Auburn Wrongful Death Lawyer

According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, an average of over 3,000 people lose their lives in auto accidents in California every year. Additionally, many more people die in preventable accidents caused by things like defective products, boating accidents, medical malpractice, and workplace hazards such as exposure to dangerous chemicals. Because those killed in these accidents have families and friends, many thousands of lives are affected by preventable accidents every year. If you’ve lost a loved one in an accident that was caused by another party’s carelessness, you should get in touch with an Auburn wrongful death lawyer in order to talk about what legal options may be available to you.

What is Wrongful Death?

Wrongful death is defined under California Code of Civil Procedure § 377.60 as an action or else a lack of reasonable action that is the proximate cause of an individual’s death due to the negligence of a person or entity. This basically means that when a person or group is careless and their carelessness leads to a fatal accident, it is considered a case of wrongful death.

Recoverable Damages in a Wrongful Death Case

If you’ve lost a loved one, you may be able to seek payments from negligent parties for the damages you have suffered. While the love, affection, and friendship of a family member or friend can never really be replaced, the civil justice system allows for the pursuit of monetary compensation as a way of sending a message to negligent individuals and holding people accountable for their reckless actions. If you decide that you are going to move forward with pursuing a wrongful death claim, you can seek payments for damages including:

• Wages and future income lost by the decedent
• Loss of guidance provided to children by their parents
• Loss of companionship provided by a spouse or partner
• Funeral and burial expenses
• Medical expenses related to the fatal accident
• Pain and suffering

Should I Hire an Auburn Wrongful Death Lawyer

Recovering financially after a fatal accident depends on many different factors including the life expectancy of the decedent, their age, whether or not they provided for a family, and their available insurance coverage. Your lawyer will be able to conduct their own full investigation into the accident and the effects of your loss in order to give courts a full understanding of the damages you’ve suffered.

Even if you are unsure of whether or not you want to hire a lawyer, calling an attorney is an important step. Most wrongful death lawyers will give you a free phone consultation where you can learn valuable information about the details of your case and what your options may be.

Will My Case Go To Trial?

Often, those who have lost a loved one in a preventable accident are hesitant to pursue a wrongful death claim because they are worried about having to testify in court. In many cases, people are worried about the dramatic portrayals of trials that they have seen in movies. However, you should know that if you have an experienced Auburn wrongful death lawyer on your side, a trial is nowhere near as intimidating as it might seem on the big screen. It’s also important to understand that the large majority of wrongful death cases are settled before an actual trial begins. In fact, more than 90 percent of cases are resolved without a trial by jury.

A good wrongful death lawyer will be able to negotiate effectively with responsible parties and their insurers. However, if liable parties make low-ball offers and refuse to pay a fair amount for your damages, you may need to go to court. When this happens, it is very important that you have a lawyer who can investigate, prepare, and argue your case.

There are a variety of wrongful death claim types. To learn about the different types of claims, watch this helpful video below.

Auburn Wrongful Death Lawyer

I’m Ed Smith, an Auburn wrongful death lawyer. If you’ve lost a loved one in a preventable accident, please call me as soon as you are able so that I can give you free, friendly legal advice. I’m available locally at (530) 392-9400 and also at (800) 404-5400. If you’d like, you can also get in touch with me by sending me a message through my website.

See how I’ve helped my valued clients on my Settlements and Verdicts page. Also, feel free to read what they have written about my work on these sites: Google, Yelp, and Avvo. 

I’m in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. This means that I’ve won a client over $1,000,000 through a verdict or settlement.

I’m the founder of Northern CA’s leading online resource for useful, accurate info and news about car accidents, wrongful death, and personal injury, AutoAccident.com.

Editor's Note: This page has been updated for accuracy and relevancy. [cha 9.18.20]

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