Have you experienced the sudden and unexpected death of a family member in a Salt Lake City, UT? Don’t hesitate to call McMinn Personal Injury Lawyers. You have rights as a surviving spouse, child, or parent, which can include the ability to take legal action against the party responsible for your loved one’s premature death. Our experienced Salt Lake City wrongful death lawyers can help ease your pain and fight to get the financial justice your family deserves.
For decades, we have helped families in Salt Lake City navigate the most painful times in their lives. Led by award-winning Utah trial attorneys with over 40 years of combined experience, our law firm has been instrumental in recovering over 500 million dollars from negligent motorists, insurance companies, manufacturers, government agencies, and employers after devastating accidents.
Don’t settle for less than your family’s wrongful death case is worth. Choose McMinn Personal Injury Lawyers and trust us to fight for every cent you deserve. We offer a free consultation, so contact us at (385) 462-7630.
Just because you have the right to file a wrongful death claim in Salt Lake City, Utah doesn’t mean that getting compensation will be easy. Insurance adjusters are highly skilled individuals who can appear to be sympathetic to your loss while simultaneously working to dismantle your legal claim for damages. They know you’re going through an incredibly difficult time and may try to take advantage of you.
Choosing McMinn Personal Injury Lawyers shows the insurance company that you won’t be pushed around and that you’re willing to be patient to get the results your family deserves. We’re top-rated trial attorneys with a proven ability to challenge powerful corporations and win life-changing case results for our clients.
Our determined approach to litigation and unwavering support of our clients’ rights have earned us top honors from respected organizations, including Super Lawyers, The National Trial Lawyers, and the American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys.
Our Salt Lake City personal injury lawyers are here to make sure your family has the opportunity to grieve privately by handling all aspects of your wrongful death lawsuit for you:
We represent families on a contingency fee basis. We don’t get paid unless we win compensation for your wrongful death case. Even better, our fees come right out of the compensation we recover, so it costs nothing out of your own pocket to hire our personal injury law firm.
There’s no charge for an initial case review. Contact our Salt Lake City wrongful death attorneys to get started now.
Utah’s wrongful death statute can be found in Section 78B-3-106 of the state’s code. It defines wrongful death as “the death of a person…caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another.”
Some of the most common causes of wrongful death in Salt Lake City include:
If you’ve lost a close family member in an accident or as the result of a criminal act of violence, don’t hesitate to call our Salt Lake City wrongful death attorneys. We’re here to evaluate your situation, explain your potential legal options, and help you fight to hold those responsible for your loss accountable for the grief and suffering you’ve experienced.
Yes. While some states require a wrongful death claim to be filed by the personal representative of the decedent’s estate, Utah empowers family members to bring claims on their own.
This includes a surviving:
Alternatively, a personal representative can file a claim on the heir’s behalf. This is most common in situations where a child loses a parent in a Salt Lake City accident.
Wrongful death cases are different from other types of personal injury claims. This is perhaps most evident in regard to the types of damages that can be awarded to the plaintiff(s). After all, wrongful death claims are designed to compensate surviving family members for how the death of a person has affected their lives. So, the types of damages that can be awarded are intended to reflect that.
In Utah, the plaintiff in a wrongful death action can pursue both economic damages and non-economic damages as long as they are just. In other words, a family can recover fair and reasonable compensation.
Economic damages are paid to help the family cope with the financial costs of the loss, including:
Non-economic damages are awarded to help the family navigate more personal and subjective trauma related to their loss, such as:
If your wrongful death lawsuit goes to trial, a jury can also have the power to award punitive damages if there’s compelling evidence that the defense acted intentionally or displayed a conscious disregard for the decedent’s welfare.
There are times when more than one person’s negligent or wrongful actions might contribute to an accident. Utah has adopted a system of modified comparative negligence to handle situations of shared fault.
Sharing responsibility for an accident in which you’re injured will either limit or bar a financial recovery. If a decedent shares responsibility for an accident in which they’re killed, it’ll affect any related wrongful death lawsuits brought by their family.
Here’s how it works:
So, let’s say your spouse was killed in a truck accident in Salt Lake City, UT. Your wrongful death claim is valued to be worth one million dollars. However, your spouse is assigned 20 percent of the blame for the fatal 18-wheeler crash. As a result, your maximum financial recovery, whether negotiated through a settlement or awarded by a jury, will be no more than $800,000.
We will work hard to dispute any claims that your family member played a part in their fatal accident. The less liability they share, the more your family can potentially recover when your wrongful death case is resolved.
Yes, it’ll be important to take prompt action because Utah has strict rules about when a wrongful death lawsuit can be filed. In most situations, a two-year statute of limitations applies.
This gives you two years from the date of your family member’s death to take action.
Missing the deadline set by the statute of limitations can’t be an option. Once time runs out, your family will give up the right to sue those responsible for your tragic loss.
You’ve suffered an unimaginable loss. The resulting costs and suffering can be overwhelming. The good news is that you might be able to recover compensation from those responsible for the accident that changed your life forever and that the award-winning legal team at McMinn Personal Injury Lawyers can help you fight for a maximum recovery.
Our Salt Lake City wrongful death lawyers offer compassionate, trustworthy legal representation backed by over 40 years of collective experience. As tireless advocates for our clients, we’ve helped our clients win over $500 million in jury awards and settlements.
Contact our law office in Salt Lake City, Utah, to discover the considerable benefits of working with our award-winning team. There’s no charge for an initial case evaluation.
