Learn the differences between motorcycle and car accident cases in this video, then contact our Southwest Florida lawyers to get started.
Question:
How are motorcycle accident claims different than car accident claims?
Answer:
Motorcycle injury claims are a bit different than automobile crash claims in Florida for several reasons. One of the biggest things that we typically see in our practice with respect to motorcycle crashes is there’s oftentimes a tendency to blame the motorcyclist or try to put some type of fault on the motorcyclist as opposed to the automobile driver. For that reason, you need a personal injury attorney who specializes in motorcycle crashes to be in your corner and fight for you, and make sure that a proper investigation is done, and make sure that experts are hired if that’s something that is necessary. Another way that motorcycle crashes are different than automobile crashes is the types of insurance coverage that are available to you.
That is why it’s particularly important to make sure that you hire a personal injury attorney who specializes in that area with respect to motorcycle crashes so that you can make sure that your recovery is maximized, and you are compensated for all of your damages. If you have questions about that, you can always feel free to reach out to us. We are happy to help you with your case.
Have you or a loved one been injured in a motorcycle accident in Florida and have questions about the differences between motorcycle and car accident cases? Contact our experienced Southwest Florida motorcycle accident lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
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5 Things To Know After a Boat Wreck
Have you recently been injured in a boat accident in Florida? Learn about the 5 things to know about a boat wreck, then call our attorneys now.
1) Selecting a Boat Accident Attorney
There are very specialized laws and circumstances that come into play when folks are injured out on the water. You want to find the right attorneys that deal with these cases not just once a month, not just once a year but continually over time. We handle boating accident cases from the very early stages all the way through trial. We are very experienced in putting together the certain factors that need to come into play to maximize the value of your boating accident injury case, and choosing the right attorney is making sure you have someone you can trust, that you know has experience in these areas.
2) Mistakes After a Boat Accident Claim
The most common mistake we see with people in a boating accident injury case in Florida is not wanting to blame your friends. Let’s be honest. More times than not, boating accident injury cases occur when you’re out and about with friends, family members, and you’re out having a good time trying to enjoy the water, and you ultimately are severely and permanently injured by a simple mistake made by an acquaintance of yours often that is operating the vessel. A lot of people seem to believe that that’s not something that they should seek justice for because it’s their friend or a family member.
We certainly understand that, and we can understand the apprehension that comes along with that kind of event. At the same point in time, this is an event more times than not that is going to affect you for the remainder of your days, weeks, and years on this planet, and these injuries can be very severe. So, instead of having the initial thought of “I don’t know if this is the right path to take for me” what we would suggest is contacting an attorney.
In addition there, too, boating accident and injury cases generally involve multiple different facets. There can and more likely than not are multiple parties that are at fault, not including you, the injured party, for the incident occurring. For example, someone renting a boat to someone else requires duties and obligations. What we can do in addressing any of those concerns that you may have in your boating accident case is look at other potential avenues of recovery that are available to you. Simply because you’re injured and you may be a little bit apprehensive, we suggest you don’t sweep it under the rug and just think you’ll get better. These are going to be things that you’re going to deal with more often than not for the remainder of your years, and they’re certainly things you did not sign up for.
3) Taking the First Boat Accident Settlement Offer
In a boat accident injury case, it is typically not advisable to take the insurance company’s first offer. Insurance companies are notorious for trying to move files off their desk and simply get you, the injured party, out of the way so they can deal with the many other claims that they have. A lot of times the first offer from an insurance company is not taking into account the full extent and amount of your damages because a lot of times you’re still working your way through your medical care and treatment. A lot of times the first offer is not really given with the full investigation underway into a conclusion, so taking the first offer more times than not is the insurance company’s attempt to get you out of their way. Don’t let the insurance companies win.
