Suffering the loss of a family breadwinner is one of the most difficult situations we can encounter in life. Grief may make you physically ill, depressed, or anxious. You and your friends and family may miss the deceased person every day.
A Painful Challenge
You also may suffer financial duress. The family breadwinner may have been responsible for all or the greatest proportion of your family’s income. In the aftermath of the breadwinner’s death, you may have to make major changes in your life, such as moving from the home you shared, if it has become unaffordable. You may become unable to pay bills, or become fearful of them mounting up.
You may need to retrain yourself for a job, or a higher-paying position. You may also be left with medical bills and funeral or burial expenses.
If the Family Breadwinner Died Due to Negligence
All of this can be hard enough, but if your family breadwinner died due to the negligence of another party, it can make your pain feel that much worse.
There is a potential solution to the financial duress, however. A wrongful death suit claim can seek financial compensation associated with the death of a breadwinner. Wrongful death compensation can be awarded to replace some or all of the support a family received from a breadwinner, both financial and emotional, for example. It can pay for medical bills related to the cause of death, and for funeral and burial costs.
Wrongful death claims can also seek financial compensation for loss of companionship and consortium, loss of guidance and training, and loss of household services.
Wrongful death claims in California may be brought if the death was caused by a wrongful act or the negligence of another party. Negligence means that the other party knew a condition or event was unsafe, had responsibility to ensure that it was safe, had enough time to make it safe, and did not.
A person who died from falling off a beam on a construction site, for example, may have fallen because safety equipment or training was not provided or was not adequate to prevent the fall.
A wrongful death claim is a civil suit asking for financial compensation. It is not a criminal suit asking for the negligent party to be punished. However, wrongful death suits can also serve as a deterrent to negligent parties for their future actions.
Under California law, wrongful death claims may be brought by a breadwinner’s spouse, domestic partner, next living descendent or heir (parents or siblings), or financial dependents, such as partners, children, stepchildren, or parents.
If You Need a Southern California Wrongful Death Attorney
If you think that negligence contributed to the death of your loved one, call experienced Los Angeles wrongful death attorney Sean Salamati today. Se habla español. We will fight to see that justice is done.
If you agree to work with Salamati Law Firm’s team, you owe us nothing unless we win your case, and payment will come from the final jury award or settlement amount.
Additional Resources:
- Brody, Jane L. “When a Spouse Dies, Resilience Can Be Uneven.” New York Times, September 26, 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/well/family/when-a-spouse-dies-resilience-can-be-uneven.html
- Manning, Margaret. “Losing a Partner: How to Recover from the Loss of a Loved One.” Huffington Post, October 2, 2013. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/margaret-manning/losing-a-partner-how-to-recover-from-the-loss-of-a-loved-one_b_4029121.html
