Helping Families in Grand Rapids with the Grief of Losing a Loved One
Fighting for Your Rights
in Your Hour of Need
Losing someone you love to a fatal accident can be devastating. Aside from experiencing emotional pain and suffering, you may also be dealing with financial hardship. While no amount of money can replace your loved one or eliminate the pain, help from an attorney can reduce your stress and allow you to work through the grieving process. The Grand Rapids wrongful death lawyers at Goodman Acker can help you and your family recover after losing a loved one through a wrongful death claim if someone else’s misconduct or negligence caused the accident.
Our wrongful death lawyers in Grand Rapids, MI, are here for you in your time of need, helping your family get justice. Contact us today to learn about your options.
What Is Wrongful Death?
When a person dies due to the misconduct or negligence of another that resulted in an accident, the victim’s family can sue the at-fault party for wrongful death. The family can pursue damages to cover medical bills, funeral and burial costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering. In the state of Michigan, a wrongful death claim can be made by the following family members:
- Spouse
- Children
- Parents
- Grandparents
- Siblings
- Stepchildren
- Anyone appointed in the victim’s will
- The victim’s estate.
Not every death can be considered a wrongful death. Sometimes, an accident is simply that — a tragic accident for you and your family. Under Michigan law, the same threshold of negligence in a personal injury case must be established in a wrongful death. In fact, that’s the general rule of thumb for determining whether a wrongful death occurred — would the deceased have been eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit against the defendant if they had survived their injuries?
Michigan also has a statute of limitations on wrongful death claims of three years from when the death occurred. If you’ve lost a loved one, don’t wait to speak with a wrongful death attorney in Grand Rapids. Reach out to the knowledgeable team at Goodman Acker, and they will help you determine whether you have the right to a wrongful death claim.
What Types of Accidents Can Result in Wrongful Death?
A wide variety of accidents can end up fatal due to the misconduct or negligence of the at-fault party, resulting in a wrongful death claim. Accidents include, but are not limited to:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Bus accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Product malfunction
- Slip-and-fall accidents
- Work-related accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Bicycle accidents.
To prove the at-fault party’s negligence, your wrongful death attorney will investigate your case to gather and examine all relevant information. Evidence may include witness statements, police reports, medical records, doctor statements, video footage, and photographs. Your Goodman Acker lawyer will use this evidence to determine how the accident happened, who was at fault, and whether they were negligent.
Why Choose Us?
Experienced Wrongful Death Lawyers in Grand Rapids, MI
The team at Goodman Acker, led by Barry Goodman, understands that this is a difficult time for you. However, there’s also a limited time when you can file a wrongful death claim, and the sooner you get started, the better. Our wrongful death attorneys have the skill, knowledge, and experience to handle these types of cases. We have over 150 years of combined experience with over a 99% success rate in winning cases. The team at Goodman Acker is available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and offers a free consultation to evaluate your case.
We have recovered millions of dollars for our clients, always striving to maximize awards to reduce the financial strain placed on the family after a wrongful death. Wrongful death is not a criminal matter, so you must pursue a wrongful death claim to receive compensation for your loss. As long as the death of your loved one can be traced back to the misconduct or negligence of the at-fault party, you could have a valid case.
How the Goodman Acker Legal Team Can Help
We have a proven track record of success, vast experience litigating multiple defendants, and tough negotiating skills. Goodman Acker, a legal team with over 150 years of combined experience litigating personal injury and wrongful death claims, helps families just like yours after the devastating death of a loved one.
We have resources that other law firms may not, including access to experts who can testify on your behalf and accurately reconstruct the incident that caused the death of your loved one. We carefully build a case against the defendant, incorporating medical expert testimony and accident reconstructionist opinions as part of our strategy.
We begin your case with an independent investigation into the circumstances and actions surrounding your loved one’s death, then build the case against the negligent party. Your wrongful death attorney properly values your claim and will work tirelessly to help you be compensated fairly. We understand that no amount of money can return your family member to you, but your loved one would not have wanted your family to suffer financial hardship. Your claim can include funds to help fulfill plans you and your loved one had, such as sending children to college or preparing well for retirement.
What Types of Damages Can Be Recovered with a Wrongful Death Claim?
