Why seek help from a Wrongful Death Lawyer?

Wrongful Death Case

If you are dealing with the death of a loved one, it’s going to take a toll on many areas of your life. Turning to other loved ones to help ease the burden is one thing you can do to get through this tough time. If your loved one’s death was due to the negligence of another individual, you might qualify for compensation through a wrongful death lawsuit.

In most cases, these lawsuits can take from one to four years to settle, though it depends on a few factors.

The Discovery Process

During the discovery process, your lawyer and the lawyer representing the other party will be collecting evidence for malpractice. This could be in the form of witness depositions, police reports, camera footage, photographs, and other types of evidence. Sometimes it takes a while for all of these pieces of evidence to be collected. Maybe no witnesses have come forward yet. Maybe you have to wait for certain permissions before camera footage can be turned over. 

The discovery process can often be sped up with a court order. If your lawyer is trying to get certain witness statements, but those witnesses are being difficult and prolonging your case, the court might order that they speak. 

Scheduling

The discovery process has to be completed before the court will allow your case to proceed to trial. Depending on how many cases are awaiting trial in your local court, your case could be scheduled in a couple of months or even up to a year away.

Going to Trial

Some wrongful death cases are more simply settled outside of court, which will shorten the amount of time the settlement takes. If you are unable to reach an agreement with the other party, it could force your case to go to trial. In that case, it will be a longer period of time before you are able to come to a settlement.

Criminal Cases

Some wrongful death cases are also criminal cases. For example, if someone was driving drunk and hit the car your loved one was driving, your loved one’s death could be considered a criminal case. In most situations, wrongful death lawyers wait until criminal cases are complete before they will begin the wrongful death case, though this is not always how it goes.

Contact a Malpractice Lawyer in White Plains for More Information

If your loved one died at the hands of someone who could have prevented the death, you might be entitled to compensation for funeral and burial costs, medical bills, loss of financial support, and other expenses. Contact one of our wrongful death lawyers in White Plains to get more information about moving ahead with a lawsuit.

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