Is it Worth Suing if I Lost a Family Member in a Car Crash?

Losing a family member in a car crash can be devastating. If this happened to you, you may feel overwhelmed to think about legal procedures. Still, you must know that you have the right to ask the driver who caused your loved one’s death for compensation. Filing a wrongful death suit is not about vengeance or sending the driver to jail, as that is done in criminal and not civil court. Filing a wrongful death suit is about recovering your losses and getting compensation for your pain and suffering.

Wrongful death lawsuits

You have the right to ask for compensation if one of your family members died because of someone else’s negligent behavior. The amount of this compensation may never be enough to make up for what you have lost, but it will help you significantly during this difficult time, especially if you depended financially on the person who died. Also, you can hold the driver at fault responsible by filing a lawsuit against them, even if they may already be facing criminal charges for what they did.

Your rightful compensation

In Florida, you can file a wrongful death claim against the negligent party if you are the deceased’s spouse, child or parent. You can also ask for compensation if you are another blood relative or adopted sibling and depended on the deceased financially. If you win the suit, you could get compensation for:

Medical expenses
Funeral expenses
Loss of financial support and services and loss of the deceased’s probable future income
Loss of companionship, guidance and protection, including compensation for your pain and suffering

For a legal claim to be valid in Florida, you must file it no later than 2 years after the day your loved one passed away. Otherwise, you may lose your right to ask for compensation.

Exercising your rights

You shouldn’t be enduring this loss. Neither should you be paying for your loved one’s funeral and medical expenses when the driver at fault should be doing that instead. You have been a victim of someone else’s negligence, and you have the power to fight back.