Spartanburg Wrongful Death Lawyer
Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for people under 45. Vehicle collisions, falls, and poisonings are the three most common causes of wrongful death. As outlined below, these tragedies can occur suddenly and without warning or slowly over time. In each case, survivors need and deserve financial compensation. No amount of money can fill the emotional void that a wrongful death leaves. But the Spartanburg wrongful death lawyer at the Stanley Law Group can make the future a little brighter for survivors.
Compensation in a wrongful death claim, or any other personal injury case, is a process, not a result. Some wrongful death claims settle almost immediately. Usually, however, attorneys must file legal paperwork to jumpstart settlement negotiations. If an attorney prepares the case carefully enough, it will survive pretrial challenges and, in most cases, the judge will appoint a mediator. This professional ensures that both sides negotiate in good faith. Once that happens, good things usually happen for survivors.
Spartanburg Wrongful Death Lawyers and Creeping Wrongful Death
We mentioned unintentional poisonings above. Frequently, these poisonings are environmental poisonings, like drinking contaminated water from a well, or defective drug-related poisonings (e.g. a medicine that causes cancer later in life).
The wrongful death could be many years after the exposure. Asbestos is a good example. Diseases like mesothelioma have about a fifty-year latency period. So, these victims are ill for decades and do not know it.
Normally, the statute of limitations in a personal injury matter is two years. By the time many victims discover their illnesses, that short deadline has long passed.
The delayed discovery rule is basically a snooze bar on the statute of limitations alarm clock. Victims or survivors must file injury or wrongful death claims two years after they discover their injuries and they connect those injuries with another party’s wrongful conduct.
Assume Victor took Drug X in 2025 for six months. In 2027, the company added a cancer side-effects warning. But Victor didn’t see that warning, because he was no longer taking Drug X. In 2037, his doctor says he has cancer. In 2039, he sees a documentary connecting Drug X with cancer.
A Spartanburg wrongful death lawyer would argue that Victor has until 2041 (two years after he discovered his illness and connected that illness with Drug X) to file a claim.
Sudden Wrongful Death
If people sustain fatal injuries in falls or car crashes, they usually succumb to those injuries within a few days. However, in those few days, their pain and suffering is usually intense. Additionally, family members may be entitled to compensation for their own pain and suffering. Sometimes, a lawyer must file a separate claim to obtain this compensation.
Damages in a wrongful death claim usually include compensation for the decedent’s final expenses, lost future financial support, decedent’s pain and suffering, and lost future emotional support. Often, attorneys partner with accountants and psychologists to determine a fair amount of damages in these cases.
Sometimes, creeping and sudden wrongful death claims overlap. For example, if Sarah falls at a nursing home, her physical condition might continue to deteriorate for months or years before she succumbs to her injuries.
Usually, the same compensation that is available in creeping and sudden wrongful death claims is also available in overlap claims.
Count on a Hard-Working Spartanburg County Lawyer
Injury victims are entitled to significant compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced wrongful death lawyer in Spartanburg, contact The Stanley Law Group. We routinely handle matters throughout the Palmetto State.
