Coming to terms with the loss of a loved one can be incredibly difficult, especially if their life was taken by another person’s negligence. You may feel heartbroken while still being expected to meet unforeseen responsibilities and expenses. Instead of focusing on your family, you might be forced to deal with funeral fees and burial costs.

While no amount of money can compensate for the loss of a relative, a wrongful death claim could help ease your family’s financial burden. Virginia wrongful death attorneys

Deciding If a Wrongful Death Lawsuit Is Right for You

If you have recently lost a loved one due to the negligence of someone else, you may be reluctant to file a wrongful death lawsuit, even if you are in desperate need of financial relief. However, a wrongful death lawsuit is about much more than money.

Reasons to File a Wrongful Death Claim

  • Hold a wrongdoer accountable for this misconduct. Wrongful death cases do not always lead to criminal convictions. By filing a lawsuit, you could hold a negligent individual, business, or other entity accountable in civil court, establishing that their misconduct caused an unimaginable tragedy.
  • Prevent similar tragedies. A wrongful death settlement might help make your community a better, safer place. Your attorney could help you negotiate a policy-oriented agreement, asking that a business, police department, or city change its operating procedures to prevent further deaths.
  • Ease your family’s financial suffering. People often hesitate to file wrongful death lawsuits because they fear any legal action will be interpreted as a crass money-grab. However, you should not have to pay for a funeral, a casket, and other burial-related costs because of someone else’s negligence.

The Benefits of Working With a Virginia Wrongful Death Attorney

Virginia law strives to provide everyone with equal access to its civil courts. You do not need a lawyer to initiate an insurance claim, file a wrongful death lawsuit, or appeal a judgment.

However, representing yourself has many risks. You might already be overwhelmed with grief and unable to give your case the attention it deserves. Even if you believe you have the time and energy to pursue a claim, you could be stonewalled by an uncooperative insurance company more intent on preserving its profit margins than compensating for a client’s misconduct.

How an Attorney Can Help

  • By protecting your family’s rights. Wrongful death cases can be very complex, with insurance negotiations and award judgments all subject to local, state, and federal laws. If you are not intimately acquainted with Virginia’s legal expectations for claims, your case could be dismissed on a technicality, preventing you from pursuing justice for your loved one.
  • By speaking to insurers. If you file a wrongful death claim, you may be forced to contend with a business or city’s insurer. Insurance companies aren’t interested in making things right and want to save their shareholders money. Instead of negotiating with you, an insurer might simply make you a low-ball offer, hoping you’ll accept it quickly. A Virginia wrongful death attorney could protect your family’s rights by standing up to the insurance company and forcing them to take your claim seriously.
  • By assessing your damages. You may be entitled to damages beyond funeral fees and burial expenses, including lost income, loss of companionship, and emotional pain and suffering. Kearney, Freeman, Fogarty & Joshi regularly work with experts who could help investigate the circumstances of your loved one’s death and assess the broader value of your claim. 
  • By giving you peace of mind. Hiring a Virginia wrongful death lawyer spares you the emotional and financial burden of speaking to insurance adjusters, responding to paperwork requests, and going to court.

Contact Us Today

If you want to file a Virginia wrongful death lawsuit, Kearney, Freeman, Fogarty & Joshi, PLLC could help you and your family get the compensation you need and the justice you deserve. Please send us a message online, or call us at 877-652-1553 to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible.

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