Wrongful Death
Helping Families After a Wrongful Death
A death in the family is devastating and heart-wrenching, especially when a loved one dies because of someone else’s negligence. Family members left behind are confronted with the sudden and shocking loss.
Pursuing Answers and Compensation
When the spouse, parent, sibling or other relative of a wrongful death victim contacts our wrongful death attorneys, we see their pain and know this is an emotionally challenging time. There are so many questions:
- How did this happen?
- Why wasn’t something done to prevent our loved one’s death?
- How can we survive emotionally and financially after this tragedy?
- How will we pay the medical bills and funeral costs?
At Gary Martin Hays & Associates, our wrongful death lawyers have the resources and the willingness to investigate and litigate wrongful death cases. Using some of the nation’s top experts, we will cut through the red tape and smokescreens to find out what happened, how it happened, and how it could have been prevented. You may be able to prevent it from happening to someone else.
What Is a Wrongful Death?
A wrongful death is any death that was directly or indirectly caused by negligence, willful conduct or indifference to the safety of others. In some cases, the person is killed instantly or dies shortly after the accident. In other wrongful death cases, the person may die months or even years afterward because of complications or illness tracing back to the injury.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Claim?
In Georgia, the surviving spouse can file to recover damages from the responsible parties, and any compensation received is shared with minor children.
If there is no surviving spouse, the right to a wrongful death lawsuit belongs to the children. (Minor children may be represented by a court-appointed guardian.)
If there is no spouse or children, the rights pass to the parents of the deceased.
When there is no spouse, child or parent, the administrator of the estate can file a claim on behalf of the next of kin.
The wrongful death law firm of Gary Martin Hays & Associates has helped families recover damages in a wide range of circumstances and types of accidents including:
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Nursing home abuse and neglect
- Dangerous & defective products:
- Workplace Injuries
- Catastrophic injuries
Time is Critical
Contact Gary Martin Hays & Associates as soon as possible so that we can preserve the evidence, take photos, and interview witnesses. We consult with medical experts, accident reconstruction specialists, law enforcement and experts with knowledge in specific fields.
It is also critical to file a wrongful death claim as soon as possible if negligence is indicated. The claim must be filed within two years of the death, and the time frame is less for certain types of accidents. Our attorneys can advise on when a claim must be filed in your case.
Wrongful Death Compensation
In a wrongful death claim the survivors can ask for:
- Medical expenses
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Loss of earnings and benefits (pension, retirement, or medical coverage)
- Pain and suffering of the victim (if applicable)
- Loss of companionship to the survivors
Additionally, punitive damages may be claimed under certain circumstances.
Gary Martin Hays & Associates handles wrongful death cases throughout Georgia from our offices in Atlanta (Duluth) and Athens. We offer a free initial consultation. You have absolutely nothing to lose by calling us. But think of what you can lose if you don't. Contact our Georgia wrongful death attorneys 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Life Care Plans and Comprehensive Medical Care
The compassionate personal injury attorneys of Gary Martin Hays & Associates meet with the family and medical experts to discuss the victim's emotional well-being and the prognosis for recovery.
We help draft a life care plan that may include compensation for:
- Medical expenses and lost wages to date
- Replacement of projected future income
- Pain and suffering
- Physical therapy and/or home care
- Psychological counseling
- Remodeling of the home to accommodate the disability
- Job skills re-training
- Future surgery, medical devices, medication and treatment
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of companionship for family members
We work closely with some of the top medical experts to ensure that the victim receives the best care and the most comfort possible.
Call Gary Martin Hays & Associates at 866.710.4116
We can help if your loved one’s catastrophic injury resulted from any type of accident or negligence, from any kind of auto accident or on-the-job accident to a nursing home accident or defective product accident.
Our personal injury lawyers know what questions to ask, how to find the answers, and how to present an effective claim to the insurance company. When necessary, we have the experience to wage an effective court battle on behalf of serious injury victims.
