The loss of a close friend or family member can upend your life. However, discovering their death was caused by someone else’s negligence could interrupt your period of grief and turn your mourning into rage.
Fortunately, you can hold the at-fault party accountable. However, you may be confused about how to start your case and unsure where to turn for help. Having a Boca Raton wrongful death lawyer from GED Lawyers on your side could make all the difference.
Since 1995, we have helped our clients receive the compensation and justice they deserve, recovering over $26 million. Contact us for your free consultation with our legal team of seasoned Boca Raton personal injury lawyers to discuss your case and explore your options.
How Wrongful Deaths Happen
Fatal accidents can happen in many different situations. The negligent party’s intent does not necessarily impact your family’s right to justice.
After all, if it wasn’t for the defendant’s wrongful actions, your family member could be alive today. Certain events commonly cause wrongful deaths. Examples of these events include:
- Car accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bus accidents
- Commercial truck accidents
- Slips, trips, and falls
- Workplace accidents
- Construction accidents
- Factory accidents
- Accidents involving heavy machinery
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Boating accidents
- Incidents involving defective products
- Medical malpractice
These are only a few examples of incidents that may result in wrongful death. If your family member or a loved one was fatally injured in another type of accident, you should reach out to our team to learn more about how you can pursue financial compensation after the loss of a loved one.
Demanding Justice After a Wrongful Death in Boca Raton
Wrongful death claims are an opportunity for surviving family members to take legal action with help from a personal injury attorney. This legal action is unlike any criminal charges the responsible party may face for their involvement in your family member’s death.
Instead, you are taking civil action against them and seeking compensation for the loss of your loved one’s life and your family’s damages.
Compensatory Damages Paid to Your Loved One’s Estate
Certain damages may be recovered and paid to the decedent’s estate. For instance, the decedent’s burial and funeral expenses should be paid to the estate instead of the family so that these costs can be covered.
The decedent’s final medical expenses will also be covered and paid to the decedent’s estate. Any physical pain and suffering or emotional distress the decedent experienced before their passing could be sought after as part of your Boca Raton wrongful death claim.
Though extremely rare, punitive damages could also be paid out to the decedent’s estate. If the liable party’s actions are ruled particularly egregious, the courts could award the estate punitive damages. These damages act as a punishment and warning against others who may commit similar acts.
Compensatory Damages Recovered for Family Members
Other damages are paid out to the decedent’s surviving family members. This might include compensation for the surviving family members’ loss of income and financial support, protection, guidance, and love. Surviving family members may also be entitled to compensation for non-economic damages, such as the loss of companionship, emotional trauma, and distress they experienced due to the loss of their loved one.
Your Boca Raton wrongful death lawyer will identify the types of damages you are eligible to claim, calculate them accurately, and request fair compensation.
The Beneficiaries of a Wrongful Death Claim in Boca Raton
Under Florida Statutes § 768.21, it states which individuals may be beneficiaries of a wrongful death claim. Those individuals, in order of priority, would include the following:
- The surviving spouse
- The children of the decedent, adult and minor children
- The parents of the decedent
- Any dependent relatives, blood-related or adopted
Call us today for your free case consultation.
The Costs of Hiring a Wrongful Death Attorney in Boca Raton
Don’t let the fear of what a personal injury attorney costs prevent you from reaching out for help. GED Lawyers proudly works with individuals pursuing wrongful death cases on a contingency basis.
You will not be asked to pay attorney fees unless we win your case, and you will never pay out of pocket. A pre-approved percentage of your wrongful death settlement or court award will cover attorney costs. However, you will owe us nothing if we can’t get justice in your case.
Additionally, we offer free case consultations. During your initial consultation, you can ask our legal team questions regarding your family’s case. We can provide you with information and explain your legal options moving forward. It’s an opportunity for both your family and our law firm to learn more about each other and how we can help you. So, between the free consultation and contingency fee agreement, there are no financial risks to this arrangement.
