Types of wrongful death claims
A wrongful death, or the loss of life resulting from a negligent act, can come in many forms. Some of the most common include:
- Car accidents: Drunk or reckless driving behavior that causes a fatal accident.
- Motorcycle accidents: Motorcyclists face a significant risk of fatal injuries if hit by a reckless, inattentive, distracted, or speeding driver.
- Truck accidents: A commercial truck accident may be the result of negligence on the part of the driver, trucking firm, truck manufacturer, parts manufacturer, or several parties.
- Pedestrian accidents: A pedestrian hit by a moving vehicle is often so severely injured that the injuries prove fatal. If the driver was negligently operating the vehicle, a wrongful death case could be brought to seek justice and full compensation.
- Bicycle accidents: A bicyclist, when hit by a vehicle, even when wearing a helmet, can die as a result of the impact.
- Medical malpractice: In some cases, a person will pass away due to medical negligence, which may involve a failure to diagnose, wrong diagnosis, a treatment that does not reflect the accepted standard of care, anesthesia errors, or other acts.
- Nursing home abuse: If an elderly resident of a nursing home died due to neglect, injury, or a failure to ensure proper nutrition and hydration, a fall, or any type of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, a wrongful death case could be filed.
- Product liability cases: If a commercial product was faulty, wrongly designed, or failed to warn, leading to the death of a loved one, it might be a valid case of wrongful death.
- Animal attacks: When a person dies after a vicious dog attack, the dog’s owner may be liable in a wrongful death case.
- Drownings: If a property owner or manager failed to ensure that swimmers were safe on the property, whether a home, hotel, motel, resort, or another pool location, it may be possible to seek justice by bringing a wrongful death case.
- Slip or trip and fall leading to death: A slip or trip and fall can lead to the untimely death of a healthy individual, and could allow for a case of wrongful death to be filed.