4) Boat Accident Attorney Fees
For your boat accident injury claim, hiring us at Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice & Purtz costs you absolutely nothing. We are happy to evaluate your claim, talk to you first, and then hopefully sign you up as our client to pursue justice for you without any cost to you initially. You will never see a bill from us. We will never ask you to write us a check. What we do, and what we’re certainly happy to do, is work your case, develop your case, put together a comprehensive damages packet analysis for the insurance companies and try to get your case resolved, otherwise we go try your case. We’re happy to do that as well, but you do not owe us anything unless we are successful for you.
We work on what’s called a contingency fee basis, which means a certain percentage of what we recover as a result of your injuries and damages would come to us for the work that we performed on your case. You also do not owe us anything for the costs associated with the case. That’s not something we would ask you to write us a check for up front. We incur those costs on your behalf, and later based upon the amount of the settlement or the judgment, we can recoup those costs based upon money that we have secure and achieved for you, so ultimately the idea is if we are not successful for you in your case, you will not owe us a dime.
5) Boat Accident Case Going to Trial
Boat accident injury cases sometimes go to trial. More often than not, they settle short of trial, but certain circumstances, depending on the facts of the case, may entail your boating accident injury case to make its way all the way through the court system to a jury trial, but ultimately, there will be settlement offers along the way as long as you’ve hired the right attorneys to put the pieces together for you but also for presentation to the insurance company. Getting the case resolved can happen at any point in time along the way. There are cases that resolve very early. There are cases that resolve on the courthouse steps just before the trial begins. It all depends on the certain facts and circumstances in the case measured against your wants and desires as the client seeking full justice for you.
Have you or a loved one recently been injured in a boat accident in Florida and have questions about the 5 things to know about a boat wreck? Contact our experienced Southwest Florida boat accident lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
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Selecting the Right Injury Attorney
Were you severely injured? Learn what to look for when selecting the right injury attorney in this video. Then, contact our Florida attorneys.
Question:
How Do I Choose the Best Personal Injury Attorney?
Answer:
Choosing the right and the best personal injury attorney for you in any state let alone in Florida needs to be based upon trust. Trust is something that’s developed through all relationships. When you retain an attorney, the law defines that coming together of you and the attorney as an attorney-client relationship. Trust is a paramount factor in looking to retain the right and the best personal injury attorney for you. Trust is based on many things, including finding an attorney that cares and that is honest with you and your case, cares about you and looks out for your best interest, and is also honest with you about the proceedings and how the case is going to develop.
It’s also important to look at an attorney that is responsible and respectful, respectful to you and your desires, not necessarily what some talking head on a TV screen may tell you is important but what it is about your case that’s important to you and also someone that is going to be responsible for your case from beginning to end, from the time you walk through the door to the time when we trial your case at trial when that becomes necessary in certain instances.
We believe it’s important in looking for an attorney that fits that criteria in talking to your friends, your neighbors, your family members, people that have gone through the unfortunate circumstance that you may find yourself in. Ask them who they trust, ask them who cares about them and who showed them honesty, respect, and responsibility throughout the handling of their case. At Goldstein Buckley Cechman, Rice & Purtz, we look forward to the opportunity of showing you that we care, that we are responsible, and that you can trust us. We hope you’ll call us, and we hope we’re able to talk you through what it’s going to take to maximize justice for you and your case.
Have you suffered a serious injury at the hands of someone who has been careless or negligent and have questions about what to look for when selecting the right injury attorney? Contact our experienced Southwest Florida personal injury lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
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Differences Between a Bicycle and Car Accident Case
Are you wondering about the differences between a bicycle and car accident case? Check out this video, then call our lawyers in Florida.
Question:
How does a bicycle accident claim differ from a normal auto accident claim?
Answer:
Bicycle accident injury cases are oftentimes different from other types of injury cases in Florida because, unfortunately, what we see oftentimes with bicycle accidents is that the severity of injury is much more significant than certain other types of cases. For that reason, you want to make sure that you hire an attorney who specializes in personal injury and specifically bicycle accidents to help you with your case from the very beginning. Unfortunately, oftentimes what we also see is that there’s sometimes a tendency to try to blame the bicyclist for the cause of a crash.
