Corning, also known as “The Olive City,” offers a quiet life on tree-lined streets. However, an accident caused by a negligent driver or other entity can occur even in a town like this. With the West Side Highway running through the western part of town, locals often take that route to visit Sacramento or go north to Redding to do their shopping. The following paragraphs will explore wrongful deaths and how they occur. Learn how a Corning wrongful death lawyer can help a grieving family acquire compensation for losing a loved one in an accident.

Losing a loved one is always a terrible experience. However, a loved one who dies because of a negligent driver or other entity is much worse. The family members are not only left in shock and grieving but angry that the life of their loved one was taken when it didn’t have to happen. Since 1982, our team of wrongful death lawyers in Corning has helped many people in Tehama County recover the compensation they need following a wrongful death. This enables family members to continue without facing the financial distress caused by an untimely death.

At AutoAccident.com, we have successfully handled many wrongful death claims over the years. We do it with compassion for your loss and keep the family up-to-date on how the case is proceeding. We offer a free, no-obligation consultation, whether in-person or virtual, to review your case, tell you about options to recover damages, and answer all your questions.

A wrongful death occurs when an accident causes someone’s death, and negligence is involved. A wrongful death attorney from Corning can help your family obtain the compensation they deserve. Although the majority of wrongful deaths occur due to traffic accidents involving cars, trucks, bicycles, motorcycles, or pedestrians, other areas where they can occur include:

• Common carrier accidents such as airplane crashes, bus collisions, and others
• Dog attacks
• Farm or construction zone accidents
• Defective or dangerous products such as auto parts, furniture, medications, or foods
• Fatal accidents due to premises liability
• Shared rides such as Lyft or Uber

Traffic accidents that result in a wrongful death often include one of the following types of negligence:

• Distracted driving is the number one cause of all types of accidents and may be due to texting, talking on a cell phone, or accessing GPS
• Running a red light or stop sign
• Reckless driving, such as tailgating, speeding, or cutting in and out of traffic
• Drunk driving or while under the influence of drugs
• Fatigued driving

Under California Code of Civil Procedure 377.60 – 377.62, the personal representative of the deceased person’s estate or the following family members may place a claim for wrongful death:

• The surviving spouse, domestic partner, or putative spouse may claim wrongful death.
• The family members who received at least half their support from the decedent may join in the claim. This includes natural and adopted children as well as stepchildren.
• If one of the decedent’s children has also died but has living children, they may file.
• If the decedent’s parents obtained at least half their support from the deceased, they might join in the filing for wrongful death.

The financial recovery of damages filed by a Corning wrongful death attorney depends on each individual family. However, it often includes:

• The family’s outlay for the funeral and burial expenses of their loved one can be recovered.
• The decedent’s salary or income can be recovered until their normal retirement age. Recovery of wages includes pension benefits, insurance coverage, bonuses, tips, and other perks of their job. If the deceased individual was self-employed, that could also be recovered by using tax filings and receipts to support the claim.
• Damages for the loss of inheritance may be recoverable. This is the amount the decedent’s beneficiaries would have inherited had that person lived.
• The surviving spouse, putative spouse, or partner may claim loss of consortium for the love and emotional support the decedent provided.
• Children in the family may claim the loss of guidance and nurturing that the decedent provided. This includes natural/adopted children and stepchildren who obtained at least half of their support from the decedent.
• If the deceased loved one lived for a while before expiring, the family might ask to pursue a survival action. A survival action differs from a wrongful death claim in that it is on behalf of the individual who died and covers the medical expenses accrued before the person passed away.
• If the death was egregious or intentional, the family might ask that punitive damages be awarded if the case goes to civil court. Punitive damages are not compensation for the family’s loss. They are awarded to the family to punish the offender and discourage further behavior of this type.

In the video that follows, Corning wrongful death lawyer Ed Smith talks about how you can find a qualified attorney to handle your case:

If your family lost a loved one because of another’s negligent actions, you might want to find out about filing a wrongful death claim. Although it will not ease your grief and loss, it can help the family avoid the financial stress of losing a loved one. Contact our Corning wrongful death attorneys for our compassionate, free, and friendly advice at (530) 392-9400 or (800) 404-5400. We can also be contacted online.

Discover how our injury lawyers have assisted others in Northern California in getting fair compensation for their claims on our Settlements and Verdicts page.

^{Editor’s Note: updated [cha 8.8.23] Photo attribution: by Andreas Lischka from Pixabay cd llo [1,016] bw}