Wrongful Death Claims

Solano County Wrongful Death Attorneys

Losing a loved one due to someone else’s negligence is not only traumatic, but often financially disabling. The loss of a loved one’s income and support in conjunction to the cost of their final medical care can put your family suddenly on the verge of bankruptcy. In order to regain your financial footing while also honoring your loved one’s name and seeking justice for what happened, you should file a wrongful death claim with the assistance of Maas and Russo.

Our Solano County law firm has years of legal experience handling complex and emotionally sensitive claims. You can trust in our legal professionals to guide you through a wrongful death claim at your pace, making certain you are comfortable with how things are developing.

When we are your legal team, our goals are:

• Maximizing the compensation you receive
• Seeking justice for your lost loved one who passed away
• Giving you a sense of closure and peace of mind

Please call (800) 483-0992 when you need our Solano County attorneys to assist with your wrongful death claim. Together, we can move forward with confidence.

Damages Unique to a Wrongful Death Claim

A wrongful death claim is technically a type of personal injury claim. It is unique, however, in that a surviving family member is filing the claim on behalf of someone who has passed away. This situation also allows for the opportunity to seek damages you will not see in a personal injury claim stemming from a nonfatal incident.

In your wrongful death claim, you may be able to receive damages for:

• Final medical costs: Any medical costs associated with the final care of your loved one before they passed away can be provided through a successful wrongful death claim.
• Loss of income: You can seek the income that your loved one would have likely earned in the rest of their life had their accident never occurred. In some wrongful death claims, lost income and wages comprises the largest portion of all damages.
• Loss of support: If your loved one provided practical support in your day-to-day life, you can seek damages equivalent to the worth of that support. For example, if you lost your spouse in a car accident and they cleaned your home weekly due to your own medical limitations, you can include the cost of weekly maid services in your demanded damages.
• Emotional trauma: Of course, you can also seek damages for your own pain and suffering, sometimes called loss of companionship damages. The feeling of losing someone so close and important to you is devastating. The damages you receive in your claim should accurately reflect that loss.

Who Can File a Wrongful Death Claim in California?

Losing a loved one is never easy, but it is not always grounds for filing a lawsuit against the negligent party either. Only a few people can file a wrongful death lawsuit in California.

You can file a wrongful death claim if you are the deceased person’s:

• Spouse or domestic partner
• Putative spouse

The law also allows a putative spouse, or the children of a putative spouse, to file a claim if they are financially dependent on the deceased. The same is true of stepchildren and parents who are financially dependent.

Furthermore, the eligibility to file a wrongful death claim expands if there are no surviving spouses, children, or eligible dependents. In such cases, anyone who has been named as a beneficiary in the decedent’s estate – or someone who would likely have been named as such if no estate plan was created – can file a claim. For example, if you are the sibling of someone who passed away in an accident that was not their fault, you can file a wrongful death claim if your parents are deceased and your sibling had no spouse.

Please be aware that you must file your wrongful death claim within two years of your loved one’s passing. This statute of limitations begins on the date of their death, not the date of their accident. If the statute of limitations expires, the court will throw out any claim filed against the liable party.

Seek Justice for Your Loved One – We Can Help

The legal process of filing and pursuing a wrongful death claim can be quite in-depth. Rather than worrying yourself about the legalese and case difficulties, allow our Solano County wrongful death lawyers to do the legal legwork for you.

Schedule a free case evaluation with our law firm by calling (800) 483-0992 now.