If that’s the case, we are happy to help you. That does not mean that you don’t have a case; what that means is that we need to do an investigation and fight for you because oftentimes, insurance companies will try to use that against you to try to minimize the amount of damages that you can claim. For that reason, please call us. We specialize in these types of cases. We’re happy to help you even if there is a dispute about liability and who was at fault for the crash.
Have you or a loved one been injured in a bicycle accident in Florida and have questions about the differences between a bicycle and car accident case? Contact our experienced Southwest Florida bicycle accident lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
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How To Win Your Wrongful Death Claim
Have you lost a loved one due to the negligence of another person and have questions about how to win your wrongful death claim? Call us now!
Selecting an Attorney
If you have a wrongful death claim in Florida, you’ve obviously lost a loved one, so hiring the right attorney is a very important thing to do. We had a lady come in who had lost her husband as a result of a motorcycle accident. She had consulted with a couple other attorneys and, actually, another attorney took on the case initially. Pretty early on in the case, there were some facts that came up – that potentially the motorcycle was speeding a bit and there were potentially some other things the motorcyclist did to be partially at fault – so the other attorney really cooled on the case and didn’t want to handle it. The lady came to us and we ended up handling the case.
Those sort of things don’t dissuade us. We still want to get justice for our clients. We understand every case isn’t going to be perfect and have all the right facts. When somebody loses a loved one, even if there are some difficult facts, we’re still willing to pursue that case. In this case, we ended up getting a very favorable result for the client, much more money than she thought possible.
It’s really important to hire an attorney in a wrongful death case that understands all of the damages, understands that they have to do an appropriate investigation, understands that some bad facts don’t mean it’s a bad case and that those bad facts can be used to your advantage in a way to try to maximize the value of the case. Our firm has been handling wrongful death cases, where folks have lost a loved one, for almost 60 years. We are skilled in that area. We handle these cases often, and we’d be happy to speak with you if you’ve lost a loved one and you have a wrongful death case.
Filing a Claim
The wrongful death action in Florida is brought by the personal representative of the estate. A deceased person cannot bring their own wrongful death case. A family member doesn’t bring a wrongful death case directly in that person’s name. It would be the personal representative of the estate. Our law firm actually has an estate department that can set that estate up, which makes it easier on you because you don’t have to hire multiple different law firms.
Our law firm will set up the estate, name a personal representative. Usually there’s an agreement amongst family members that it would be one of the family members, but sometimes the family members feel stressed out and don’t want to be involved in that regard, so we can have an attorney act as the personal representative of the estate. It’s really whatever is best for the family of the deceased because the family is grieving and going through a lot, so we want to try to help make this is as easy as we can on them and do what they want to do to make them comfortable.
If there’s a wrongful death case, the personal representative brings that case. Our law firm can set that up, and then also handle the wrongful death action. If you have a loved one that you’ve lost because of a wrongful death case, please feel free to reach out to us so we can help you.
Wrongful Death Claims
The most important thing to know about a wrongful death claim in Florida is that the insurance company is probably going to try to deny the claim or defend the claim; that is what they do to try to wear down on the family members that have lost their loved one. You need to hire the appropriate attorney that can handle the case, that has an understanding of the value of the case and has the assets to be able to push that case forward and fight the insurance company, and or firm has that.
We’ve been around for nearly 60 years. Our law firm handles these sort of cases all the time. We have board-certified civil trial attorneys who try wrongful death cases, and the insurance companies know that. The number one thing is to understand that because there is substantial value in wrongful death cases, the insurance company is likely going to try to beat you down. We don’t let that happen when we’re involved in a case. If you’ve lost a loved one and you have a wrongful death case, we’d be happy to consult with you and happy to help you in that regard. Please feel free to reach out to us.
