You have probably been bombarded by this point with advice from a friend with legal experience, a manager of your loved one’s estate, or an experienced attorney to file a wrongful death claim for your loved one’s passing. A wrongful death case can bring justice to the defendant while covering any financial or emotional losses, as you already know. However, before the all-important court hearing, you always question how much compensation you and other parties are eligible for.
Legal blogs and law firms are notorious for advertising the misconception of an “average” wrongful death settlement where you can benchmark your potential earnings based on what other people are getting. This lie is simply not true and will misifnrom your legal proceedings since you will expect something a judge or jury cannot promise. Every wrongful death case is a unique tragedy that requires personal attention from the courthouse to determine your total settlement.
Although we cannot guarantee a broad settlement range, we can educate you on how wrongful death settlements are paid. Our team can also share the high settlement cases we have settled and see if they resonate with you. Most importantly, we believe that finding a results-driven wrongful death attorney is vital to securing your best settlement.
What is a Wrongful Death Settlement?
A wrongful death settlement is the total compensation you and other family members are eligible for when someone killed your loved one through negligent actions or on accident. The defendant can pay this dollar amount as a lump sum payment or as a structured settlement, where you will receive portions of it on a routine basis.
When you file the case claim, you represent all involved parties and bring them into future legal proceedings since they can benefit from the final decision. Everyone will testify to the court based on crucial evidence and give personal testimonies of losses that your loved one’s death caused, helping the judge calculate a total settlement amount.
There are various financial and emotional losses that you and other plaintiffs will experience due to your loved one’s death. Whether the responsible party is an individual, corporation, or business, the law will require them or their insurance company to compensate you.
Loved One’s Expenses
- Medical bills
- Funeral/burial bills
- Age and health
- Punitive damages
- Pain and suffering
Defendant’s Expenses
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of loved one’s wages
- Financial needs of surviving dependents (e.g. children)
- Emotional pain and suffering
What is the average wrongful death settlement I can get?
As we mentioned before, there is no such thing as an “average settlement” since the court respects every wrongful death lawsuit’s complexity and the individuals involved. The number of people involved, the financial and emotional impact from the loved one’s death, etc. will impact your overall settlement and how much you will receive.
Our firm has recovered over $850,000,000 in settlements since 1994. We have worked side-by-side with clients like you to deliver the fair and just compensation you deserve. You can look at our successful $3,000,000 medical malpractice case, $450,000 pool drowning case, and $1,300,000 electrocution case to realize that our wrongful death attorneys mean business when they enter the courtroom.
These are by no means “average settlements” either, but they are proof that our team has what it takes, no matter what the cause of wrongful death is, to deliver results in the courthouse.
Wrongful Death Case Example
Any 6-year-old would never expect to die from electrocution while playing hide-and-go-seek with his cousins in his grandmother’s backyard. Sneakers pounding the ground, rustling the grass, Keanardrick Russel mounted a cement pad to conceal his small body behind an air conditioner from a nearby commercial building.
However, what he did not notice was the live electrical box inside the air conditioner that a metal fence was leaning against. When his fingers gripped the intricate rings, fatal voltages pulsed through his body, resulting in his unnecessary death in 2009.
Michael Strickland, one of our wrongful death attorneys, filed against the Montgomery City electrical inspector when other lawyers would have given up on the case. He challenged the Alabama Supreme Court legislation of a $100,000 maximum payout from the city, county, and state governments and fought for what he called a “100% preventable death”. In the end, Michael secured Keanardrick’s family the settlement they deserved and brought justice to a tragic situation.
Our Attorneys Can Win Your Settlement
Even if average wrongful death settlements do not exist, you can obtain the whole dollar amount your claim demands when you partner with our experienced attorneys. You can look to our previous big payout successes and trust that we have the experience and focus on delivering results in the courtroom. Call our wrongful death lawyers at (334).269.3230 to set up your free consultation so we can hear your specific case details and help you receive compensation.