Wrongful death is a terrible thing for a family to experience. Losing someone because of another’s negligence is difficult to understand and recovery will likely take years. Families often struggle after losing a loved one, but for a few, the only way to pick up the pieces is to pursue legal action with an Indianapolis wrongful death lawyer at StewartWood.
The Team at StewartWood will explain how pursuing legal action can help your family recover financially from medical debt and funeral expenses. It is fairly common after a wrongful death that the family is in financial hurt. You do have options to recover some of these expenses and to access compensation.
You need a personal injury attorney in Indianapolis to present the evidence of the case compellingly. The Staff at StewartWood has years of experience helping clients and families deal with all the legal issues in Wrongful Death cases.
Are you and your family ready to start the wrongful death case necessary to access compensation? Legal action might seem like the last thing you want to worry about, especially if wrongful death is causing you financial stress. However, pursuing legal action can not only relieve your financial issues but also help provide the closure you deserve. Call StewartWood at (317) 969-6558 today to learn more about the benefits of pursuing a wrongful death case.
REMEMBER, not ALL lawyers are the same. If the case needs to go to trial, StewartWood has years of experience preparing for and being aggressive in the Court Room. Some lawyers do NOT like or want to be in a Court Room or have a Jury Trial. Insurance Companies know that the lawyers at StewartWood will go to trial.
StewartWood Injury lawyers has the financial war chest to hire needed Experts, do a complete investigation and bring witnesses and evidence to trial.
Wrongful death is a legal term used to define the manner of death associated with reckless, negligent, or careless acts. Often these acts are unintentional, though they are identifiable. Most wrongful death claims come from situations that might otherwise be personal injury claims if the victim is still living.
A common example of wrongful death is someone who lost their life from a car accident. With safety laws in place, where death was avoidable, meaning that someone involved acted recklessly or negligently.
The plaintiff in most wrongful death cases is a close family member such as a spouse, parent, or child. Just as in personal injury cases, wrongful death claims require the plaintiff to prove that the defendant was negligent and caused the death.
Intentional acts, including criminal or violent crimes such as murder and manslaughter, can lead to wrongful death. Even an assault that “went wrong” can lead to a wrongful death case in addition to the associated criminal charges. In some situations like this, a wrongful death claim can be pursude.
When a defendant is going through both criminal and civil court, it is vital that the plaintiff closely monitor all proceedings. Criminal and civil cases are handled in separate courts but one can impact the other. If a person is found guilty in criminal court, they cannot argue innocence in an associated civil case.
These cases come with a lot of nuances, and each case is so unique that it’s vital that each claim receives personalized care from the attorney. StewartWood Staff will work with you and the Family to develope the entire case including all aspects of your loved one's life. We know this is a difficult time and we can take away the burden of the legal process to give the Family the support it requires to heal and move forward with life.
Indianapolis wrongful death lawyers should have skills in handling these cases as well as experience advocating in the courtroom. Insurance companies will often try to limit or minimize the amount of compensation payout to a family after a wrongful death.
Our experience and skill in the courtroom has prepared us to challange these arguments in the courtroom as they arise . We carefully plan our responses to the Defense tactics and design an aggressive case around your unique situation.
Ideally, we want to help you obtain the maximum compensation, but that will depend on your circumstances.
When deciding how much compensation to pursue the case, we will evaluate these types of damages:
Calculating these damages requires the experienced hand of an Indianapolis wrongful death lawyer. You could risk losing an opportunity to access compensation.
No one should have to experience the loss of a loved one because of another’s negligence. We urge you to seek compensation.
Yes, there is a time limit to file a wrongful death claim. In Indiana, most claims have 2 years from the date of death to file a lawsuit. The technical term for this time limit is the statute of limitations.
There are rare cases when a case involved extenuating circumstances such as medical malpractice that could change the start date of the two-year time limit. For example, if your loved one died as a result of medical malpractice, you may only have two years from the date of malpractice rather than the date of death.
It is critical for you and your lawyer to keep close track of these dates. When families delay taking on an attorney, they can lose track of time and miss out on their opportunity to seek resolution.
A family should take action as soon as they are ready. These cases often require extensive research, investigation, and the use of field experts to prove negligence.
Common types of wrongful death claims or reasons behind the wrongful death claims include car wrecks and other motor vehicle-related accidents. Those killed as a result of a collision either with a car, truck or motorcycle will often fall into the overarching issue of wrongful death. Many bicycle and scooter accidents also lead to wrongful death claims.
Many cases rely on the premise of reckless activities such as driving in ways that are clearly against traffic laws as well as drunk driving.
Another common cause behind wrongful death claims is a manufacturer’s malfunction or negligent act. For example, if a faulty tire-tread led to the accident, the manufacturer could likely be held responsible.
No matter the circumstances you need a wrongful death lawyer in Indianapolis who has access to advanced field experts and the expense to retain these experts whenever necessary. We put our experience and persistence to good use in every case.
The definition of a child is slightly different than most people expect. As it applies to wrongful death claims, a child is any person who is:
This definition allows many people to seek wrongful death claims as they applied to children even when the person involved was a teen or a young adult. Indiana has a Wrongful Death Act which permits parents to seek compensation for economic damages. These damages can include funeral expenses, medical expenses, and counseling for surviving family members.
Other damages or non-economic damages could include loss of love and companionship. Many parents can easily argue that they are missing major life events because their child was taken prematurely. Even more so, parents expected that love and companionship to extend throughout the rest of their lives. Now, as the survivor, they may seek recovery for this loss.
The loss of a child can be an especially difficult situation. We are here for you at StewartWood.
You want someone who is both experienced and compassionate. Attorneys that work with victims often have to consider the bigger picture. Be able to step back from the narrow view and look at the longterm affeact and impacts. The fact that you and your family lost someone very important in your lives cannot be ignored.
It is frequent that any involved insurance companies or businesses will try to downplay the impact of you loss. The only way to combat that is to take legal action. To find the right attorney for you, we recommend interviewing lawyers who specialize in wrongful death cases.
StewartWood Injury Lawyers helps give the victims in unfortunate circumstances a voice. As the family member taking action, you can explain the situation and events to us during your free consultation. You can do this from your home or we can meet in our office.
As part of your free consultation, you can expect the attorney helping you to explain the process of a case. You should walk away with an understanding of the likelihood of trial and a compensation recovery goal. Schedule your consultation now through our Contact Us page or call the office directly at (317) 969-6558.
It's not just about compensation; it's about closure and moving forward. Our wrongful death attorneys help you understand your case. Subscribe to our newsletter for helpful insights.
StewartWood Injury Lawyers offers legal services across Indianapolis, Central Indiana, Greenwood, Brownsburg, Avon, Kokomo, Muncie, Anderson, Ft. Wayne, Bloomington, Greenfield, Terre Haute, Noblesville, Plainfield, Lafayette and the surrounding areas.