Wrongful Death attorney bellingham Tag

What You Need to Know Before Filing a Wrongful Death Lawsuit

No matter how the sudden loss of a family member occurs, it is a painful and emotional experience. But when that loss is caused by someone else’s reckless or negligent behavior, the heartbreak can feel even more devastating. It’s not just grief you’re facing; it’s the heavy burden of knowing that the death could have been prevented. If your loved one died because of another person’s reckless behavior—whether in a car accident, through medical malpractice, or some other tragic event—they may have suffered what is legally known as a wrongful death.

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What You Need to Know About Wrongful Death Nursing Home Settlements

Today, approximately 1.5 million people live in nursing homes, while millions more receive care through assisted living communities or in their own homes. Families place great trust in these care providers, but, unfortunately, instances of abuse do occur. Mistreatment in nursing homes can take on many forms, ranging from physical, emotional, and sexual abuse to financial exploitation and neglect. When a vulnerable person is physically abused, to the point of death, it can leave the family traumatized and reeling from their loss.

Nursing home neglect and abuse is the failure to meet an older adult’s needs, which include food, water, shelter, clothing, hygiene, and essential medical care. For example, when a patient has Alzheimer’s or dementia, or is experiencing confusion for any reason, they require monitoring to ensure their safety. When this basic standard of care is not met and your loved one dies as a result, the family may wish to pursue a wrongful death nursing home abuse claim with the goal of negotiating a wrongful death settlement.

How Wrongful Death Nursing Home Settlements Can Help

A negligence suit is the most powerful way of holding a nursing home accountable and preventing their staff from abusing others. Nursing homes found liable for abuse may face a license suspension or revocation, forced changes to operating procedures, and/or a loss of government funding.

A wrongful death nursing home settlement not only provides financial compensation for grieving family members but also helps restore dignity to the loved one who suffered abuse.

What Damages Can Be Recovered in a Nursing Home Wrongful Death Settlement?

When a loved one dies due to abuse or neglect in a nursing home, families may pursue a wrongful death claim to seek justice and compensation. The damages recovered in a wrongful death settlement can vary depending on the circumstances of the case but typically include both economic (financial) losses and non-economic (emotional, psychological) losses, such as:

1. Medical expenses. Families can recover costs related to the final medical care their loved one received due to injuries caused by abuse or neglect.
2. Funeral and burial costs. Families can be reimbursed for reasonable expenses for funeral services, burial, or cremation.
3. Pain and suffering. Families may receive compensation for the physical pain and emotional suffering their loved one endured before death.
4. Loss of companionship. Family members may receive damages for the emotional loss and deprivation of love, guidance, and support resulting from the wrongful death.
5. Loss of financial support. If the deceased contributed financially to the household, the family may be entitled to recover the loss of that income or support.
6. Punitive damages. In rare cases involving especially egregious misconduct or willful neglect, courts in states that allow it may award punitive damages to punish the facility and deter future abuse.

What is the Average Wrongful Death Settlement?

If you’re thinking about filing a wrongful death claim, it’s normal to wonder what is the average payout in a wrongful death suit? While there’s no standard payout for nursing home wrongful death claims, most settlements range from $500,000 to $10 million. The amount depends on various factors, such as the deceased’s age, health, income, and the specific circumstances of the case. Because each situation is unique and laws vary by state, it is important to meet with a wrongful death lawyer to discuss the value of your claim.

Who is Liable for Nursing Home Neglect?

Nursing home neglect is a real risk to millions of seniors every day. There are two main parties that can be held responsible for senior neglect and abuse:

1. Nursing home administrators/owners may be found negligent in the care of their residents by failing to provide a safe and clean facility, healthy food and medications, emergency care, or adequate training/staffing of the caretakers they employ.
2. Care facility staff may also be found negligent in the care of the residents they serve if they act in a negligent or abusive manner inconsistent with the training they received.

What to Do if You Suspect Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect Caused the Death of Your Elderly Family Member

The first thing to do if you suspect that abuse or neglect in a nursing home or assisted living facility was the cause of your loved one’s passing is to speak to some of the other residents. You may also wish to speak with staff or administrators to hear their explanation of your concerns.

If you are not satisfied with answers provided by the staff or nursing home administrators, or the seriousness of the situation is so clear that you have no doubt about abuse; you should take steps to report the abuse. To find your state’s reporting number, go to the National Center on Elder Abuse website and click on “Where to Report Abuse.”

Once this is done, we recommend contacting an experienced, local wrongful death attorney with great reviews who can assess your case and discuss your legal rights.

A Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Can Help with Wrongful Death Cases

Nursing homes are represented by insurance companies who will try to settle cases as quickly and cheaply as they can. Experienced nursing home neglect lawyers can be a very valuable asset for negotiating the settlement you deserve.

