Car Accidents Resulting in Wrongful Death
Car accidents with serious injuries can change the course of a family’s life in an instant. When a spouse, parent, or someone who provides financially and emotionally for a family is lost in a car accident, it can leave households financially strained while also deeply grieving.
The attorneys of Younker Hyde Macfarlane, PLLC, recover compensation for families affected by car accidents resulting in wrongful death in Utah. Their Salt Lake City law firm can help families find financial relief in such a difficult time. We welcome you to contact our team for help with your case.
What’s Considered a Wrongful Death Car Accident
A wrongful death resulting from a car accident is a death that occurred due to another person’s negligence or recklessness.
A wrongful death car accident may be the fault of another driver, a vehicle manufacturer when product defects are to blame, a trucking company, or the entities responsible for maintaining the roads.
Causes of Wrongful Death Accidents
A car accident can lead to a wrongful death when someone operates a vehicle with negligence or recklessness, a manufacturer fails to make corrections to a known defect, or when parties responsible for the upkeep of a road or highway fail to maintain the roadway.
A trucking company or other company that employs drivers may be responsible for a wrongful death if an accident was caused by a lack of proper driver training, improperly loaded cargo, or other issue related to the company’s operations.
With this in mind, there are many possible causes of wrongful death car accidents. Some more specific causes include:
- Distracted driving, such as texting, talking on the phone, eating, or talking to passengers
- Driving while fatigued
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Reckless driving, including speeding, running stop signs or red lights, and aggressive driving
- Poorly maintained road or highway
- Bad signage
- Vehicle product defect, such as faulty brakes
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit?
Who can file a wrongful death lawsuit varies by state, but Utah law allows for the deceased person’s heirs or personal representative of their estate. Heirs include:
- The surviving spouse
- Surviving children
- Surviving parents
- Surviving stepchildren provided they were under 18 at the time of death and financially dependent on the deceased parent
- Other blood relatives if the deceased has none of the above family or representatives
What Types of Damages May Be Recovered?
The wrongful death of a family member can leave an immense financial burden on surviving family in addition to immeasurable grief. Although no amount of financial compensation can make up for the loss of a loved one, it can help ease the financial burden many families feel after losing a close family member.
Through a wrongful death lawsuit, you may be able to recover financial compensation for:
- Ambulance, emergency room, and other medical costs
- Funeral expenses
- Vehicle damage
- Loss of the deceased’s current wages
- Loss of the deceased’s future earnings and earning capacity
- Loss of insurance coverage, retirement, and other benefits held by the deceased
- Emotional distress and other pain and suffering felt by the surviving family
- Pain and suffering the deceased may have experienced as a result of the accident and prior to death
Contact the Law Firm of Younker Hyde Macfarlane
To learn more about your options for recovering damages for a loved one’s wrongful death, please call (801) 335-6467 to schedule a consultation.