The Most Common Causes Of Wrongful Death In SW Florida
Corbin Sutter
Wrongful Death
People living in Fort Meyers or Punta Gorda just want to get on with their day-to-day lives, overcoming the challenges that face Americans today, such as an economy recovering from a global pandemic or dealing with the financial repercussions of sanctions on a country that is a global power. But occasionally, when people least expect it, death can come to someone we know, and in the most frustrating and traumatizing of cases, it was a death that should not have happened.A Preventable Tragedy
When a family member dies due to someone else’s negligence, incompetence or carelessness, this feels grossly unfair and like there should be a law against it. Fortunately, this is exactly the case, although it is not a criminal law that results in someone serving time in jail. Rather, “wrongful death,” as it is known, is a violation of civil law, and those found guilty of it in court are forced to pay back the surviving family members whatever has been deemed appropriate as financial compensation.
Several classic examples of wrongful death can go to court to extract damages provided evidence to support these claims. These examples are:
Car Accidents
One of the most common and tragic examples of easily preventable wrongful death is a car accident, especially one where drunk driving is involved. Many innocent drivers and passengers lose their lives to someone who should not have been driving a motor vehicle because alcohol had compromised their judgment, response time, and reflexes.
In this case, proving wrongful death is simple. A drunk driver should not be driving, and if a car accident involving deaths occurs, it is easy to point out that a drunk driver could have prevented those deaths by not driving.
Slip & Fall
More generally known as “premises liability,” this is when an injury or death occurs on someone else’s property due to negligence or improper attention. This runs a huge gamut of possible circumstances, such as in amusement parks where death occurs due to rides not being properly inspected or maintained. Or people falling from the second or third floor of a shopping mall due to poor maintenance of guard rails.
It can even happen in residential properties, such as a child getting access to a firearm not properly stored and discharging it, or someone murdered by a criminal who snuck into a condo complex that was supposed to be protected by cameras and security guards.
Murder
It’s even possible for someone who has committed the criminal act of murder to face additional civil lawsuits and criminal charges. If a family wishes for further additional punishment to a criminal, or they are not satisfied with the results of a criminal case—such as in the case of the OJ Simpson trial—then a wrongful death lawsuit is an alternative.
If you live in the Fort Meyers, Sarasota, or Port Charlotte region of Florida, and you’ve lost a family member to wrongful death and want those responsible for being held accountable, we can help. Talk to one of our experienced wrongful death attorneys, and we will help you get what you deserve.