Available Damages
In a wrongful death claim in Florida, there are many different sorts of damages. We have family members of a deceased loved one come to us and ask us, “What can we recover in damages if we have a wrongful death case?” The Wrongful Death Act tells us what damages can be recovered, and it breaks it down into if you are surviving spouse versus a surviving child, versus a surviving parent, there are different sorts of damages for each of those that you can recover. Even someone that is further removed in the family chain can recover damages. That all depends on how the Wrongful Death Act lays out those damages. Generally speaking, the damages are loss of the familiar relationship with a parent or a child, that’s pain and suffering for the loss of that person.
There is also loss of net estate accumulations. That is when you’re loved one was earning money that would’ve benefited you in the long run and you can show that there was that benefit through a 401k or some other sort of savings or some other sort of account. Then there are damages for loss of that person’s duties that they were doing on your behalf, where you now have to pay someone else to do those duties.
The damages are complex, which is why you should really get an attorney involved early on. An attorney can identify all the potential damages, all the family members that can recover those damages, and then handle that case appropriately. Our law firm has been handling wrongful death cases for nearly 60 years, so we know how to maximize the value of all those different damages.
Have you lost a loved one due to the negligence of another person in Florida and have questions about how to win your wrongful death claim? Contact our experienced Southwest Florida wrongful death lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
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Choosing a Spinal Cord Injury Attorney
Are you choosing a spinal cord injury attorney? Learn what you should look for in an attorney in this video. Then, call our Florida attorneys.
Question:
How do I choose an attorney for a spinal cord injury in Southwest Florida?
Answer:
Choosing the right attorney to represent you in a spinal cord injury case is incredibly important. You need to pick an attorney who specializes in not only personal injury cases, but spinal cord injuries in particular. Spinal cord injuries are unique in that they’re very severe injuries and require a huge amount of medical care and medical attention, often for the rest of a person’s life. For that reason, it’s incredibly important to hire someone who specializes in that area of law, and can get the right experts involved, and can spend the amount of money needed to potentially try the case if necessary, because that’s the rest of your life. You need someone who is going to look out for you and fight for you in those types of cases in particular.
We specialize in those types of injury cases and would be happy to help you. Please contact us if you have unfortunately suffered a spinal cord injury. We would be happy to help you with your case.
Have you or a loved one been involved in an accident or event that caused a spinal cord injury in Florida and have questions about what to look for when choosing a spinal cord injury attorney? Contact our experienced Southwest Florida spinal cord injury lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
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4 Pedestrian Accident Tips That May Help Your Case
Did you get severely injured while walking? Read our 4 pedestrian accident tips that may help your case, then contact our Florida attorneys.
1) Attorney Fees
The initial cost to hire a pedestrian accident injury attorney at Goldstein Buckley Cechman, Rice & Purtz is absolutely $0 to you. We work on what is called a contingency fee basis which means you will never see a bill from us in the mail and we will never ask you to write us a check. We take on your case and we work to put together your case and try to seek full justice for you, full justice being what you, the client, wants and deserves. We then take a percentage of that based upon a contractual agreement that we enter into early on. You do not owe us anything up front for us to look at, evaluate, or even take on your case. Once we take on your case, you similarly do not owe us anything for the costs associated for your case. Those are things that we put forward on your behalf that get paid back later based upon the amount of the settlement or the judgment reached in your case. Again, you will never see a bill from us at Goldstein Buckley Cechman, Rice & Purtz. What we are paid solely depends on how good of a job we do for you and how well you allow us to work with you hand in hand on your case.
2) Mistakes To Avoid
The most common mistakes people make in a pedestrian accident injury case in Florida is simply not documenting what occurred at the point in time that it occurred, witnesses, getting names, taking photographs, making sure that the right folks arrive at the scene, calling the police, making sure that things are not moved or touched, and also working to really help at the ground level to put all of this together so that when you hire the right attorneys, the ammunition already exists.
