Nothing is more difficult than losing someone you love. The surviving family members of victims are often shocked and overwhelmed after a sudden death, leaving them both emotionally and financially unprepared to cope with the loss. Families are forced to tend to unexpected and expensive end-of-life matters that can rob them of the time they need to grieve—and in some cases, can rob them of much more.
Bills may pile up, credit collectors may be calling, and people may be forced to sell their homes, cars, and other possessions to pay off debts that were once taken care of by the income of the deceased. With experience in wrongful death cases, attorney Coy H. Browning can help you through this difficult time.
Justice for Wrongful Deaths Caused by Florida Car Accidents
Many survivors do not know that Florida laws allow them to file lawsuits after a family member is killed as a result of someone else’s negligence. Your family could receive compensation for the effects that the loss of your loved one has had on your family, making the person responsible for the death liable for past and future costs that resulted from the crash. Call the Browning Law Firm today to find out how we can help.
Wrongful death claims involve two types of payments, or damages: economic and non-economic. Economic damages are the actual calculated costs that your family has lost due to payments or due to lost earnings caused by the death. Economic damages must be totaled carefully, and can include past and future medical bills, lost future income, lost retirement benefits and bonuses, and funeral or other end-of-life expenses. On the other hand, non-economic damages compensate the family for non-monetary losses associated with the death—something that can be hard to assign a specific dollar value.
Non-economic damages for a wrongful death may include:
- Emotional distress. Children and other survivors can collect damages for the emotional distress caused by their loved one’s untimely death, especially if the circumstances surrounding the death were traumatizing or unnecessarily severe.
- Loss of consortium. Families are deprived of many different types of companionship after a death, commonly referred to as a loss of consortium. Spouses are deprived of a loving relationship they have spent years cultivating with a partner, as well as the loss of a marital sexual relationship. Children may experience a loss of consortium due to an inability to seek advice, shelter, comfort, and other benefits from the deceased parent.
- Pain and suffering. Survivors can sue for pain and suffering on their own behalf, as well as on behalf of the deceased. If the loved one who was killed suffered a great deal of pain, surgeries, mental anguish, and other suffering before succumbing to his injuries, additional compensation may be awarded.
- Punitive damages. In some cases, a judge may award surviving family members punitive damages intended to punish the person who was responsible for the accident. Punitive damages are often awarded in cases of extreme negligence, such as when a trucker causes a crash due to too many hours behind the wheel, or a driver runs a red light because he had taken prescription medications before driving.
Let Us Help You During This Difficult Time
As a former Florida State Trooper, attorney Coy H. Browning has seen the effects of deadly car accidents on both victims and their loved ones. The Browning Law Firm has investigative experience gathering necessary evidence after a crash, as well as the litigation experience to win your wrongful death claim. Not only have we successfully recovered multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for accident victims throughout Florida, we also do not collect legal fees from our clients unless we win their case. Call us today to speak with one of our legal representatives about your wrongful death claim.