New York City Accidental Death Lawyer

The unexpected death of a loved one can have a profound impact on your life. Along with the immediate emotional struggles that you may face in the aftermath of such a loss, you may also face a range of other burdens that can affect you for years to come.

Perhaps your spouse is the primary earner for your family. If they die unexpectedly, you may now be left without their financial support. That is an extremely difficult situation for anyone to face and it can particularly be overwhelming if you have children.

Unfortunately, no one can restore the presence of a lost loved one. However, if your loved one’s death was the result of someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for a range of losses.

Contact an attorney at Shulman & Hill if you believe you have a valid New York City accidental death case. By working with a qualified personal injury attorney in NYC, you can maximize your chances of recovering compensation.

New York City Accidental Death Cases: Potential Causes

Accidental deaths occur when another party’s negligence causes an accident or similar circumstance that results in someone’s otherwise avoidable death. Common causes of accidental death in New York City include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Car accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Accidents involving other vehicles, such as bicycles, boats, trains, planes, etc.
• Animal attacks
• Workplace accidents
• Medical malpractice
• Nursing home neglect
• Dangerous property conditions

These are merely a few examples. If you are not sure whether your case qualifies as an instance of compensable accidental death, one of our New York City accidental death attorneys can review the details and assess the viability of pursuing compensation.

New York City Accidental Death Cases: Essential Criteria

Reviewing your case with a New York City accidental death lawyer can be a great way to determine if you have grounds to file a claim or lawsuit. In general, you may have a valid New York City accidental death case if you can establish that it meets the following criteria. You must be able to prove that:

• Your loved one died
• The circumstances which caused their death were the result of another party’s negligence
• Given the nature of the other party’s negligence, your loved one would have had justification to file a claim or lawsuit if they had merely been injured instead of killed
• You and/or other survivors have sustained specific losses

Those entitled to compensation in New York City accidental death cases are typically spouses, children, and sometimes parents and/or siblings of the deceased. Some of the losses for which you may be entitled to compensation include funeral expenses, medical bills, lost earnings, lost support, and more. Contact our personal injury law firm in New York City to get a better sense of which losses you can be compensated for.

New York City Accidental Death Cases: How to Seek Compensation

The process of pursuing compensation in a New York City accidental death case typically involves the following key steps:

Identifying Negligence

In most cases, you can begin to seek compensation from a negligent party by filing a lawsuit against their insurance. However, before you do so, you must first accurately identify who the negligent party is. In some instances, this requires working with an accidental death law firm to conduct a thorough investigation.

Perhaps your loved one was crossing the street and lost their life when a motorist struck them. You might naturally assume your loved one’s death was the result of the driver’s negligence.

This may be the case, but there are other possibilities in this scenario. Perhaps the driver was not negligent at all. Maybe they only struck your loved one because a defect the vehicle’s designers or manufacturers overlooked prevented them from applying the brakes in time.

You can only collect a payout if you pursue compensation from those actually responsible for providing it. Our New York City accidental death lawyers can help you identify the negligent parties and gather evidence showing how they caused your loved one’s accident.

Determining Fair Compensation

It can be difficult to understand how much compensation is considered fair for your specific case. You may need to account for a wide range of losses, some of which may not have a monetary value.

Determining fair compensation can be particularly difficult in New York City accidental death cases because you may also need to estimate how much money your lost loved one would have earned if they had lived for several more years. Our accidental death lawyers can evaluate all of your losses and help you pursue fair compensation.

Filing a Claim or Lawsuit

When filing a claim against an insurance company after a loved one’s death, you must be able to:

• Provide sufficient evidence proving your loved one’s death resulted from another’s negligence
• Request a specific amount of compensation
• Provide evidence showing why you believe you are entitled to the compensation you are seeking

Be aware that some insurers may try to pay as little as possible. Their legal teams may argue that you do not deserve the compensation you are pursuing.

This is perhaps the most important reason to hire a personal injury lawyer in New York City when pursuing compensation for an accidental death. A qualified attorney can negotiate effectively with the insurance companies and go to trial on your behalf if needed.

Why Choose Shulman & Hill?

We understand that coping with the unexpected passing of a loved one is a very painful experience. That is why we try to approach these cases with as much sensitivity and compassion as possible.

In addition to the emotional trauma your family is dealing with, your financial stability may be compromised as well. Because of this, we offer free legal consultations for personal injury victims. Call us today at 212.221.1000 for assistance.