The other most fatal mistake we see in pedestrian accident cases is folks sometimes just think they’re going to get better. It may be something where you were on your bicycle or you were walking across the street and a car bumps into you while you were in the crosswalk. Folks may go to the ground and think they’re just bruised, maybe battered, and will feel better over the course of a couple of days and they don’t seek medical care and treatment. They don’t document all those things at the scene. They don’t go about making sure they’re contacting the authorities and they simply, like we all do sometimes, just think this is a minor blip on the radar screen and we’re going to get better. Ultimately, more times than not, that doesn’t happen. Things get worse over the course of time. Pain starts to set in and intensifies.
If you dismiss that early on in the process and just think it’s going to get better, you potentially left a whole lot out that your attorney can work with in order to maximize the value for your case and seek justice for you. At Goldstein Buckley Cechman, Rice & Purtz, we are committed to getting on the ground with you early on making sure that we are taking the right approach helping you help us document exactly what we need to maximize the value of your case.
3) Case Value
Determining the value of a pedestrian accident injury claim in Florida depends on many factors. It starts with the economic part of your damages, the medical expenses, the wage losses if you had to miss work as a result of the incident, the need for future medical care and treatment and what that’s going to cost, the loss of what’s called future earning capacity which means your ability to earn money in your chosen field may have been affected. Those economic damages including things like what you may have had to pay other folks to handle around your house while you were laid up or unable to attend to certain things that you normally would have done yourself.
It not only includes those economic things to discover value, but it includes things that are called non-economic damages, what is known as pain and suffering. It certainly encompasses those two elements, but it also encompasses things like the loss of capacity for enjoyment of life, those non-economic things you can’t necessarily plug into a computer and put a dollars and cents valuation on. We work through you to put a valuation and a dollars and cents number on that claim based upon us hitting the ground running with you early, learning who you were, learning how this accident has affected you, and learning about what it’s going to take for you to try and make your way back to your full self, knowing all full and well that most injuries are never going to get 100% better.
The valuation of your claim also goes into what’s called comparative fault in Florida. Who was at fault for the accident? Just because someone is deemed to be at fault for the accident doesn’t mean that parties can’t share fault for the accident. Getting an attorney involved in your pedestrian accident case is very important not only for putting the dollars and cents valuation on those economic but also those non-economic damages. It is vitally important to find someone that knows the law so that we can make sure we are holding fully responsible that person that struck you in their automobile while you were walking down the road and not have some jury or some insurance company try to blame you for something that you know you haven’t done other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
At Goldstein Buckley Cechman, Rice & Purtz, we are committed to working through all those factors of the case with you to put together the most comprehensive and detailed analysis we can to try and get your case resolved early for full value but if not, to take your case through the process in order to seek justice for you.
4) Going to Trial
Your pedestrian accident injury claim may or may not need to go to trial. It certainly depends upon the factors involved in a case, including who was at fault for the crash or if there is shared responsibility between the automobile driver and the pedestrian. Those are arguments that insurance companies like to have many times in pedestrian accident cases to try and save themselves some money, to be completely honest with you. Your pedestrian accident injury case also involves your damages, your medical expenses, both in the past and what you’re going to need in the future, your wage losses, your loss of future earning capacity, and then certainly those intangible or non-economic damages, your pain and suffering and how the accident has affected you and continues to affect you.
There are certain points in times where if we put together the right information early on with you in your pedestrian accident injury case, we can get a good and substantial offer from the insurance companies. There are other times where insurance companies simply don’t play fair because they want to make you work through the process. That’s where getting qualified attorneys, like us at Goldstein Buckley Cechman, Rice & Purtz, onboard to handle your case and help you navigate those waters can work to seek maximum value for you, whether that be early on in the case, some point in time in the middle, or through the trial of your pedestrian accident injury case. It all is based upon what you and what we can work to put together with you to seek full justice in your case.
Have you or a loved one recently been injured in a pedestrian accident in Florida and have questions? After reading our 4 pedestrian accident tips that may help your case, contact our experienced Southwest Florida pedestrian accident lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
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Medical Device Injury Case Liability
If you’ve been hurt due to a medical device, watch this video about medical device injury case liability. Then, call our Florida attorneys.
