If you’ve experienced the sudden death of a family member in Tarzana, California, call JUSTICENTER Personal Injury Lawyers. You shouldn’t have to deal with this devastating loss on your own. Contact our experienced Tarzana wrongful death lawyers at 833-852-3600. We are here to help you fight for accountability from those at fault.
Since 1980, grieving families in Tarzana and Southern California have trusted JUSTICENTER Personal Injury Lawyers to help them fight for justice. As leaders in personal injury litigation with 105+ years of combined experience, we’ve helped our clients win hundreds of millions in settlements and jury verdicts.
Let us help you make the most of a difficult situation. Level the playing field against a powerful insurance company by putting our top-rated team in your corner. Your first consultation is free. Contact our law offices in Tarzana, CA, to get started now.
How JUSTICENTER Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help Your Family With a Wrongful Death Claim in Tarzana, CA
It can be tough to know what to do or who to trust after you’ve experienced the wrongful death of a family member in Tarzana. The insurance company might appear sympathetic to your loss, but it won’t have your best interests at heart. In fact, it will try to use your words against you and do everything possible to prevent you from getting the compensation you deserve.
Our Tarzana personal injury lawyers want to help you navigate this difficult situation and get the financial accountability you need and deserve.
When you trust JUSTICENTER Personal Injury Lawyers to handle your wrongful death claim, you’ll have an award-winning team of California trial attorneys fighting for you. We’re recognized by Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, and Martindale Hubbell as leaders in personal injury litigation because of our client-driven approach to litigation and top results.
As we pursue compensation on your behalf, we will:
- Thoroughly investigate your loved one’s fatal accident and death
- Enlist expert witnesses to assist us throughout the claims process
- Calculate what the damages in your wrongful death case are worth
- Evaluate evidence we obtain through subpoenas, an investigation, and the discovery process
- Work to limit the impact of claims of comparative negligence
- Strategically pursue a maximum settlement during negotiations
- Reject unreasonably low offers and bring your wrongful death lawsuit to trial in Los Angeles County
You can count on our law firm to put the full force of our resources and experience behind your wrongful death case. Since we work on contingency, you won’t have to pay us anything unless we win compensation for you.
Contact our Tarzana wrongful death attorneys today to learn more. Your initial case evaluation is free.
How Does California Define Wrongful Death?
Typically, an accident victim has the right to file a lawsuit or seek insurance benefits when they’re injured because of another person’s harmful actions. This right doesn’t just disappear when the victim dies. Instead, California allows it to transfer to another party in the form of a wrongful death claim.
Under California law, wrongful death lawsuits are a type of personal injury claim that can be brought when “the death of a person [is] caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another.”
Millions Recovered for Families in All Types of Wrongful Death Cases
Wrongful death lawsuits can arise from almost any situation where a person’s death is caused by neglect, intentionally harmful actions, or criminal acts.
At JUSTICENTER Personal Injury Lawyers, we advocate for families in all types of wrongful death matters, including those involving:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Boating accidents
- Uber and Lyft rideshare accidents
- Bus accidents
- Train accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Construction accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Dog bites
- Negligent security
- Assault and battery
- Sexual assault
- Defective products
- Nursing home abuse
- Birth injury
- Medical malpractice
- Catastrophic injuries, including brain injury, spinal cord injury, burns, and amputations
You’ll want an experienced advocate leading the charge for compensation if you’ve lost a family member in a fatal accident in Tarzana. Trust our 105+ years of combined experience and unrivaled ability to win. Contact our Tarzana personal injury attorneys to discuss the details of your case.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in California?
Under California law, the following parties have the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit:
- Surviving spouse
- Domestic partner
- Children
- Grandchildren, if no children survive
- Other minor children who were financially dependent on the victim
- Parents
- Grandparents
- Other family members who are entitled to the victim’s property under the state’s intestacy laws
The personal representative of the victim’s estate may also have the right to bring a claim. The personal representative can also file a related survival action on behalf of the victim’s estate. Whereas a wrongful death lawsuit is designed to compensate the victim’s surviving family members for their losses, a survival action is aimed to recover compensation that the victim would have been entitled to get if they’d lived.
Can Shared Fault Affect My Family’s Tarzana Wrongful Death Settlement?
Yes. California’s pure comparative negligence law applies to all types of civil personal injury cases, including wrongful death matters.
Sharing responsibility for an accident has a direct and proportionate impact on a related claim for damages. In matters of wrongful death, the decedent’s liability is taken into consideration.
If your loved one’s negligence contributed to their fatal accident, it will affect how much money you can recover through a related wrongful death claim.
Let’s say your spouse was killed in a Tarzana car accident. It’s estimated that your wrongful death case is worth $1,000,000. However, your spouse is assigned 10 percent of the blame for the wreck because they were speeding at the time of the crash. As a result, your maximum take-home recovery would be limited to $900,000.
Your family member is not here to tell their story or defend themselves from claims of shared fault. Our wrongful death lawyers in Tarzana will protect them and your ability to get compensation at all costs. We’ll anticipate victim-blaming tactics and work to prevent them from hurting the opportunity in front of you.
What Types of Damages Are Available in California Wrongful Death Cases?
In California, both economic and non-economic damages can be awarded to families in wrongful death cases.
Available damages include:
- Financial support, including wages and benefits, that the victim would have provided to the plaintiff if they’d survived
- Gifts or benefits heirs have lost out on
- The value of household services the victim would have provided if they’d survived
- The costs of the victim’s funeral, burial, and/or other afterlife plans
Families can also recover compensation for the loss of the victim’s:
- Love and companionship
- Comfort and care
- Assistance and protection
- Affection and society
- Moral support
- Sexual relations
- Training and guidance
When a survival action is also filed, the personal representative can seek compensation for the victim’s medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
If a wrongful death lawsuit goes before a jury, punitive damages may also be available to you and your family. However, California law requires a finding of malice, oppression, or fraud. A jury must be convinced that the defendant intentionally tried to harm your loved one or consciously disregarded their safety.
The defense will try to minimize the loss of your family member. They’ll do everything possible to limit how much – if any – compensation you’re able to get. Our Tarazana wrongful death attorneys won’t let them call the shots or control the narrative of your case.
Working closely with experts, we’ll build a strong case that forces the defense to fight fairly. If they refuse to offer a meaningful settlement, our law firm will be more than ready to go to trial for you.
What is the Statute of Limitations for a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in California?
In California, wrongful death lawsuits are subject to a two-year statute of limitations.
This statute of limitations does not begin to run until the decedent’s death. If there’s time between the date of an accident and a victim’s death, the clock doesn’t start ticking until their death.
If you want accountability, you must make sure that your wrongful death claim is filed before time runs out. You lose the right to pursue compensation once the statute of limitations closes.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced Tarzana Wrongful Death Lawyer
JUSTICENTER Personal Injury Lawyers is here to advocate for you and your family after a fatal accident in Tarzana, California. Money won’t bring your loved one back or erase your pain, but it can be instrumental in your future.
Contact our Tarzana wrongful death lawyers today at 833-852-3600. We’re prepared to put 105+ years of collective experience and a winning strategy behind your case. Your first consultation is free.