If your loved one lost their life as a result of abuse or neglect in a nursing home, you may be feeling overwhelmed with your loss. Let an experienced nursing home abuse attorney help you fight for justice. It is not uncommon to receive a settlement from the insurance company that is five to ten times larger with the help of a good lawyer. Call the caring elder abuse attorneys at Tario & Associates, P.S. in Bellingham, WA today for a FREE consultation! Since 1979, our personal injury law firm, Tario & Associates, P.S., has been dedicated to fighting for the rights of people injured throughout Washington State, with local offices in Bellingham and Mount Vernon to serve residents of Whatcom, Skagit, Island, and Snohomish counties. You will pay nothing up front and no attorney fees at all unless we recover damages for you!

How Are Wrongful Death Settlements Paid Out?

Losing a loved one is always hard, but grief can be compounded when the death is unexpected and because of the negligent or intentional actions of another. In addition to the emotional toll, the death of a family member can lead to financial hardship due to lost wages, loss of services, funeral expenses, and medical bills from before they passed. If you have received a wrongful death settlement or are in the process of pursuing one to cover your losses, you may be wondering: what is the average wrongful death settlement, how are wrongful death settlements paid out, and are wrongful death settlements taxable? These are important questions, because injury settlements are supposed to provide financial relief during an already difficult time. We will answer these important questions in this article.

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What is the Average Payout in a Wrongful Death Suit?

Losing a loved one is an unimaginable tragedy, especially when the death is caused by someone else’s negligence or intentional actions. During such a difficult time, the idea of filing a wrongful death claim may seem overwhelming or even insensitive. However, a wrongful death settlement can provide significant benefits for the grieving family, offering not only financial support but also a sense of justice and closure. Family may wonder, what is the average payout in a wrongful death suit?

While no amount of money can ever replace a loved one, pursuing a wrongful death claim can help ease the financial burdens that often accompany an unexpected loss, including funeral expenses, lost income, and medical bills. A successful wrongful death suit also serves to hold the responsible party accountable, which can help prevent similar tragedies from happening to others. In many cases, families find that taking legal action becomes part of the healing process because it allows them to honor their loved one’s memory by seeking justice on their behalf.

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5 Most Common Causes of Wrongful Death Claims

Wrongful Death Settlements: Questions Answered

In the grieving process for a loved ones lost to wrongful death settlements, comes the reality that the family may face financial hardship without a fair wrongful death settlement. Wrongful death lawyers help grieving family members – through a representative of the decedent’s estate – file wrongful death claims to compensate family members or the estate for the wrongful death of their family member.

Since most of us are not wrongful death attorneys, it is understandable that families feel overwhelmed about wrongful death claims and wrongful death settlements. With over 40 years’ experience helping families recover damages for the loss of their loved ones, we are happy to answer questions that help provide peace of mind to our grieving clients.

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Wrongful Death Lawsuit Brought by Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant Who Lost Husband to COVID-19

As reported by thehill.com, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against her employer after she attended a training session that she says exposed her – and indirectly her husband – to Covid-19. The suit alleges that the company’s lax Covid-19 protocols and contact tracing efforts eventually led to the death of her husband. Covid pneumonia was listed as the primary cause of death. Sixty-nine-year-old Carol Madden, filed the suit in the U.S. District Court in Maryland; she is seeking more than $3 million in damages for the wrongful death of her then 73-year-old husband.

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Top 4 Myths about Wrongful Death Claims

While no amount of money can replace your lost family member, there are practical reasons for pursuing a wrongful death settlement. Financial stresses often become very real after the loss of a family member, especially if they were the primary bread winner. Unexpected expenses such as the cost of the funeral and medical bills can also add up quickly. If you lost a loved one because of the negligent or intentional behavior of another, a wrongful death claim may the best (and only) way to recover financial compensation. There are many myths about wrongful death claims that may prevent people from filing a claim that they are entitled to. We will take a look at some of the main ones in this article.

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What Damages Can Be Recovered in a Wrongful Death Case?

When a loved one dies due to someone else’s negligence, the family often experiences profound grief. As the shock fades, families may worry about affording medical expenses or covering bills if the victim was a provider or caregiver. Wrongful death claims seek compensation for current and future family losses. Another way of saying compensation is “recovering damages.”

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Are Wrongful Death Lawsuits Increasing Because of COVID-19?

Wrongful death lawsuits are filed to hold a negligent party accountable and to recover damages for the wrongful death of a loved one. With more than 100,000 Americans now dead after contracting Coronavirus, some may be wondering if wrongful death lawsuits are increasing because of COVID-19?

Thousands of low-paid essential workers are being exposed to the virus every day and that means employers are vulnerable to lawsuits for failing to protect their workers. We already shared a post about the estate of a Walmart worker suing for wrongful death after he died of Coronavirus complications. For low-paid workers with meager health insurance coverage, a wrongful death lawsuit may be the only hope for the family to pay for the medical expenses incurred by their loved one for treating Coronavirus. The question is how many will bring lawsuits and will they be successful?

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