Question:
Who is liable in a medical device injury claim in Southwest Florida?
Answer:
In Florida, with a defective product, any entity that places the product in the stream of commerce is liable for a medical defective device claim, that includes the manufacturer, distributor, retailer, which in many cases is the hospital where the procedure is done, and perhaps even the doctor if the doctor is being paid for the device that’s being implanted that turns out to be defective. It’s this whole stream of people that could be potentially liable and that’s one of the things we investigate when we handle medical device injury claims.
Have you suffered serious health issues related to a faulty medical device in Florida and have questions about the medical device injury case liability? Contact our experienced Southwest Florida medical device injury lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
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Exactech Recalls Hip, Knee and Ankle Implants
In February 2022, Exactech recalled thousands of plastic inserts used in knee and ankle replacements. The plastic can wear early, leading to failure and necessary revision surgery.
The Exactech recalls affect Optetrak, Optetrak Logic, Truliant and Vantage knee and ankle replacement systems. The product packaging did not protect the inserts from oxygen exposure that can cause plastic to degrade and fail.
Knee and ankle inserts manufactured since 2004 are impacted by the recall, with nearly 150,000 devices implanted.
Additionally, a summer 2021 recall was issued for Exactech Connextion GXL acetabular liner hip replacements. These recalls were necessary due to early failure of the liner from wear and tear.
Potential problems can include accelerated wear, debris production, bone loss, component fatigue and cracking or fracture requiring surgery.
The FDA classified the Exactech recalls as Class 2, which means the products can cause temporary and medically reversible health issues.
Patients with the recalled knee or ankle implants may have new or worsening swelling, pain while walking, inability to bear weight, grinding or other noises and should contact providers for an evaluation.
Know Your Legal Rights for Exactech Recalls
Manufacturers have a legal obligation to ensure that their products are safe and do not cause harm. The Exactech recalls acknowledge that certain products were defective and are subject to high failure rates. As a result, these failures can cause pain and require additional surgery.
Patients with failed, recalled Exactech implants can file a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer. Financial compensation can include monetary damages for pain and suffering, medical expenses and damages for lost income.
Exactech has a claims process available for patients. However, patients who chose to file a claim with Exactech may waive their right to file a product liability lawsuit against the company. As a result, talk to one of the Southwest Florida medical defect device lawyers at Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice & Purtz before agreeing to anything with Exactech. That will help ensure you do not lose your rights to compensation.
If your recalled Exactech knee, ankle or hip replacement implant failed and you had to undergo corrective surgery, our lawyers can help you. Get a free consultation today.
Losing a loved one is an agonizing experience that can be even more distressing when the loss results from the negligence or wrongful actions of others. In Southwest Florida, like the rest of the United States, wrongful death cases can be complex and emotionally charged. Families who have lost a loved one in such tragic circumstances often wonder how compensation is calculated in these cases. In this article, we will explore the process and requirements for seeking compensation in a Southwest Florida wrongful death case.
Understanding Wrongful Death in Southwest Florida
Wrongful death, as defined by Florida law, occurs when a person’s death is caused by the wrongful act, negligence, default, or breach of contract or warranty of any person or entity. Wrongful death claims can result from various situations, including car accidents, medical malpractice, workplace accidents, and more. It’s essential to establish the liability of the responsible party in a wrongful death case to pursue compensation.
Calculating Compensation in a Wrongful Death Case
When it comes to calculating compensation in a Southwest Florida wrongful death case, several factors come into play. These factors help determine the amount that the surviving family members may be entitled to receive:
- Economic Damages: Economic damages represent the tangible financial losses incurred due to the wrongful death. These may include medical expenses, funeral costs, lost income, and the value of services the deceased provided to the family.
