Essex County wrongful death attorneys

Helping grieving families in Essex County

Losing someone you love is devastating. The fallout from a sudden death can be long-lasting, emotionally and financially.

If you have lost a family member because of someone else’s negligence, you have a legal right to seek compensation. Pursing a wrongful death claim against the responsible party can help your family get back on its feet after a tragic loss.

But being successful in your claim can depend on who you go to for help. Your claim could be denied if you go into the process alone. That’s why we at GibsonSingleton Virginia Injury Attorneys invite you to give us a call. It’s free to talk with us to find out your options, and we consider it a calling to help our neighbors in Essex County. If you sign up with our firm, you still won’t owe us a dime unless and until we win your case. To find out more, call us at (804) 413-6777 today.

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What is a wrongful death?

Wrongful death refers to the loss of a person caused by a preventable accident. In other words, if Party A (a person or company) hadn’t acted carelessly, then Person B would still be alive.

Certain family members can file a civil claim on behalf of their deceased loved one to ease the financial burden that comes with such a death.

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How do wrongful deaths happen?

Almost any type of accident can lead to a wrongful death. But some accidents are more common than others. Car collisions are a frequent cause of wrongful death. In fact, 10 people tragically lost their lives in car accidents in Essex over just four years, according to VDOT. More than 260 Virginians were killed by drunk drivers in 2019 alone.

Other causes of wrongful deaths include:

• Motorcycle accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Truck accidents
• Slip-and-falls
• Dog attacks
• Negligent-security-related attacks
• Pool drownings
• Nursing home abuse
• Daycare abuse
• Defective products accidents

Not all wrongful deaths may be obvious. For example, if a senior citizen slipped on an unmarked wet floor in the grocery store and had fatal brain damage, that could be a wrongful death. This scenario is more common than you may think. Close to 40,000 Americans are killed in falls every year. Knowing what really caused the death of your loved one is key if you seek to hold someone responsible.

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Who can file a wrongful death claim?

Not just anyone can file a wrongful death claim. These claims are meant to help families experiencing financial losses from their loved one’s death. The eligible parties include the deceased’s:

• Spouse
• Children
• Grandchildren, but only if their parent has passed
• Parents or siblings, but only if the children and grandchildren have passed
• Any other beneficiaries of the deceased

If you are not on this list, you probably can’t file a wrongful death claim. But, if there is no spouse, children, grandchildren, siblings, or parents, you may be able to file one if you could be considered a beneficiary of the deceased’s estate.

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How long do you have to file a claim?

As with personal injury claims, wrongful death claims have a time limit, or statute of limitations. In Virginia, it’s two years. Once those two years go by, you can no longer file a claim (except in special circumstances).

We encourage our clients to speak to an attorney about filing a claim as quickly as possible, even though they have two years. That’s because evidence can weaken with time. Witnesses forget what they saw, security footage gets deleted, and medical records get misplaced. The longer you wait, the less evidence you may find. The less evidence you find, the greater your chances of getting a low or no settlement.

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What compensation does a wrongful death claim cover?

You can claim compensation in a wrongful death case for several types of costs. These costs can be economic and non-economic. Economic costs include your financial losses, while non-economic costs include your suffering unrelated specifically to money. When you start your claim, you should have an idea of the cost you want to ask for, and how much you want in total. We can help you with that.

Costs that you can ask for compensation include:

• Medical bills for the deceased before passing
• Funeral expenses and burial costs
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional trauma
• Loss of income
• Loss of companionship
• Loss of benefits (retirement funds and health insurance)
• Loss of services (childcare, auto maintenance, house cleaning)

Recovering compensation for these costs can be the difference between financial recovery and bankruptcy for some families. But getting a high settlement can depend on your lawyer. Going into a claim alone can leave you with far less compensation than you deserve. As wrongful death attorneys, we serve Essex County, and we are here to help.

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GibsonSingleton Virginia Injury Attorneys are here to help our neighbors

We at GibsonSingleton Virginia Injury Attorneys consider every person in Essex County our neighbor. As locals, we know this area, its courts, law enforcement, and medical providers well. And we consider it a calling to help our neighbors in need. We know how devastating, financially and emotionally, it is to lose a loved one. To speak with a member of our excellent personal injury team to find out your best options, call us at (804) 413-6777 today.

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