Washington’s Compassionate Wrongful Death Lawyers
If you have lost a loved one as the result of someone’s negligence, you do have the right to take legal action against the person responsible. This is known as a wrongful death claim. Because you are dealing with the emotional and financial turmoil of losing a loved one, it is important that you hire a wrongful death attorney to help you with the claims process. Without a professional, you may find that you are vulnerable to the other side, or even caught up in the emotional aspect of your loss – leaving you with an inadequate settlement.
Even with an experienced attorney, it is important that you understand the common mistakes made when people file wrongful death claims in our state. That way, you can rest assured that your claim is not committing any of them.
What are the Most Common Mistakes Made with Wrongful Death Claims?
- Deciding to represent yourself. Representing yourself is by far one of the biggest mistakes that you could make when filing a wrongful death claim. No lay person should try to navigate the highly complex laws of wrongful death in Washington. If you do, you leave yourself vulnerable to the defense. The laws can make it very difficult to reach favorable compensation in your claim – even if you have adequate evidence showing that your claim is valid.
- Missing deadlines. When you file a wrongful death claim in the state, there are strict deadlines that must be met, or your case will be dismissed. If you wait too long, your case could become invalid and you will be barred from claiming compensation in the future.
- Hiring the wrong attorney. There are some attorneys in the state that offer wrongful death assistance, but they do not practice it regularly. Known as “full-service firms,” these firms often dabble in family law, criminal law, and even personal injury law. They have attorneys dedicated to numerous areas of the law, and not necessarily well-versed or even well-practiced in wrongful death. Because of this, these attorneys are over-extended and often not up-to-date on the latest laws.
- Accepting a low settlement. It is hard to tell what is an adequate settlement in a wrongful death claim – especially because no dollar amount could make up for the loss of a loved one. But, with the right attorney, you can rest assured that you will not accept a settlement that is too low.
- Filing a claim against the wrong defendant. Depending on how the accident occurred, there could be multiple defendants. Also, without a wrongful death lawyer, you could accidentally file your claim against a party that is not at-fault – resulting in a denial of your case.
Contact our Washington Wrongful Death Lawyers
At Brett McCandlis Brown & Conner, PLLC, we are here to help you avoid the pitfalls of wrongful death claims. Our wrongful death attorneys in Seattle or any other areas of Washington solely practice in tort and personal injury law – which means that we understand the complexities of these types of cases, and we can help you win your claim. To get started, schedule a free consultation with our attorneys at 800-925-1875, or fill out our online contact form.
