Victims of an accident deserve justice and financial compensation from negligent acts by at fault parties. Fatal Accidents are an unfortunate part of life that happen without warning, where death caused could bring about economic losses to the decedent’s estate and untold grief to the family.
In New York, the possibility of unexpected incidents such as auto accidents, medical malpractice, workplace accidents, product malfunctions, and many other types of collisions is high and can have devastating and life-threatening consequences. For victims who survive, the journey to recovery from their pecuniary and non-pecuniary injuries is not easy as they require expensive medical procedures to restore life to normalcy.
In other circumstances, accidents may lead to the untimely wrongful death of someone involved, a scenario which most people hope may never happen to their loved ones. A wrongful death victim’s family should seek legal action and advice from wrongful death attorneys and file a wrongful death lawsuit to pursue compensation from the responsible party, no matter the type of accident.
The emotional trauma followed by financial burdens of medical bills, funeral expenses, lost wages, and income can weigh heavily on the surviving family members. After the decedent’s death, the family should hire a wrongful death attorney from a qualified and reputable law firm and file a wrongful death claim to seek damages and compensation. Gregory Spektor & Associates P.C’s wrongful death lawyers are committed to helping people reach a favorable settlement from their wrongful death lawsuits.
It is essential to note that New York state law sets a statute of limitations at two years from the date of your loved one’s death for you to hire a lawyer who will file your injury and wrongful death claims. Make sure to find an experienced lawyer within the statute of limitations period. Your work of filing a wrongful death lawsuit begins before you even contact a specific wrongful death lawyer. Find the right wrongful death lawyer who has relevant experience and understanding and is passionate about helping you seek compensation that you deserve at the end of your wrongful death lawsuit.
Ensure that you are part of the personal injury or wrongful death claim process from beginning to end to utilize all the benefits of hiring an experienced wrongful death attorney. Contact the personal injury attorneys at Gregory Spektor & Associates for a free consultation. We are the ideal law firm for your wrongful death case because we do our due diligence, scrutinize all papers and factors involved, and call on the expertise of professionals to determine the duty of care owed by all involved. Only then can we determine how strong a case we have and pursue the legal avenues on your behalf. Follow these steps to hire the best wrongful death attorney for your wrongful death settlement.
1. Research the Law Firm You Are Looking to Hire
Research may take some time, but you can find the right personal representative for your personal injury wrongful death case with the proper research tools. Getting recommendations from friends and family, especially those with similar past wrongful death claims, can prove to be an efficient way of doing your research. Recommendations can help you hire the best wrongful death claim law firm in your area. If you don’t live in the same state as your friend or family, go ahead and contact the law firm they recommend to you.
The legal field is like an interconnected web. When somebody recommends a law firm, the firm might have the leads of a professional attorney who can help you file a wrongful death claim when a wrongful death occurs. Communicating with your friends and family will help you avoid incompetent wrongful death attorneys with a personal representative if they had any bad past experiences. If you have worked with a lawyer before from other legal fields, they can be of importance in helping you find a competent wrongful death lawyer as they have experience and connections.
Doing research can be made a lot easier by using search engine tools such as Google. Search for wrongful death attorneys, and the search engine result page (SERP) will bring up a list of websites for law firms in your area. The ones that appear at the top of the list are there for a reason, so make sure to visit them.
After visiting these websites, go to the reviews section and see what experiences different people have had with other law firms in New York. You can also find reputable wrongful death lawyers’ names from the New York state bar list. At Spektor & Associates, we get many clients in this manner. They have either heard of us from family and friends or researched us on the internet.
2. Take Advantage of the Free Wrongful Death Consultations
It is essential to meet a wrongful death lawyer before hiring them and signing all the paperwork required to begin work. Top wrongful death attorneys offer free consultations so you can discuss the complexities that come with this type of wrongful death claim. After identifying the law firms you would like to work with, attend the free consultation sessions.
Familiarize yourself with the law firm’s philosophy, how they intend to help when you want to file a wrongful death claim, what their costs are, and how they intend to use your contribution during the wrongful death case. At Gregory Spektor & Associates, we offer free consultations and during this period, we will determine what happened and how we can approach the matter to get you the justice you deserve.
3. Present Questions to Your Attorney
Clients always have many questions about wrongful death lawsuits from their loved one’s death, as it might be a first-time experience for them. The field of wrongful death law has complex words and phrases that may be tricky for most people to understand.
Asking many questions nurtures attorney-client relationships and makes wrongful death cases easier for you. The better you learn and understand new things, the better you can help the lawyer work well and prove wrongful death acts in New York. You can also find helpful articles on our website to familiarize yourself with the matters and jargon that may arise.
