Losing a loved one is a painful experience, and when it’s someone else’s fault, you may need to take legal action to recover fair compensation. For help, reach out to a Joliet wrongful death attorney.
Losing a loved one can leave you devastated. Not only are you dealing with the loss of their love and support, but they might have been your financial support, as well. Now you’re trying to prepare for the funeral and a future without your family member.
It’s a terrible situation, and it’s one that many people will suffer through. To make matters worse, you might have lost your loved one because of the carelessness of another person. Whether they were behind the wheel, on the operating table, or using a defective product, your loved one could have been killed because someone else was negligent.
Fortunately, Illinois law allows you to file a wrongful death claim to recover compensation for yourself and your family. For help winning the full compensation you deserve, speak with a Joliet wrongful death lawyer at Lane Brown, LLC.
You may need help determining whether you’ll be eligible to file a wrongful death claim in the first place. Because the person who was fatally injured cannot file a wrongful death claim, someone else will have to do it. But Illinois law limits who is allowed to file on the deceased’s behalf.
You’ll first need to determine the personal representative of the deceased’s estate. This person will make the decisions for the case and file a claim for the family. This is usually a family member, such as a spouse or parent, but in some cases, the deceased might not have chosen a personal representative. In these cases, the courts may choose who the personal representative should be.
Once you’ve determined who’s responsible for bringing your Joliet wrongful death claim forward, you’ll also need to determine the amount of compensation you and your family should receive for your loved one’s death. To ensure all of the hardships your family is going through will be covered, this figure should include both economic and non-economic damages.
First, you should receive compensation for all economic damages, which are the financial losses you and your family have suffered because of the death of your loved one. These might include the following:
Your non-economic damages are just as important. You and your family have lost a loved one, and that is emotionally devastating. That’s why you should include the emotional toll of your loss as you calculate the value of your wrongful death claim. Non-economic damages to consider include the following:
Losing a family member in a fatal accident is a devastating experience, and it’s one that many of us will suffer through at some point. But when that accident is caused by another person acting recklessly, however, you may need to act quickly to recover fair compensation for your family.
If your loved one has passed away because someone else was careless, reach out to an experienced lawyer at Lane Brown, LLC. We can guide you through your claim, starting with a free consultation to review your case.
If you’re ready to get started with your claim, reach out to a Joliet wrongful death lawyer at our firm. To schedule your free consultation, call us at 312-332-1400 or fill out the online contact form below.