Fatal car accidents can be grounds for a wrongful death lawsuit

In Washington, as elsewhere, vehicles are a common element of life. Many people start and end their days by hopping into a car, truck or bus and going to or from work. In between, they go shopping, pick up groceries and head to restaurants. But this ubiquity has a dark side: accidents, some of which are deadly. When a Washingtonian is killed in a motor vehicle accident, his or her loved ones may be able to file a wrongful-death lawsuit. To learn more about this subject, keep reading.

In assessing whether to bring a wrongful death lawsuit, an important step is to assess whether there’s enough evidence to win the case. That analysis boils down to looking at whether there’s enough evidence to show that it is more likely than not that someone else’s negligence caused the death.

If someone else’s negligence probably caused the death, then the next step is how much damage did that negligence cause. Damage is a legal term that covers a variety of different kinds of harm with financial being the primary one in wrongful death lawsuits. Financial injuries include expenses, lost income, loss of support or services and reduced inheritance.

The extent of financial damages turns on a variety of factors, such as the age of the deceased as well as his or her health, life expectancy, earning capacity and so forth. The younger, healthier and higher the deceased’s earning capacity, the larger the financial damage caused by the accident.

But gathering the relevant evidence and marshaling it into a persuasive case is easier said than done. Washingtonians interested in presenting that information in the most favorable light may benefit from discussing their case with an experienced wrongful death attorney.

Source: FindLaw, “Wrongful Death Overview,” Accessed Dec. 13, 2016

Matthew D. Dubin

Matt Dubin has spent more than 20 years honing his skills as one of the top personal injury lawyers in the State of Washington. In his career, Matt has focused on protecting consumers from dangerous household products, medical mistakes, roadway accidents, and many other causes of injury. Matt has recovered nearly $20 million on behalf of his clients.

Education

• University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, Washington – J.D.
• Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut – B.A.

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