Chicago Wrongful Death Lawyer

Losing a loved one to someone else’s negligence is a terrible eventuality. While it’s true that nothing you do can return your family member to you, a wrongful death claim can provide you with compensation to help you heal after a loss of this magnitude. When victims of negligence don’t survive said negligence, they obviously can’t pursue the compensation they would have sought had they survived. A wrongful death claim is the law’s answer to this wrong. If you’ve lost a loved one to someone else’s negligence, you need the professional legal counsel of an experienced wrongful death lawyer in your corner. 

Was This a Wrongful Death?

Wrongful death cases are complicated, and each case is unique to the situation involved. Wrongful death claims, however, are much like personal injury claims except the victim succumbs to his or her injuries rather than surviving them. Generally, if someone’s negligence, carelessness, or recklessness causes someone else to be killed, it likely amounts to wrongful death. The kinds of accidents that commonly lead to wrongful death claims include:

• Car, truck, motorcycle, bike, pedestrian, and other traffic accidents
• Accidents caused by inadequately maintained commercial premises
• Accidents caused by dangerous consumer goods
• Accidents on the job (construction workers are especially vulnerable)

It’s important to note that the measure of negligence involved in a wrongful death claim can lead to criminal charges that are brought by the state, but this does not affect your ability to bring a wrongful death claim. 

 Filing the Wrongful Death Claim

In the State of Illinois, the wrongful death claim is filed in the name of the decedent (the victim lost to someone else’s negligence) by the decedent’s personal executor or a representative of his or her estate – but the filing is on behalf of the decedent’s survivors. These survivors include the decedent’s surviving spouse and children. If the decedent has no spouse and/or children, other family members may file in their stead, including the decedent’s parents or siblings.

Damages Sought

You’ve lost a loved one to someone else’s negligence, and you’ve suffered an unimaginable loss. You can, however, seek compensation for the following forms of damage suffered:

• The expense of your lost loved one’s funeral and burial.
• The financial loss related to ongoing support that you’ve suffered as a result of your loved one’s death
• The loss of the inheritance from your loved one that you would have been entitled to if he or she had lived to life expectancy
• The loss of companionship you’ve suffered.
• The loss of parental guidance you’ve suffered (for children of the decedent)

If the precipitating event that led to your loss was especially egregious in the eyes of the lay, punitive damages may also be available. 

An Experienced Chicago Wrongful Death Lawyer Can Help

The Chicago wrongful death lawyers at Saks, Robinson & Rittenberg, Ltd., are committed to using the full force of their experience and legal skill in pursuit of the compensation to which you are entitled. We’re here to help, so please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information today.