result of the death, including the loss of companionship of their loved ones.
Wrongful death damages can be difficult to determine because it is hard to put a value on a lifetime of lost earnings and lost love and companionship. The available compensation, however, can be significant, sometimes in the hundreds-of-thousands or millions of dollars. To pursue just compensation for the loss of a loved one, contact an experienced New Orleans wrongful death attorney as soon as possible.
Contact the New Orleans Wrongful Death Lawyers at J.C. Lawrence and Associates, LLC
The New Orleans wrongful death attorneys at J.C. Lawrence and Associates, LLC know what it takes to bring wrongful death claims on behalf of clients in Jefferson County and throughout New Orleans. During the difficult days that follow an unexpected death in the family, let us handle all aspects of your wrongful death case from filing the lawsuit and gathering evidence to proving negligence and calculating damages. Give us a call today to learn how our New Orleans wrongful death lawyers can help.