Southern California Wrongful Death Lawyers
When you lose a loved one due to someone else’s negligence, the grief can be overwhelming and the financial burden can devastate your family. Wrongful death occurs when another person’s careless or reckless actions cause your family member’s death, leaving you searching for answers and justice.
At Morey & Upton, LLP, in Costa Mesa, our compassionate wrongful death lawyers skillfully assist families throughout Orange County and Southern California. Our skilled attorneys have decades of combined experience helping families recover the wrongful death compensation they deserve during incredibly difficult times.
What Causes Wrongful Death Cases?
Wrongful death claims often arise from catastrophic and other severe injuries where negligence or misconduct leads to someone’s death. These cases often leave families questioning what happened and wondering about their legal options. Wrongful death claims may include:
- Car accidents: Drunk drivers, distracted motorists and reckless behavior often cause fatal collisions.
- Truck accidents: Large commercial vehicles routinely create devastating crashes due to driver fatigue or mechanical failures.
- Motorcycle accidents: Motorists who fail to see motorcyclists often cause deadly impacts.
- Medical malpractice: This includes doctor errors, misdiagnosis or surgical mistakes that lead to preventable deaths.
- Workplace accidents: Unsafe working conditions and inadequate safety measures can cause fatal injuries.
- Defective products: Faulty manufacturing or design flaws in products can cause deadly accidents.
- Premises liability: Property owner negligence often creates dangerous conditions that cause fatal injuries.
- Nursing home neglect: Inadequate care and supervision in facilities can lead to preventable deaths.
We thoroughly investigate these wrongful death cases to establish liability and hold responsible parties accountable for their actions.
Legal Requirements For California Wrongful Death Claims
California law establishes specific legal elements that must be proven to pursue a successful wrongful death lawsuit. Understanding these requirements helps us determine whether you have grounds for a wrongful death claim against the responsible parties. We help you understand issues associated with these claims, including:
- Assisting relatives who can file wrongful death claims, including the surviving spouse, children and parents
- Helping the deceased person’s estate representative pursue claims for the estate’s losses
- Proving the defendant was negligent by failing to exercise reasonable care in their actions
- Gathering evidence to establish that the defendant’s conduct directly caused your loved one’s death
- Presenting convincing evidence that supports your wrongful death case
- Adhering to the California statute of limitations, which requires filing wrongful death claims within two years from when the death occurred
- Helping families recover measurable “economic” financial losses
- Pursuing “noneconomic” compensation for intangible losses like emotional pain and loss of companionship
Meeting these legal standards requires skilled legal representation from experienced wrongful death lawyers who understand California’s complex laws.
Pursuing Wrongful Death Damages
Families filing wrongful death claims can seek various types of damages to address their financial and emotional losses. While money can never replace a loved one, these damages often mean the difference between financial security and hardship for your family. Compensation may include:
- Funeral expenses associated with burial and memorial arrangements
- Burial costs for cemetery plots, headstones and other interment expenses
- Medical bills for final medical treatment costs before the person’s death
- Lost income, including wages and salary that the deceased would have earned over their lifetime
- Loss of companionship for the emotional bond and relationship lost
- Pain and suffering for your family’s grief and emotional distress
- Loss of consortium for surviving spouses over the loss of the marital relationship
- Future earnings the deceased would have provided to dependents
- Household services, including the value of domestic contributions the deceased provided to the family
We help ensure any wrongful death settlement accounts for both immediate losses and the long-term effect on your family’s financial well-being, emotional support and family stability, including grief counseling needs.
Get Compassionate Help From Our Wrongful Death Law Firm
At Morey & Upton, LLP, we understand the devastation families undergo after losing loved ones due to others’ negligence, and we’re here to help them receive justice. We have recovered over $300 million in verdicts and settlements for California families, and we’re ready to fight for the wrongful death compensation your family deserves. Contact us online or call 800-360-6646 to schedule your free consultation with a knowledgeable and caring wrongful death attorney today.
We are in Costa Mesa and serve clients throughout Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Los Angeles County, San Diego County and those located throughout the state of California.
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