Call Us Today Losing someone you love because another person was careless leaves a hole that no amount of money can fill. In the middle of the grief, you may get a call from an insurance company offering a settlement, and it can feel easier to just take it and be done.
However, that first offer rarely reflects what your family has actually lost. A wrongful death lawyer in Deerfield Beach helps ensure you’re pursuing the entirety of your losses, from medical and funeral costs to the income and companionship that person provided.
Our Deerfield Beach personal injury lawyers can handle the legal side so you can focus on your family. Viles & Beckman has recovered more than $118 million for clients since 1995, working on contingency, so you pay nothing unless we win. Here is what you should know.
What Counts as a Wrongful Death in Florida?
A wrongful death happens when someone dies because another person or company acted carelessly or broke the law. Florida wrongful death law treats it as a death that would have been a personal injury claim if the person had survived. The wrong that caused a serious injury becomes a wrongful death claim once that injury takes the person’s life.
These claims arise from many situations. Car and truck crashes, motorcycle wrecks, and pedestrian accidents are common causes. So are medical mistakes, dangerous property conditions that lead to a fatal fall, defective products, and drownings at pools or the beach. Nursing home neglect and workplace accidents also lead to wrongful death claims.
The common thread is that someone had a duty to act with reasonable care, failed to meet it, and a death followed. Proving that connection is the heart of the case.
Expect More, Receive More: Legal Support That Feels Like Family
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Claim?
This is one of the parts of Florida law that surprises grieving families the most. In Florida, the surviving family members do not each file their own lawsuit. The personal representative of the deceased person’s estate files a single claim on behalf of everyone who lost something.
The personal representative is often named in the person’s will. When there is no will, the court appoints someone, usually a close family member. That one person brings the claim, but the recovery is meant to benefit the survivors the law recognizes.
Those survivors can include the spouse, children, parents, and sometimes other blood relatives who depended on the person financially. Sorting out who qualifies and what each person can recover gets complicated fast, and it is one of the first things a Deerfield Beach wrongful death lawyer helps a family work through.
(239) 334-3933 Why the First Settlement Offer Deserves a Second Look
Insurance companies know that a grieving family wants the legal process over with quickly. They also know that a fast offer, made before anyone has added up the true cost of the loss, saves them money. That is why the first number often arrives quickly and feels like a relief.
If you accept it and sign the release, the case is closed for good. You cannot reopen it later when you realize the settlement only covered funeral expenses and did not account for decades of lost income or for the support your children needed as they grew up. The full value of a wrongful death claim reaches far beyond the immediate bills.
A wrongful death attorney in Deerfield Beach takes into account all the damages associated with the death of that person, including the earnings the person would have brought home over a lifetime and the value of the guidance and care they gave their family. Reviewing an offer with an attorney before you accept costs you nothing and often changes what the claim is worth.
Click To ContactWhat Can You Recover in a Wrongful Death Claim?
Florida law separates what the estate can recover from what the surviving family members can recover. Knowing the difference helps you understand where the money in these cases comes from.
The estate itself can recover the medical bills tied to the final injury, funeral and burial expenses, and the earnings and benefits the person would have accumulated if they had lived.
Surviving family members can recover for the loss of support and services the person provided, the loss of companionship and guidance, and the mental pain and suffering that comes with losing a spouse, parent, or child. A spouse can claim the loss of that partnership. Children can claim the loss of a parent’s guidance. Parents can claim the mental pain of losing a child.
Every family’s losses look different, and the value depends on the person’s age, income, health, and role in the family.
The Two-Year Wrongful Death Lawsuit Deadline in Florida
Florida gives families a limited window to file a wrongful death lawsuit. In most cases, that window is two years from the date of death (Fla. Stat. § 95.11(4)(d)). Miss it, and the court will usually refuse to hear the case, no matter how clear the other side’s fault was.
Some cases also need months of investigation before a claim is ready to file. Starting early gives your lawyer the time to build the case properly instead of racing a deadline.
There are narrow exceptions that can shorten or extend the timeline, especially in cases against government entities, which come with their own shorter notice requirements. A Deerfield Beach wrongful death attorney can tell you exactly how much time you have based on the facts of your situation.
Contact a Deerfield Beach Wrongful Death Attorney
Viles & Beckman has represented injured people and grieving families across South Florida since 1995, with more than 40 years of combined experience among our attorneys. Our firm has recovered over $118 million for clients and treats no case as too small to matter.
Viles & Beckman works on contingency. You pay nothing up front, and nothing at all unless the firm recovers money for your family. That arrangement lets you get strong legal help at the hardest time in your life without worrying about the cost.
If you lost a family member because someone else was careless, contact us for a free case evaluation. Reach out to Viles & Beckman today.
