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Wrongful Death
Hi. My name is John Cooper and I am one of the lawyers here at Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton, where all we do is injury work. I love that slogan because it tells you that we really are focused in one particular area of law and know it really well. A lot of other firms say that they can do injury work, but they are also dividing their attention with lots of other kinds of cases.
One of the most tragic situations that can occur in a wreck involving a car, a train or a truck is the death of a loved one. Lawyers call this wrongful death. It is when a person is killed by the fault or negligence of another person or company. A wrongful death case in Virginia is governed by a particular written law that says what the family is entitled to when they get in the unfortunate situation of having a loved one killed by an accident. The amount of damages is set forth in this law as to what the family would be entitled to. Specifically, this law talks about compensating the family in an amount that seems just and fair for the sorrow, mental anguish and solace, which includes things like the loss of the companionship of the person, the loss of the comfort and guidance which a husband, father, wife or mother provides to the family, the loss of the advice and the love of that person. In addition, there are often economic losses associated with someone who is killed in an accident. These would include the loss of their income into the future. The financial damages would also include the loss of the value that they provide to the family by all of the activities of daily living that they provide as far as protection, care and assistance to the family from cutting the lawn to going to the grocery store. Economists are able to put particular numbers to have the jury understand the financial impact to a family, especially when a wage earner or the major homemaker is taken from the family.
If you or a loved one has suffered this kind of tragic loss in an accident, please contact us, so that we can make sure that the party who wrongfully killed your family member is held accountable and their insurance company pays what they should pay to help your family deal with the future without your loved one.