One: Responsibility. A lawsuit holds the person or business responsible for the death of a loved one. Proving liability is very important for most people who have suffered such a loss of a loved one.
Two: Financial compensation to the family. The wrongful death of a spouse or family member can have a major financial impact on the surviving family members. If a spouse and parent dies, the surviving spouse now has 100% of the responsibility and financial income. The family has lost the contributions of the loved one that passed.
Delaware law states who may recover money in a wrongful death lawsuit. The law limits financial recovery to the following individuals:
- Surviving spouse of the decedent;
- Surviving children of the decedent;
- If there is no surviving spouse or children, the surviving parents of the decedent may recover. If there is no surviving spouse, children or parents, the surviving siblings may recover.
Do I need a lawyer?
After a loved one has died tragically because of the negligence of another person or business, the family is obviously in shock and not sure where to turn and what steps they should take. The sooner you retain our law firm, the earlier our firm can begin taking some of the responsibilities off your hands. Our experienced wrongful death attorneys have done this many times before and will be able to provide you with our litigation strategy. We have handled wrongful death cases ranging from motor vehicle collisions to nursing home neglect.
How much is my case worth?
Our law firm gets this common question during an initial consultation often. Families want to know how much money or what kinds of compensation they can seek in a wrongful death lawsuit. There is no cap on economic or non-economic damages in Delaware.
What can the estate be compensated for?
An estate can seek economic damages (lost wages or medical bills), and non-economic damages (pain and suffering, loss of companionship, etc.). Our law firm will help the estate prove the economic damages suffered by the estate as a result of the wrongful death. Pratcher Krayer LLC will help to establish the economic damages, which would include:
- Reasonable, necessary, and causally related medical expenses that were incurred in treating the decedent for the injuries that eventually caused the death;
- Funeral or burial expenses;
- Loss of income to the estate – the loss of the income the decedent would make over the course of her or his remaining working life;
- Financial losses of the estate’s beneficiaries as a result of decedent’s death.
Other financial losses
Other financial losses would include any other types of economic losses that can be proven.
If you have a loved one that was killed as a result of the negligence of another, call Pratcher Krayer LLC at 302-566-1796 or contact us through our website to schedule your free consultation. Our law firm is here to help you in your time of need.