Maison Law compassionately represents Kern County families who have lost a loved one in a tragic accident. When someone’s negligence is to blame for the death of a family member, those left behind must receive full support so they are protected financially in the present and in the years ahead. Please contact us to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with a real lawyer and find out about every benefit available to your family.
Should My Family Contact a Wrongful Death Lawyer?
If a loved one is killed in an accident caused by someone else’s mistake, families have the legal right to seek financial restitution. Families are empowered to seek financial help from insurance companies, but that doesn’t mean they’ll receive the support they should. Insurance adjusters are trained to try to limit what families receive, and they can even attempt to blame an innocent victim for an accident.
A Maison Law Wrongful Death Lawyer can protect the family’s case and make sure they are provided with the most in support available.
These are a few of the benefits families can count on when they’ve got representation from a skilled attorney:
- A full investigation into the fatal accident. The evidence is used to make sure insurance companies can’t change the story of what happened and who was at fault.
- Filing a wrongful death claim and handling all communication with insurance companies, with as little disruption to the grieving family as possible.
- Legal protection if an at-fault property owner, a large chain, or a giant insurance company turns to corporate lawyers to attack your wrongful death claim.
- Powerful negotiation skills to make sure you receive the most in a settlement agreement. Help in rejecting settlement offers that don’t meet the needs of each family member left behind.
- Filing a lawsuit on behalf of the family if an insurance company refuses to accept responsibility for a tragic death.
- Often securing much more on behalf of the family than they could secure by handling a wrongful death claim themselves.
A Wrongful Death Attorney safeguards the family’s rights and fights back against the unfair tactics insurance companies use to limit what families receive.
Who Can Be Held Responsible for Deadly Accidents in Bakersfield?
Those who employ us, who maintain the properties where we live, and open the stores where we shop, all must show us a legal “duty of care.” This means when you are on someone else’s property, the property owner must be concerned with your safety.
This “duty of care” extends to other people we live and travel alongside. Drivers on busy roads like Stine Road must make safe decisions around other motorists and those on foot. When they make a reckless or careless decision that takes a life, the families of victims are empowered to file wrongful death claims to get help in recovery after the tragedy.
A Bakersfield Wrongful Death Lawyer helps families seek justice for such negligence towards human life. Our lawyers also hold the insurance providers for guilty parties financially responsible for the incredible costs that arise for a family after a heartbreaking loss.
These are just a few of the types of wrongful death cases we help grieving families file and collect support for:
- Fatal motor vehicle accidents. The risk factor in local accidents multiplies when big rigs, motorcycles, bicycles, and those on foot are involved. The speed and weight of vehicles can lead to terrible and fatal accidents.
- Deadly workplace accidents. Construction accidents, farming accidents, and manufacturing accidents could all carry deadly force. Any fatal accident in an office or at a worksite caused by the negligence of a small-business owner or a national corporation should result in a wrongful death settlement. A skilled attorney can help families seek help through a Workers’ Comp death benefits claim or through a lawsuit.
- Slip-and-falls, trip-and-falls, and falls from heights. These falls can occur on stairs with loose railing or rotten steps. Decking can give way on a residential property. A victim’s death may not happen immediately. A hip injury victim could experience life-threatening medical issues while bedridden during recovery.
- Dangerously defective products. The products, tools, and appliances our families use in our homes can malfunction and endanger everyone nearby. The manufacturers and the retailers who sold the product may have to provide financial support to close relatives.
- Deadly nursing home negligence. The care our loved ones receive at assisted-living facilities should never have to be questioned. Yet, neglect and a staff member’s poor judgment or ill intent can put our loved ones in danger.
- Fatal dog attacks. A dog owner can be held fully responsible when a dog attack claims the life of an adult or a young child.
- Fun park fatal injuries. A trip to an amusement park like Camelot Park or a water park can end in tragedy after an employee fails to pay attention to safety. A piece of machinery may malfunction to cause a devastating accident. An accident at a trampoline park may prove life-threatening. The families of victims must hold the owners of these parks fully accountable.
- Swimming pool accidents. Deadly hazards around a public place like McMurtrey Aquatic Center or at a hotel pool can leave business owners or the City of Bakersfield liable for a wrongful death.
Even if an individual or business is clearly responsible for the death of a loved one, their insurance providers and perhaps even corporate lawyers will be trying to prevent you from securing support. It’s important to have Maison Law on your side. We have experience taking on big companies and insurance providers to secure the most possible for families in their time of need.
What Kind of Things Can My Family Receive Help with After a Fatal Accident?
A skilled Bakersfield wrongful death attorney will demand support for your family’s emotional and financial losses. Those losses your family must cope with now, and the losses that continue over the years ahead for every relative.
These are just a few of the factors that determine the size of an insurance settlement check for the family:
- The totals on costs for a funeral service and burial.
- The ambulance fees and any hospital bills accumulated before the victim passed away.
- Replacement of the paychecks and work benefits victims can no longer support their families with.
- Emotional trauma suffered by family members. This can include the loss of the love and guidance that victims can no longer offer loved ones.
- Loss of consortium. (The loss of intimacy now that a partner is gone)
- Cost of grief counseling and other mental health services.
Families have up to two years after the date of someone’s passing to file a wrongful death claim. Waiting longer usually means a case would be thrown out, and families would lose their chance to demand justice.
Families shouldn’t wait years to take action, though. Even through such a difficult period, it’s better to explore a wrongful death claim with a lawyer as soon as possible. Waiting can make it harder to find evidence and track down witnesses. These factors are important in building a strong case and holding an insurance company fully accountable.
How Can My Family Request Important Documents and Receive Emotional Support After a Fatal Accident?
After a devastating accident, Bakersfield families may need assistance retrieving documents and records for a wrongful death case. If your family has a lawyer, your lawyer will be securing these documents.
However, if you need to secure these documents on your own, here is some information that will help:
- Visit our page on how to get an Accident Report from Bakersfield Police
- Visit our page on how to get an Accident Report from the California Highway Patrol
- Instructions for obtaining a coroner report from the Kern County Coroner
Beyond the collection of important evidence, families will understandably deal with a lot of emotional trauma during such a difficult time. There’s help available for relatives trying to cope with the grief of losing someone.
These are just a few of the options available for those in mourning:
- Hoffmann Hospice Programs
- GriefShare groups meet at several local churches each month
Contact a Bakersfield Wrongful Death Lawyer
Families should be allowed the time they need to grieve after a tragic accident, but bills and hardships stemming from a tragedy can make a wrongful death lawsuit necessary. A wrongful death attorney can handle your case privately with as little disruption to close family members as possible.
Contact Maison Law for a free and confidential case evaluation for any family in the Bakersfield and Kern County area. Our lawyers offer compassionate care to those in mourning to ensure they don’t suffer the financial consequences of someone else’s mistake.