- Non-Economic Damages: Non-economic damages are less tangible and more subjective, encompassing the emotional and psychological suffering caused by the loss of a loved one. These damages might include pain and suffering, loss of companionship, and mental anguish.
- Punitive Damages: In some cases, punitive damages may be awarded to punish the at-fault party for particularly reckless or malicious behavior. These damages are not intended to compensate the family but to act as a deterrent against similar conduct by others.
Requirements for a Wrongful Death Claim
To pursue compensation in a wrongful death case in Southwest Florida, several requirements must be met:
- Standing to Sue: The right to bring a wrongful death claim typically rests with the personal representative of the deceased person’s estate. This personal representative can be named in the deceased person’s will or appointed by the court.
- Establishing Liability: It is crucial to prove that the death was a result of another party’s wrongful act, negligence, or breach of duty. This typically requires evidence and a thorough investigation.
- Statute of Limitations: There is a specific time frame within which a wrongful death lawsuit must be filed in Florida. The statute of limitations for wrongful death cases in Florida is typically two years from the date of the person’s death.
- Causation: It must be established that the wrongful act or negligence directly caused the death. This often involves expert testimony to link the actions of the responsible party to the fatal outcome.
- Damages: As discussed earlier, the damages suffered by the surviving family members must be documented and quantified to determine the amount of compensation to be awarded.
- Legal Representation: Given the complexity of wrongful death cases, it is essential to have experienced legal representation. Attorneys specializing in wrongful death cases, such as Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice & Purtz, P.A., can provide invaluable guidance and support throughout the legal process.
The Legal Process in a Southwest Florida Wrongful Death Case
Once the decision to pursue a wrongful death claim is made, it’s essential to understand the legal process involved. The following are the key steps in a typical wrongful death case:
- Consultation with an Attorney: The first and most crucial step is to consult with an experienced attorney. They will assess the case’s merits, guide you through the legal process, and provide essential advice on how to proceed.
- Investigation: Your attorney will conduct a thorough investigation to collect evidence and determine liability. This may involve gathering medical records, witness statements, accident reports, and any other relevant documentation.
- Filing the Lawsuit: Once liability is established, your attorney will file a lawsuit against the responsible party or parties. The lawsuit outlines the allegations, the damages claimed, and other essential details.
- Discovery: Both parties will exchange information and evidence through a process known as discovery. This phase often involves depositions, where witnesses provide sworn testimony, and the exchange of documents.
- Settlement Negotiations: In many cases, before going to trial, the parties may engage in settlement negotiations. This process can result in an agreed-upon settlement amount without the need for a trial.
- Trial: If a settlement cannot be reached, the case will proceed to trial. A judge or jury will hear the evidence and make a decision on liability and the amount of compensation to be awarded.
- Appeals: Either party has the right to appeal the decision if they believe it was made in error. Appeals can extend the legal process.
- Collecting Compensation: If you are successful in your case, the responsible party or their insurer will be required to pay the awarded compensation. This process may involve negotiating the terms and timeline of payment.
Navigating a wrongful death case can be emotionally challenging and legally complex. Families in Southwest Florida who have lost a loved one under such circumstances should consider seeking the experience of an attorney. Legal professionals specializing in wrongful death cases have the knowledge and resources to help families seek justice and fair compensation.
Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice & Purtz, P.A. is a reputable law firm in Southwest Florida with a team of skilled attorneys who can provide the necessary legal support for wrongful death cases. Their experience in handling a variety of personal injury and wrongful death claims makes them a valuable resource for families seeking justice in difficult times.
Losing a loved one due to someone else’s negligence is a devastating experience. Families in Southwest Florida facing this situation should remember that they have the right to seek compensation and hold the responsible parties accountable. Goldstein, Buckley, Cechman, Rice & Purtz, P.A. is here to offer experience guidance and legal representation for wrongful death cases. If you or someone you know has lost a loved one under such circumstances, contact our compassionate and experienced attorneys today. We are dedicated to helping you pursue justice and fair compensation during these challenging times.