Charlotte Wrongful Death Lawyer, NC
When someone close to you passes away after a preventable accident, your loss can feel even more painful.
Death due to an avoidable accident is considered to be a wrongful death under North Carolina law. The state offers a legal method of holding the wrongdoers accountable in civil courts through a wrongful death lawsuit that your Charlotte wrongful death lawyer can file.
Although no amount of money can replace your loved one, a financial settlement to compensate your family for your loss can remove some of the financial strain you may be under as a result of your loved one’s passing.
The Joel Bieber Firm may be able to help you recover this compensation. Our Charlotte wrongful death lawyers can provide compassionate representation in your time of need. Contact us today for a complimentary case evaluation.
What Is a Wrongful Death?
Wrongful deaths occur under circumstances that could have been avoided or prevented if another party had fulfilled their duty of care toward the safety of others.
Many wrongful deaths are the unintentional result of an accident, but the difference between someone passing in an accident and a wrongful death situation lies in the behavior of the party that caused the accident.
The causes of wrongful death vary, but the threshold for determining whether your loved one’s death is considered wrongful is whether they would have been able to file a personal injury suit if they had lived.
For example, if your loved one died in a car crash caused by a drunk driver, their death is wrongful because driving under the influence is reckless and negligent. Each situation is different, and your Charlotte wrongful death lawyer can evaluate your case and provide insightful legal advice for your personal situation.
Common causes of wrongful death include:
- Defective or malfunctioning consumer products
- Motorcycle or car wrecks
- Bike or pedestrian traffic accidents
- Medical malpractice or misdiagnosis
- Workplace accidents
- Premises liability accidents, like slip and falls
- Accidental poisoning or overdose
These aren’t the only circumstances that can cause a wrongful death. Our experienced Raleigh wrongful death lawyers can evaluate your case using our extensive knowledge of North Carolina personal injury and wrongful death laws and provide our professional assessment one-on-one.
How a Charlotte Wrongful Death Lawyer Can Help
As your legal advocate, your attorney handles all legal matters on your behalf, from ensuring that your case is filed within the statute of limitations in North Carolina to negotiating matters with the other party’s insurance company and lawyers.
The other party’s insurance company may contact you directly, and they could use anything you say to deny responsibility for your loved one’s death or claim that your family member caused the accident.
That is why we take care of all communication with the at-fault party and their representatives so that you and your family can grieve in peace.
When we build your case, we conduct our own investigation into the events that led up to the accident. This includes interviewing witnesses, auditing the safety records of the premises where the accident occurred, or examining the driving record of the other driver if your loved one died in a car collision.
We consider all parties who might be responsible for the accident, such as a consumer goods designer and manufacturer or a property owner and tenant, both of whom would be responsible for the safety and upkeep of the premises.
Building Your Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Wrongful death and personal injury cases are based on the legal concept of negligence. For example, one party may owe a duty of care to another party, such as in the case of an employer, who must provide a safe working environment for employees.
Similarly, someone may owe a duty of care for the general safety of others. If you hold a valid North Carolina driver’s license, you have a duty to drive responsibly. In either scenario, if these parties fail to uphold their responsibility, then they could be considered negligent under the law.
To prove that another party was negligent or created conditions that caused the death of your loved one, your Charlotte wrongful death lawyer establishes the following:
- The defendant owed a duty of care to your loved one
- Their negligence harmed your loved one, who passed as a result
- Your family suffered financially because of the death of your loved one
Your settlement from your wrongful death suit is compensation from the at-fault party to your family. It covers the monetary losses, like medical bills or the loss of future earnings your loved one would have contributed to the family. It also includes compensation for your loss of companionship or loss of guidance of a parent to a child.
We may also seek punitive damages for your case in addition to the economic and non-economic losses you suffered. Punitive damages are a form of fiscal punishment for an entity that exhibited wanton disregard for the safety of others, or whose actions were especially reckless or egregious.
For instance, these damages could be assessed on a consumer product manufacturer who knowingly released a risky product or on a healthcare facility that allowed an incapable physician to keep treating patients.
Each case and circumstances are different, and not all cases may have punitive damages. During your consultation, we can evaluate the type and value of the damages we can seek on your behalf.
Do You Require a Charlotte Wrongful Death Lawyer?
If you lost a loved one through the negligence of another party, you may have grounds to seek financial compensation for your loss. Both businesses and people owe a responsible duty of care to others. If recklessness or oversight violates that duty of care and harms your loved one, you may have legal options.
The Joel Bieber Firm can help you pursue those options. Contact our dedicated Charlotte wrongful death lawyers today for a free consultation.