Columbus Wrongful Death Attorneys
When a loved one is taken from you in a truck crash, justice and dignity for their legacy can be found through a wrongful death suit.
Lawyers at The Law Firm for Truck Safety have record verdicts and settlements in wrongful deathA legal term referring to a claim against a person who can be held liable for a death. cases as a result of truck crashes in Ohio. One of the reasons for our success is our ability to communicate to jurors that tractor-trailers are significantly longer, taller, and heavier than other vehicles on the road, making them extremely hazardous. If their operators are not skilled, experienced, and alert, this can lead to truck crashes with fatal consequences.
If you have lost a loved one because of an unsafe truck driver or trucking company, a Columbus wrongful death lawyer from The Law Firm for Truck Safety, someone who is both fierce in representing your interests and compassionate in guiding you through the legal process, can help you. We know that no amount of money can make up for the impact of your family member’s preventable death, but our firm will fight to help you receive the justice you deserve and support you in navigating your grief.
We also believe that pursuing a wrongful death case can be a powerful way to honor your loved one’s life by holding negligent parties accountable, demanding safer industry practices, and helping to prevent similar tragedies in the future. Through advocacy, your case can help build a legacy of safety that protects others on the road.
Let us take care of hiring crash reconstructionists and other experts and communicating with insurance companies on your behalf, allowing you to spend your time on the things that matter most — healing, rebuilding, and moving forward.
Who Can Sue Over a Fatal Truck Accident?
When someone dies as a direct result of someone else’s negligent or wrongful actions, the right of the deceased person to sue over their injuries transfers to their “personal representative.” As a Columbus wrongful death attorney could further explain, this is typically someone nominated in the deceased person’s will to manage their affairs after their death, but if someone passes away without a valid will or does not name anyone as the personal representative for their estate, a court can nominate someone to fill this role.
This personal representative has sole authority to file a wrongful death lawsuit in the deceased person’s name against the person or people responsible for their premature death. However, as per Ohio Revised Code §2125.02, they must start the legal process no later than two years after the deceased person’s date of death to comply with the statute of limitationsThe time limit within which a lawsuit must be filed. for this type of claim.
Recovering Damages Caused by Wrongful Death
That same section of state law also specifies that a personal representative can generally only seek compensation for damagesIn a civil lawsuit, money designed to compensate an injured person. This includes economic damages (measurable financial loss like medical expenses) and non-economic damages (categories like pain and suffering or loss of love.) experienced by a deceased person’s surviving spouse, child(ren), or parent(s) as a direct result of their premature death. Siblings and grandparents of a fatal truck crash victim can sometimes recover damages through ensuing wrongful death claims, but only if they can prove to a court that they suffered a significant loss because of their sibling’s or grandchild’s death.
Family members eligible to recover damages through this sort of claim can seek restitution for both economic and non-economic forms of harm. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 2125.02(D), the beneficiaries (family members that include spouse, children and parents and may include others) may recover:
Loss of support from the reasonably expected earning capacity of the decedent;
Loss of services of the decedent;
Loss of the society of the decedent, including loss of companionship, consortium, care, assistance, attention, protection, advice, guidance, counsel, instruction, training, and education, suffered by the surviving spouse, dependent children, parents, or next of kin of the decedent;
Loss of prospective inheritance to the decedent's heirs at law at the time of the decedent's death;
The mental anguish incurred by the surviving spouse, dependent children, parents, or next of kin of the decedent
Once again, a qualified lawyer from our firm could go into more detail during a personal, confidential, and free case consultation about the specifics of your case, and the damages you may be entitled to if you were to pursue a wrongful death truck wreck claim in Columbus.
Contact a Columbus Wrongful Death Attorney for Help
No one deserves to lose a loved one to any kind of preventable tragedy, and certainly not through something as traumatic as a commercial truck crash. If your family has been impacted by this type of traffic violence, it is important that you have a full understanding of your right to civil recovery and the tools and power to move forward.
Losing a loved one is always a very difficult process to go through on both legal and emotional levels, and our Columbus wrongful death lawyers as well as the rest of our Ohio team would be honored to support you through it all, working diligently to fight for the compensation you need and the justice you deserve. Call to schedule your free confidential case consultation today.
