Wrongful Death Settlements

Attorneys Helping Families Win Wrongful Death Settlements in Nevada

If you lost a loved one because of someone else’s negligence or intentional actions, you understand the horrific pain of grieving a death, knowing this loss could have been prevented. Winning a wrongful death case in Nevada can help you cope with your feelings of anger, frustration, and loss. A wrongful death settlement can ease your financial burdens. It can serve to punish the wrongdoer for his or her actions. And a successful claim with a substantial settlement can spotlight the incident that caused your loved one to die, possibly reducing the chances of this same type of accident happening to someone else.
Often, wrongful death cases are settled out of court. An out-of-court settlement can save grieving families from the painful process of enduring a drawn-out courtroom trial. But when appropriate settlement agreements cannot be achieved outside of court, our wrongful death attorneys will bring your story before the judge to help secure your financial future.
If your loved one was killed, give our accident lawyers a call. Let us help make a difference in your recovery. Call the David Boehrer Law Firm at (702) 750-0750. 

Establishing Negligence to Win a Wrongful Death Settlement

To succeed in a wrongful death case, we will need to prove the other party owed a duty of care to the victim and that their failure to act with care resulted in your loved one’s death. Some ways the responsible party may have acted negligently or recklessly include:

• Driving dangerously
• Carelessly performing job duties as a medical professional
• Designing a defective road
• Manufacturing a defective product
• Serving alcohol to the impaired driver who caused a fatal crash
• Committing violent acts that resulted in your loved one’s death

If the person who caused the death was employed by someone who was responsible for the wrongdoer’s conduct, that person or entity can be held liable as well.

Evidence Is Needed for a Successful Claim

We’ll also need to present evidence showing the responsible party acted recklessly or negligently. This can include eyewitness statements, expert testimony, or physical evidence from the scene of the accident. Even when attempting to settle your case out of court, you will still need to show evidence that exists which supports your claims. Because the stakes are so high in wrongful death suits, it’s important to gather and preserve as much evidence as possible. This may include:

• Collecting official reports
• Obtaining medical records
• Gathering photographic evidence, videos, and audio recordings
• Hiring medical experts and accident reconstructionists
• Obtaining expert opinions from forensic teams

We will also need to show evidence that demonstrates the financial losses involved with the claim. This can be done by:

• Obtaining copies of medical bills
• Collecting proof of the decedent’s lost income (past and future)
• Consulting with an economist about the probable value of damages
• Obtaining copies of funeral expenses

Types of Damages that Can Be Recovered

In a wrongful death claim, certain surviving family members may be able to recover a host of damages from the responsible party.

Economic Damages

Economic damages in a wrongful death claim are some of the easiest to determine. These include losses you probably received a bill for, like medical bills and funeral expenses. Certain other costs, like property damage caused by the events that led to the death, lost benefits for survivors, and lost income (including money your loved one could have earned in the future had he or she not died) may also be awarded.

Non-economic Damages

Quantifying non-economic damages can be a bit more complicated because it’s difficult to pin a dollar amount on things like loss of comfort, companionship, and affection, grief and sorrow suffered by the family, and pain and suffering endured by the victim prior to the death.

Punitive Damages

In cases where the wrongdoer was particularly reckless, the acts were intentional, the responsible party was a habitual violator, or gross negligence can be proven, punitive damages may be awarded. These damages, while paid out as part of the wrongful death settlement, are not intended to compensate the family for their losses. They are designed to punish the wrongdoer for the acts that caused the death.

Improving Your Chances of Winning a Wrongful Death Settlement

Since wrongful death claims are often high-value cases, courts and insurers will expect strong evidence in support of these claims. Gathering this evidence can involve many hours of research, not to mention the challenges of presenting it coherently to a judge or insurance adjusters. The single most important thing that families of wrongful death victims can do to improve their chances of getting a fair settlement is to hire an experienced Henderson Wrongful Death Lawyer to represent their case.

Time Is not on Your Side When Pursuing Damages

In Nevada, families are afforded a limited amount of time to pursue damages in a wrongful death case. If you fail to file your claim within the time allotted, you can lose your right to recover compensation. As difficult as it may be to direct your energy towards obtaining financial recovery so soon after you’ve lost someone dear, it is in your best interest to work with a wrongful death attorney right away. The statute of limitations provides you with just two years from the date the incident occurred to begin your case.

Find the Help You Need

At David Boehrer Law Firm, our attorneys have been described as some of the best accident attorneys in Henderson. Our team’s experience and knowledge of the law can significantly improve your chances of success when pursuing a wrongful death claim. Submit your information through our online form or call us directly at (702) 750-0750. Your first consultation is free.