Wrongful death
There is no right pace for this call
If you're reading this for your family, we are sorry. You don't need a plan or a folder of documents to call. Rafaela will listen first and explain only as much as you want to hear that day.
A wrongful death claim is how the law lets a family answer for a loss caused by someone else's carelessness. It can't undo anything. It can help pay for what the family now has to carry. Deadlines exist, and we'll tell you yours, but nothing has to be decided on the first call.
Calls answered in English or Spanish
Meetings at home or by video, if you prefer
No pressure to decide anything
Who may bring a claim
The law names who may file
It differs from state to state. Rafaela confirms it for your family at the first meeting.
A surviving spouse
Often the person with the first right to file.
Children
Of any age, whether or not they lived at home.
Parents
Of a child or an adult son or daughter who has died.
The estate
The person's estate may bring part of the claim, and its representative acts for it.
What a claim can include
What the family has lost
- 01
Funeral and medical costs
Bills from the crash and the days after it.
- 02
Income the family relied on
What the person would have earned and contributed over the years.
- 03
Care and guidance
The help a parent, spouse or child gave at home every day.
- 04
Companionship
The loss of a person's company, counsel and love.
Questions
What a family should know
How soon do we have to decide?
Deadlines are firm, and the first anniversary is not the one to count on. Call when you're ready, and we'll tell you the date that applies.
Can we call before the funeral?
Yes, or long after. If you call early, we'll keep it to what matters that week, like not signing anything from an insurer.
Will we have to go to court?
Many of these claims settle without a trial. If one doesn't, Rafaela prepares the family for each step, and nobody is asked to appear before they're ready.
Who pays for the investigation?
The firm advances case costs such as records and experts, and is repaid from the recovery. Your agreement says whether the family would owe them if there is none, and Rafaela reads that line aloud with you.
Whenever you are ready
Call or write. We will take it at the pace that suits your family.