Maison Law can help you and your family through a wrongful death claim after a fatal accident in Santa Rosa. It’s a situation no family wants to be in, but the risk is always there. If you’ve lost a loved one in an accident, you don’t have to go through this process alone. We can walk you through your options and handle the legal side of things while you focus on your family. Set up a free consultation today.
Do I Have to Get a Lawyer for a Wrongful Death Claim?
When you lose someone you care about in an accident, the last thing you’re thinking about is filing a wrongful death claim. But here’s what often happens: insurance companies, businesses, or even the people responsible start protecting themselves right away. They move quickly—and your family, still grieving, is left trying to keep up with deadlines, paperwork, and phone calls from the insurance company. That’s a lot to take on, and you shouldn’t have to do it alone.
That’s when you really need help, and that’s where our team can step in. We’ll:
- Look into what really happened — using reports, records, and experts when needed
- Get important evidence like photos, witness statements, and medical notes
- Figure out who’s actually responsible (sometimes it’s more than one person or company)
- Talk to insurance companies so you don’t get pressured into a low offer
- Go to court if that’s what it takes
- Keeping everything on track so your family doesn’t get overwhelmed
The point isn’t to make things more complicated. It’s to make things manageable — so you and your family can focus on healing, not paperwork.
What Information Will Help My Family’s Wrongful Death Claim?
This part can feel strange. No one wants to think about “evidence” when you’ve lost someone you care about in an accident. But when a claim is possible, the right information helps tell your loved one’s story—it shows what really happened and why it never should have. Here’s what makes a difference in most wrongful death claim:
- Accident reports. Police or workplace reports often explain how the accident happened. A police report from a car accident on Mendocino Avenue or Santa Rosa Avenue, for example, might show that a driver ran a red light or was texting before the collision.
- Medical records. Doctor summaries and hospital notes connect the cause of death directly to the accident. They help establish what led to the loss.
- Statements from others. Sometimes, people who were nearby see things official reports miss. Their accounts can bring important details to light.
- Pictures/videos. A traffic camera, store security footage, or even someone’s cellphone video can show what conditions were like or might even record the moment itself.
Don’t worry if you don’t have all of this right now. Gathering and organizing it is part of what we do for you. It also gives us a better idea of what happened–and who might be responsible.
Who’s Responsible for a Wrongful Death in Santa Rosa?
When there’s a fatal accident, the actual process for figuring out who’s responsible isn’t any different from some other accident. It’s still about showing negligence, or that:
- Somebody was careless or reckless, and it caused the accident and fatal injuries to your loved one.
This obviously narrows it down significantly, but it still depends on what actually happened. Most of the time, though, liability falls on:
- Distracted or reckless drivers
- Property owners or managers that didn’t keep things safe or maintained.
- Companies that make dangerous or faulty products.
- Government agencies that failed to fix a known hazard.
Each claim has its own story. That’s why we start by looking closely at every detail—not just what happened, but why it happened—so the right people are held accountable and your family can start moving forward with a claim.
What Can a Wrongful Death Claim Do for Your Family?
A wrongful death claim isn’t about money; it’s about stability. It’s about helping your family stay on its feet when life has been turned upside down. The claim gives you a way to handle the practical fallout—things like medical costs, funeral expenses, and lost income—while also recognizing the emotional loss that no number can measure.
With liability established, the claim gets filed in the same way that any other accident claim is:
- An insurance claim out of court.
- A wrongful death lawsuit in court.
Once it’s filed and goes through the process, a wrongful death claim can help your family recover things like:
- Medical bills tied to the fatal injury or illness
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Lost income and benefits your loved one would have provided
- Loss of companionship, love, and guidance
- Emotional suffering caused by grief and stress
You may be wondering who’s actually allowed to file the claim. California law says it first falls to:
- Spouses or Domestic partners
- Children
If there’s no surviving spouse or children, other close relatives—like parents or siblings—can step in. If you’re not sure where your situation fits, we can walk you through it.
How Do Fatal Accidents Usually Happen in Santa Rosa?
It’s painful to think about how these tragedies happen, but understanding the cause is often key to finding accountability. In Santa Rosa, fatal accidents happen in many different ways— and usually in places that feel safe or familiar:
- Car accidents happen fast, especially at busy spots like Mendocino and College Avenue. One careless driver can change everything in a second.
- Motorcycle accidents are all too common on Highway 12 or along the 101. When a driver doesn’t check their blind spot, riders usually pay the price.
- Pedestrian accidents often happen downtown or near Santa Rosa Plaza. A driver looking at their phone instead of the crosswalk can do real damage.
- Sometimes, it’s not a vehicle accident at all. A bad fall, a broken railing, or even a backyard pool with no fence—unsafe property conditions can be just as deadly.
Every case is different, but what connects them is preventability—and that’s why wrongful death claims matter. They don’t just help your family recover—they help make sure these mistakes don’t happen again.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do we have to file a wrongful death claim?
Two years from the date of death.
Can we file a claim even if no one was charged with a crime?
Yes. Wrongful death cases are civil, not criminal. You don’t need anyone to be arrested or charged to hold them financially responsible.
Will we have to go to court?
Not always. Many wrongful death claims are settled outside of court. But we always prepare every case as if it could go to trial—because that preparation often leads to fairer results.
Maison Law Helps Families in Santa Rosa Find a Way Forward
When you think about how quickly an accident in Santa Rosa can turn fatal, it’s obviously pretty scary. But when it happens to your family, it brings challenges home. Our team of Santa Rosa wrongful death lawyers at Maison Law can help you and your family move forward by guiding you through a claim and getting financial support that helps stabilize things. When you’re ready, set up a free consultation with us.
