Maison Law stands up for families who have lost a loved one in a tragic Monterey drowning incident caused by negligence. We help victims hold property and business owners and government entities responsible when victims are allowed access to unsafe pools, rivers, and beaches. To find out how to hold at-fault parties fully accountable for their carelessness, contact a skilled Carmel personal injury lawyer and schedule a free consultation. It’s a no-risk way to determine how to seek justice and secure support for the family members left behind.
Do I Need a Lawyer After Losing Someone in a Drowning?
After losing a loved one in a tragic drowning, families will be devastated, and they will also likely face a period of financial turmoil. They may have to pay funeral costs and cover any leftover medical bills. These expenses all come at a time when they may have just lost the financial support a loved one had always provided.
A Carmel drowning accident lawyer helps ensure victims and their families receive justice for a tragedy that could have been prevented. A lawyer can also work to secure more for families in a wrongful death claim, so they avoid financial issues in the months and years ahead. Parents who lose a child to drowning must receive support as they grieve their loss. An attorney fully investigates what happened and demands the maximum in support for those left behind.
Drowning Dangers in Carmel-By-The-Sea
Visitors book time in Carmel to stroll some of the most scenic and beautiful beaches in the world. Places like Carmel Beach or Carmel River State Beach provide breathtaking backdrops, but the powerful surf and the depths also present a drowning risk.
Many residents and tourists also face the risk when they take a dip in local pools in backyards, in neighborhoods with community pools, and at resorts and hotels.
There are dangers that all swimmers must stay alert for, but there are also hazards that pool owners, local businesses, and parks and rec departments must warn visitors and residents about. They owe a legal “duty of care” to visitors, residents, customers, and tenants. They must take action to remove hazards that might cause someone harm. They must also warn people of dangers they may not be aware of, especially around the Pacific Ocean.
When property owners and operators, landlords, and city, county, and state officials fail in this duty and someone is hurt or killed, they can be held liable for their negligence. Families of victims can file wrongful death claims to seek support after a tragedy. A Maison Law attorney can represent families during such a traumatic period and make sure at-fault parties are held accountable.
What Are Property Owners and Government Agencies Liable for After a Drowning?
The owners and operators of Monterey County beaches and community pools, even pools at gyms, are responsible for removing dangers that could lead to drowning. They should also be warning people of potential dangers, especially when swimming in unpredictable conditions found along the Pacific Ocean.
After a drowning, business owners, homeowners, and local government departments can be held liable when they fail to provide these and other safety precautions:
- Providing an adequate number of lifeguards. Carmel Beach doesn’t have lifeguards, and that can put beachgoers at needless risk.
- Proper training for those lifeguards.
- Providing proper safety devices and first aid for swimmers and disabled guests. This includes having adequate rescue boats available.
- Maintenance of pools to prevent hazards with drains and pumps.
- Removal of slip-and-fall hazards on docks and around pools that might send someone into the water while unconscious.
- Preventing overcrowding.
- Providing fencing and security measures to prevent unattended people from entering and suffering harm in dangerous rivers, lakes, and ocean spots.
- Preventing access to dangerous ponds and canals on local farms and orchards where young people might be tempted to trespass and swim.
- Putting up warning signs about hazards in natural bodies of water like along rivers, ponds, and beaches. Signs about deep water, underwater obstructions, and strong currents. Rip current signs and no swimming signs.
- Keeping swimmers out of the path of careless boaters.
- Lack of supervision to keep children safe.
Unfortunately, when property owners and government entities are guilty of negligence they often turn their cases over to teams of lawyers. These lawyers are paid to try to get your family to accept as little as possible in support or nothing at all. They may even try to shift blame to a victim.
It’s critical that you have a drowning accident attorney protecting your family’s interests. And you don’t have to worry about how you’ll afford a Maison Law attorney. We don’t get paid unless we win your case. Then our fee comes out of the settlement money your family receives.
Who Can Be Held Responsible After a Drowning Death?
Your lawyer would file claims or lawsuits against all parties that contributed to a drowning death. In some cases, families would have to sue multiple businesses or government agencies for what happened. The money each guilty party must provide is there to help family members rebuild their lives and protect themselves in the future.
These and other parties might have to contribute to the recovery of your family after a devastating loss:
- Property and Business Owners
- Homeowners
- Homeowners Association (HOA)
- Hotel and Resort Owners
- Landlords
- Property management companies
- Farm and Orchard Owners
- City or County Government Department
- State or Federal Agency
Suing a government agency, such as the Carmel-By-The-Sea Division of Forest and Beach, after an accident, can be very complicated. Government departments are protected by laws that make it harder to sue them. They may require that families seek permission before an injury claim or a lawsuit is allowed to be filed.
What’s more, the statute of limitations on filing a claim involving the government may only be a few months. After this, families will lose their chance to seek support during such a difficult time. Your attorney makes sure you file the correct paperwork and meet all deadlines. This ensures government agencies can’t escape accountability for the loss of life.
Financial Support for Families After a Tragic Drowning
Nothing can bring back the life of a precious loved one after a drowning, but families should seek justice and demand help to assist close relatives in rebuilding their lives. A spouse and children of the victim can quickly face financial turmoil as bills for a funeral and burial come due. They’ll face the leftover medical bills and ambulance fees that could remain.
These and other financial burdens should not be the family’s worry, especially when an at-fault party is found to blame for a tragic drowning incident.
A wrongful death lawyer demands support for the family’s current hardships and the difficulties that will arise in the years ahead:
- Totals on leftover medical bills and ambulance fees.
- Support to pay for a funeral and burial.
- The emotional hardships a family will suffer.
- Support for children of the victims who have lost the love and guidance of a parent. That includes the cherished moments of entering college and graduating and sharing the gift of childbirth with parents. Those moments can’t be replaced, but those at fault must be held accountable.
- Support for parents who lose the love and companionship of a child now and in the future.
- Cost of psychological counseling for family members to help them cope with the loss.
- Loss of consortium. (The lost support of a spouse or partner)
- Reimbursement for the wages the victim can no longer contribute to the family in the coming years.
Schedule a Free Consultation with a Carmel-By-The-Sea Drowning Accident Attorney
Families in mourning are allowed up to two years after a tragic drowning to file a wrongful death claim. But waiting can hurt your case. Evidence can disappear and witnesses may become hard to track down. It’s important to contact a lawyer as soon as possible so an investigation can begin immediately.
After a careless drowning accident claims the life of a loved one, take action to seek justice from a negligent property owner or a governmental department. Contact the skilled Carmel Drowning Accident Lawyers at Maison Law, for a free consultation and case evaluation. It’s a no-risk way to find out how to keep a negligent party from avoiding blame and how to secure every benefit possible for your family after a tragedy.
