What is an Example of a Wrongful Death?

Usually, a wrongful death is any fatal injury. For people under 44, unintentional injuries are, by far, the leading cause of death. Fatal medical errors, such as misdiagnosis errors, fall into this category as well. Some of the more common mistakes that cause wrongful death are discussed below.

We all make mistakes, and we are all responsible for those mistakes. This responsibility includes paying compensation when necessary. The compensation in a wrongful death case usually includes money for pecuniary losses, such as final expenses, lost future financial support, and lost future emotional support. Wrongful Death Lawyers Los Angeles can obtain additional punitive damages as well, in some extreme cases.

Car Wrecks

The number of fatal car crashes has increased since the coronavirus pandemic. During COVID-19 lockdowns, many drivers picked up some bad habits, such as driving drunk and speeding excessively, as mentioned above. Like most bad habits, these habits have proven to be easy to form and hard to break. The coronavirus pandemic is now in the rear view mirror, but in many cases, these bad habits persist.

Drunk driving is an example of driver impairment. Other kinds of driver impairment in California include:

• Fatigue: Drowsiness and alcohol have the same basic effects on the body and brain. Both conditions adversely affect motor skills and judgement abilities. Furthermore, there’s no quick fix for either kind of impairment. Only time cures alcohol impairment, and only sleep cures fatigue impairment.
• Distraction: Hand-held devices get most of the attention in this area. They combine all three forms of distraction, which are visual (eyes off the road), manual (hand off the wheel), and cognitive (mind off driving). Other kinds of distraction, such as using a hands-free device while driving, are almost as hazardous.
• Medical Condition: A serious medical condition, like heart disease or epilepsy, could cause a sudden loss of consciousness behind the wheel. In that case, the tortfeasor’s (negligent driver’) vehicle careens out of control. Everyday illnesses, like colds and flus, regularly impair driving abilities

Usually an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney obtains additional compensation in these cases. These tortfeasors know they shouldn’t drive, but they got behind the wheel anyway.

Speeding is an example of aggressive driving. Speed increases the risk of a wreck and the force in a collision. Other kinds of aggressive driving include:

• Turning unsafely,
• Failing to maintain proper following distance,
• Disregarding a traffic control device, and
• Failing to maintain a proper lookout.

Either the ordinary negligence doctrine or negligence per se shortcut could apply in these cases. Ordinary negligence is usually a lack of reasonable care and a failure to obey the rules of the road. Negligence per se is a violation of a safety law, like the DUI law.

Medical Errors

The opioid epidemic, which began around 2010, vaulted the number of drug overdoses from practically none to tens of thousands per year. Many opioid painkillers, such as fentanyl, are more than strong enough to cause an overdose death. Other times, when doctors cut off pain pills, the users turn to heroin, which is an even more dangerous drug.

Sometimes, a medical error causes a drug overdose death. Many doctors write prescriptions and don’t ask too many questions. Other times, a property owner turns a blind eye to drug use at a house or apartment. A Personal Injury Lawyer Beverly Hills forces these negligent parties to compensate the survivors of wrongful death victims.

We mentioned misdiagnosis above. Misdiagnosis, often cancer misdiagnosis, kills over 800,000 Americans every year.

Falls

Falls from a height, such as falls at construction sites, are normally fatal. A fall from as little as four stories above ground is sufficient to kill most people.

Slip-and-fall incidents are often fatal as well, either immediately after a fall or some time thereafter, especially if the victim has a pre-existing condition. The pre-existing condition could also increase the risk of a fall, in addition to the severity. In fact, falls are the leading cause of injury-related death for people over 60.

Usually, a Beverly Hills Personal Injury Attorney can obtain maximum compensation in these cases. An insurance company cannot use a pre-existing condition as an excuse to reduce or deny compensation to survivors.

In California, falls are premises liability matters. Usually, negligent property owners are liable for fall injury damages. Other kinds of premises liability injuries, which in many cases are fatal, include dog bites, swimming pool drownings, and negligent security-related assaults.

Contact a personal injury attorney today!

The primary examples of wrongful death are falls, car crashes, and medical mistakes. For a free consultation with an experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, contact the Law Offices of Eslamboly Hakim. We do not charge upfront legal fees in these matters.

Credit: Photo by Midjourney