There are many types of wrongful death cases. By definition, a wrongful death is when a person is killed because of the wrongful conduct of a person or persons. This conduct can be deliberate such as when someone sets out to kill someone, or when someone is in a fight with someone and keeps beating someone who is no longer conscious or fighting back.
A wrongful conduct is also when a person or persons are negligent in their actions or care towards another person. Very often, medical malpractice injuries are because of the negligence of a physician or other healthcare provider. Other examples include many different kinds of vehicle and pedestrian accidents, and defective products.
It is never easy to lose a loved one no matter the cause. When a loved one dies because of something that another person or persons did not do but should have- or because of something that another person did do but should not have- the anger, frustration, questioning and grief can become overwhelming.
Even though it will not bring a loved one back nor will it take away the pain of someone’s loss, it can be a small comfort to know that there are laws to protect the spouses, children and in some cases, other dependents, of a wrongful death victim. Typically, these people and their lawyers can use the civil court system to sue for medical bills, loss of income, and pain and grieving.
Accidents Involving Vehicles
There are many different kinds, shapes and sizes of vehicles on the road. They can get into accidents with each other and with pedestrians. The following includes but is not limited to common types of wrongful death cases:
- Car Accidents: Car accidents are amongst the most common causes of wrongful deaths. Most car accident fatalities are the result of at least one driver’s negligence, whether it is because of failing to follow driving laws, speeding, reckless driving, not paying attention to the road, or driving under the influence.
- Truck Accidents: There are a number of different kinds of trucks on the road ranging from small four-wheeled trucks whose lengths can be similar to many cars, on up to semi-trucks and 18 wheeled trucks. Typically, trucks that are bigger than other automobiles can cause more damage to smaller vehicles and the people in them. Because of their size, slow acceleration and stopping ability, larger semi-trucks are more likely to cause death when they get into accidents.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Accidents
Accidents involving autos and bicycle riders or pedestrians are more likely to cause injury or death to the cyclists and pedestrians because they have little to no protection. Bicycle and pedestrian accidents are often caused by the
neglectful behavior of others. Many drivers (and pedestrians) do not heed to bicycle riders even though they have a right to be on many of the roads that autos travel on. Automobile drivers and bicycle riders can injure and kill
pedestrians when they are being careless or malicious in their behavior.
Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare practitioners make mistakes even when they have been through extensive schooling, training and a cadre of qualifying exams, in order to become licensed. A wrongful death because or medical malpractice is often the result of someone’s negligence. This is often in the form of an incorrectly done procedure or surgery, misdiagnosis of a condition or disease, or a failure to diagnose a condition or disease.
If a person dies because of a defective product, there can be many different people/entities who may be considered to be responsible because usually everything that goes into a product before the consumer has access to it, comes from many different places. Some of the most common examples of wrongful death from defective products include but are not limited to: toxic foods, unsafe products designed for children, exploding devices, defective automobiles, and defective or harmful medical devices and implants.
Even though the above delineates some common types of wrongful death cases, it does not include all of them. There are unfortunately many other types of wrongful death cases. When you lose a loved one, it is almost always a tragedy regardless of the cause. The frustration of losing someone because of one of the many types of wrongful death cases, is usually incredibly hard to deal with on top of the grief you feel for the loss itself.
If you would like to know if the death of a loved one fits into one of the many types of wrongful death cases victim’s families can try to get compensation for, contact Cohen & Cohen, P.C., for a free case evaluation any time of the day or night, 365 days a year.