5 Types of Wrongful Death Cases

The death of a loved one is never an easy thing to go through, but they are even more traumatic if the death if caused by another person’s negligence, known as a wrongful death.

When tragedies like this happen, a legal firm can help those who relied on the deceased for emotional or financial support. Family members who have been affected are able to receive compensation for their losses through the help of their lawyer.

There are five common types of wrongful death cases.

1. Car accidents

The roads are becoming increasingly dangerous, and car accidents are one of the most common cause of wrongful deaths. Car accidents can be caused by a number of things, some of which are unavoidable such as poor weather conditions or icy roads.

However, thousands of fatalities occur every year on the roads, and an unfortunate amount are due to one driver’s negligence, resulting from drink driving or lack of concentration whilst on the road. These accidents that result in the loss of one or more lives due to someone else’s recklessness are counted as wrongful death cases.

2. Truck accidents

Similarly, truck accidents are a common cause of wrongful death cases. These deaths are in a completely separate category due to the huge size and weight difference between trucks and other vehicles. Because trucks are larger than other vehicles, they are more likely to cause a death in an accident.

Accidents can be a result of overloading the truck, mechanical failure, or through driver error or negligence.

3. Medical malpractice

Although the majority of healthcare professionals are extremely competent, mistakes can still occur. Human error occurs in medical practice, and can lead to wrongful death cases. The most common errors are misdiagnosis or failure to make the correct diagnosis, and surgical errors. These mistakes can lead to somebody losing their life.

4. Defective products

Manufacturers spend a lot of time and money running tests to ensure their products are safe. When somebody wrongfully dies due to a defective product, it is the manufacturer who is held responsible.

Defective products can range from harmful toxins being present in food or children’s toys, incorrect ingredients in food, or defective pharmaceutical products.

5. Workplace accidents

Accidents, whether big or small, and wrongful death cases can happen in any workplace. They are especially prevalent in those that involve manual labour or construction.

Fatalities can occur inside the office or onsite, but they can also happen outside of the workplace if the employee is placed in a difficult situation due to their job. If this is the case, the employer is responsible for causing the wrongful death, and may be liable.

For example, if somebody has been working a long overnight shift, and they are in a car accident as they drive home due to being exhausted and unable to concentrate, they could end up losing their life. This would be classed as a workplace accident, and leads to a wrongful death case.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or the management of EconoTimes