4. Stay Informed at Every Step of The Process
As you ask more and more questions, you become aware of the legal process that ensures you stay informed on the wrongful death claims of your loved one’s death. A competent and experienced personal representative engages with their clients every step of the way and whenever changes arise. Staying informed will make your time throughout the process a lot easier.
5. Provide All Evidence to Your Lawyer
Present all the wrongful death claim documentation from the scene where the wrongful death act happened to your personal representative so they can file a wrongful death case to seek compensation. All the evidence will be critical throughout the entire case. It is crucial to ensure that none of the wrongful death claim evidence is tampered with as it may affect the case’s outcome. We also hire investigators and other professionals to collect further evidence and make our case airtight.
6. Contact Your Attorneys Whenever You Have Any Questions
When a concern arises, always call your legal team and present the issue to them for advice. An experienced personal representative understands that problems may arise when you have suffered financial damages, including emotional trauma from a personal injury that caused their loved one’s death. New York law states that your legal team should be available at any time to address concerns in helping you achieve a wrongful death settlement.
What is Considered a Wrongful Death?
A wrongful death claim exists when a loved one’s death is caused by negligence, misconduct, or intentional wrongful death action from another person or entity.
What Qualifies For a Wrongful Death Suit?
Surviving family members of someone who dies because of another person’s wrongful act may seek damages by making a personal injury or wrongful death claims against the at-fault party. Filing a wrongful death lawsuit hangs on the fact that the accident would have resulted in severe personal injury cases had the individual lived through the incident. Experience and skilled lawyers file, investigate and prosecute wrongful death cases properly.
Several situations may lead to wrongful death lawsuits:
Intentional Wrongful Killing
a viable wrongful death claim applies when someone intentionally kills another. The defendant faces criminal charges and will have to offer financial support and cover medical bills if he murdered the deceased person. According to the wrongful death statute, the victim’s family may file civil lawsuits to receive a financial recovery, separate from the criminal case against the defendant.
Medical Malpractice Wrongful Death
When a person dies due to a negligent act and carelessness from a car accident, medical negligence, or wrongful use of medical devices during a procedure, the victim’s family may file a wrongful death claim due to medical malpractice against the doctor and other medical care providers involved under the established medical malpractice statutes. At Gregory Spektor & Associates P.C., we examine medical records, calling on other medical professionals’ expertise to determine what standard of care should have applied to the situation and who is to be blamed for the medical malpractice case.
Automobile Accident Demise
If the death occurred from a fatal accident that kills someone and investigations show that the one who caused the accident behaved carelessly, either under the influence, not obeying traffic laws, or recklessness, a wrongful death lawsuit may apply.
Other Incidents Include
- Poisoning
- Drowning
- Fire-related
- Suffocation
- Firearms related
- Industrial deaths
- Air transport-related
- and many more
Wrongful Death Lawsuit Elements
According to wrongful death statutes, some things must be present when filing for most wrongful death lawsuits. They include:
- Intent to harm or negligence from the defendant
- Breach of duty of care by the responsible party
- Causation
- Financial damages to the victim’s family member brought about by a wrongful death
Make an appointment with our legal representative to determine if these elements are present and whether the evidence suffices to file a wrongful death claim.
Wrongful death cases are among the most complex in New York. You must hire the best wrongful death lawyer to get your desired outcome. A family shouldn’t file their wrongful death lawsuit on their own as the amount of work is out of scope for those who are not trained for wrongful death cases.
Why File a Wrongful Death Claim?
When you lose a loved one from a fatal accident or medical malpractice, the emotional turmoil that comes with it is painful and almost impossible to handle. Bills and expenses that arise from wrongful death, such as funeral expenses, must be addressed.
A family will experience severe financial stress if the deceased is the family’s sole breadwinner. Insurance can cover part of the bill in New York, but most will not be paid as your family might not have been prepared for the expenses. Avail yourself for a free consultation with an experienced legal representation at Gregory Spektor & Associates P.C. in New York to recover compensation.
Who Can Sue for Wrongful Deaths?
Individuals who can sue include:
- Immediate family members, which includes a surviving spouse, adopted or biological siblings, and spouses
- Distant family members
- Financial dependents
- Parents of a deceased unborn child
Contact a Wrongful Death Lawyer
You will have the correct elements of a wrongful death case if the death of a family member is caused by negligence or planned action where your family’s household finances are affected in the process. You can count on our law firm, Gregory Spektor & Associates P.C., and put your trust in us to pursue compensation. We have qualified lawyers with vast experience in filing wrongful death lawsuits and caring about client needs to ensure the best possible outcome. Contact our law firm today to learn more about wrongful death cases and schedule a free consultation with our attorneys.
Gregory Spektor & Associates
1 Cross Island Plaza Suite 203C,
Queens, NY 11422
Phone: (800)-318-8888