Establishing Liability in Your Family’s Boca Raton Wrongful Death Claim
When we take on your family’s case, we will investigate the accident to establish these four key elements of negligence:
- Duty of care: The other party had a legal responsibility to your loved one to do no harm, whether that was driving safely on Galdes Rd or maintaining a safe property.
- Breach of duty: The other party failed to keep your loved one safe. This could be violating traffic laws, not posting warning signs, or using a defective product.
- Causation: Through the other party’s actions or inactions, your loved one died. Again, the cause could be a car accident, a slip and fall, or any of the accident types we’ve listed above.
- Damages: Your loved one was left with debts and suffered before passing. Your family has also been impacted by the loss of your loved one and incurred additional financial and emotional hardships.
We will collect the evidence necessary to prove these elements and present them with your claim to the insurance companies.
Why Choose GED Lawyers as Your Boca Raton Personal Representatives?
When you’ve suffered the effects of significant loss, the everyday aspects of your life can become a difficult time to manage. In times like these, you deserve a legal team of people who are there for you. When you need us, we make ourselves available, whether that’s in the evenings or over the weekend. If you cannot travel, we will meet you where it’s convenient.
Our commitment to exceptional service also means making ourselves accessible to members of our diverse Florida community. Our team of professionals can assist in Spanish, Arabic, Creole, Greek, Portuguese, Russian, and Turkish.
We’ve represented people from every walk of life, so we have experience advocating for the unique needs of our clients. We strive to provide individualized care and attention to everyone who walks through our doors or picks up the phone. You have our promise that we’ll do the same for you.
GED Lawyers Is Proud of Our Client Reviews
Our team of personal injury lawyers fights tirelessly to put our clients’ needs above all else. Check out some of our most recent client reviews to find out what our former clients think of the legal services they received:
- “They handled my case very elegantly and professionally. I would gladly hire them again if again needed. Now my case is happily closed. Very impressed.” — Robin
- “I have been working with GED Lawyers for 10 years and they have never disappointed me. They are professional, organized, friendly and appreciative of my business. I highly recommend their services. You will be glad that you did.” — Bruce
- “What an amazing group of people! They treat everyone with respect and kindness. It truly is like a family at GED Lawyers. They are passionate about what they do and they get results!” — Richard
- “GED Lawyers have made it very easy for us to work with them. We have a main contact who we can always speak to when we have questions. They do all the work behind the scenes which allows my staff to stay focused on their daily tasks.” — Robbin
You Have a Limited Amount of Time to File a Boca Raton Wrongful Death Lawsuit
It is important to move quickly as you pursue a wrongful death lawsuit. You will only have two years from the date of the decedent’s death to get your lawsuit filed with the Palm Beach County courthouse, per Florida Statutes § 95.11.
If your case is not filed before the time limit, the court system may deny you the chance to have it heard in a county civil court. Without the right to sue, you may find it difficult to impossible to negotiate a fair settlement from the insurance companies. Plus, the longer you wait, the more difficult it will become to secure evidence. Eyewitnesses’ memories will fade and become untrustworthy. Certain physical evidence could become lost or destroyed.
Thankfully, once you have a wrongful death attorney working for you, you do not need to worry about a missed deadline or lost evidence impacting your family’s opportunity for justice. Our legal team will secure your lawsuit and evidence.
Our Wrongful Death Attorney Serving Palm Beach County Can Help
The emotional trauma and distress you and your family are experiencing can be challenging to cope with. However, when you take steps to demand justice, your family may feel empowered and have your greatest opportunity to rebuild your lives despite your devastating loss. Get help bringing the liable party to justice through a wrongful death action. Your lawyer will handle your case from start to finish and fight to secure a fair settlement or jury award.
Reach out to GED Lawyers for a free initial case evaluation now. Fill out our quick contact form or call our office to get started. A member of our legal team is available to inform you of your family’s rights and options and get your case moving in the right direction.
