Our firm focuses solely on helping people with cases involving wrongful death or critical injuries. Specializing our practice this way means we are experienced experts in the field. However, even though we focus on major cases, we cover a variety of accident types. We handle wrongful death cases, including:

• Car accidents
• Boating accidents
• Medical malpractice
• Dangerous products
• Workplace accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• Trucking accidents
• Uber and Lyft accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Dog Bites
• Wildfires
• Construction accidents
• Farm accidents

Many people are unsure of what a wrongful death accident actually is. Essentially, wrongful death accidents are fatal incidents caused by an at-fault party’s negligent actions or inactions and are outlined in the California Civil Code of Procedure 377.60.

At-fault parties in accidents can include a wide variety of people and organizations. They can typically be held financially liable for damages that dependents and/or family members of decedents have suffered.

Many people know of negligent parties like intoxicated or distracted drivers whose irresponsible driving causes a deadly accident. However, entities such as product manufacturers, restaurants, hospitals, and government bodies can be considered negligent in fatal accidents.

Losing a loved one can have far-reaching effects on your life. For this reason, the recoverable damages available in a wrongful death case vary widely. While every case is different, there are two main types of compensation: economic and non-economic damages.

Economic damages are things that have an easily definable price. Typical economic damages in a wrongful death case include medical expenses incurred before the decedent passed, lost wages or expected income, household services, damaged property, and more.

Non-economic damages are more difficult to put a value on. These are often referred to as “pain and suffering” damages, including loss of companionship, emotional trauma, and parental guidance.

These losses can leave families wondering how they can keep living their lives. However, with the help of an experienced, skilled Benicia wrongful death lawyer, it’s often possible to hold at-fault parties responsible and claim full compensation for all of the damages described above.

People whose lives have been affected by deadly accidents deserve help. However, many people worry that they cannot afford a good lawyer. We believe that everybody should have access to quality legal assistance. 

We take our cases on a contingency fee to ensure our clients can afford our services. This means our clients do not pay anything up-front and are not responsible for lawyer fees unless we can resolve their case successfully. Running our practice this way means we can help anybody needing our services.

Many people that we work with ask whether or not their case is likely to go to trial. While the answer differs, over 90 percent of cases do not require a trial. Before filing a civil lawsuit, most attorneys will file a private claim against the negligent party’s insurance company. Most often, the case will be settled during negotiations between your lawyer and the insurer.

If it isn’t possible to reach an agreement regarding settlement payment, your attorney may decide to pursue a court case. If your case is tried, it will be critical to have help from a Benicia wrongful death attorney. Your lawyer will not only file the suit and argue for your right to compensation in court but will also construct your case, draft necessary pleadings, collect admissions and documents, take legal depositions, and more.

Multiple parties may be able to obtain compensation for wrongful death damages. While more than one person may receive payments for a wrongful death case, the funds are released as a single sum and divided among recipients privately in California.

To learn more about how you can recover after deadly accidents, watch this short video from our firm:

Wrongful death cases are essential, and having a lawyer you know you can trust with your case is critical. It’s easy to find a quality Benicia wrongful death lawyer if you know how to look.

When looking for a lawyer, you should check their ratings on popular review sites, especially Avvo, a website designed specifically for rating attorneys. You should also research your attorney’s prior case settlements and trial verdicts. Most lawyers will list these on their website and should be happy to tell you about their case history if you ask them.

Finally, you should ensure that your attorney has the resources necessary to take on a significant wrongful death case. To determine whether or not a lawyer is genuinely willing to do everything possible for your case, simply ask them if they would be comfortable taking your case to trial if necessary.

Losing a loved one in a preventable accident is devastating. To learn how our Benicia wrongful death lawyer can help you proceed with a wrongful death case, call our law firm at (800) 404-5400 or (707) 564-1900 for free, friendly, and compassionate advice.

Our legal team has been representing families from Benicia since 1982. We’ve been able to help many people obtain the settlements and verdicts they need to recover the compensation they deserve.

^{Editor’s Note: updated [cha 8.30.23] Photo by Mayron Oliveira on Unsplash ms cha [cs 962]}