You can seek both compensatory and punitive damages in a wrongful death claim. Compensatory damages can be broken down into economic and non-economic damages.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are those that can be quantified, such as:
- Medical bills after the accident
- Funeral and burial costs
- Lost wages from work and loss of earning potential
- Loss of a pension and contributions to retirement accounts.
When your Grand Rapids, MI, wrongful death lawyer values your case, they consider how your loved one would have contributed to family finances had they lived. Lost wages can include what your loved one would have earned had they lived to retirement age, as well as any pensions they would have been eligible for if they continued in their job. Other considerations when tallying economic damages would include property damage, such as a totaled vehicle after a car wreck.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are compensation for the pain, suffering, and emotional impact of losing a family member due to another party’s negligence. Non-economic damages your wrongful death lawyer may ask for include consideration of:
- Your emotional trauma and mental anguish
- The pain and suffering your loved one experienced prior to their death
- The loss of companionship, spousal intimacy, or guidance of a parent
- The loss of consortium and love and affection
- The loss of contribution to the household, such as labor provided by a stay-at-home parent.
Non-economic damages are typically calculated based on the value of the claim’s economic damages. However, some cases may be more difficult to value than others. For example, in the case of the loss of a child, their economic contributions to the family would have been little, but the emotional impact of losing a child would be enormous, so the non-economic damages could be greater.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are a form of financial punishment assessed by a judge in cases where the defendant was egregiously negligent or reckless. If the defendant is found to have acted with reckless disregard for the safety of others, they may pay the plaintiff punitive damages on top of the actual damages. Judges may use punitive damages to punish the defendant and to set an example to others in a similar industry who may be tempted to cut the same corners or ignore safety protocols.
Why File a Wrongful Death Claim?
There’s no way to put a price tag on your loved one’s life, and a wrongful death claim isn’t trying to do that. Wrongful death claims are a way to ensure that the liable party is held accountable for their actions. These claims are also a way to help the family of the deceased move on financially. Losing a parent or spouse can be devastating to the home finances. A wrongful death claim can help alleviate the added stress caused by this financial burden.
When you file a wrongful death claim, you’ll be asked to prove that your loved one’s death resulted from the at-fault party’s misconduct or negligence. You’ll also be asked to calculate your damages. This is where the experienced team at Goodman Acker can step in to keep the emotions out of the claim and assess what a fair settlement would be for you and your family. Failing to examine the entirety of your claim could mean you lose out on thousands of dollars, which may leave you lacking the financial security required to move forward.
FAQ
Many families struggle with choosing to file a wrongful death suit in the first place. It can be difficult to view your loved one’s life in terms of monetary value. Once you decide, you’re likely to have many questions and worries. Our Grand Rapids wrongful death attorneys answer some of the most common questions people have after a wrongful death.
Yes. We often see cases where the deceased was a stay-at-home parent or caregiver and contributed toward the family in a non-monetary manner. You are still entitled to compensation for their loss from the party that caused their death. Calculating the value of these claims can be tricky; , but we have years of experience doing so and will explain how we arrive at the figures for economic and non-economic damages.
This depends on whether the district attorney determines that there is enough evidence that a crime has been committed. Wrongful death suits are civil matters intended to make the plaintiff financially whole, not criminal matters. Therefore, even if the defendant loses the lawsuit, they won’t be sentenced to jail. However, they could still face charges in criminal court.
Yes, you are entitled to seek damages for the loss of a child or grandparent. In some cases, the economic damages may be quite modest. However, a judge and jury may consider the impact of your loss, especially with the loss of a child due to negligence or recklessness, when awarding non-economic or punitive damages.
We start with a demand letter to the other party to pay a fair settlement, and if they refuse to do so, we attempt to settle out of court in mediation. However, if your case has a trial, you can trust the Goodman Acker wrongful death attorneys to fight hard in court.
We know you probably have dozens of questions after the wrongful death of your loved one. We can answer questions specific to your case in your initial free consultation.
Have You Lost a Loved One in a Preventable Accident?
Contact a Grand Rapids Wrongful Death Lawyer Today!
Give our Grand Rapids office a call today at (248) 286-8100 for a free consultation. We will match you with an experienced wrongful death lawyer who will evaluate your case and provide you with an estimated settlement amount. You can reach us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by phone or by filling out our secure online messaging form, and a Grand Rapids wrongful death attorney will get back to you.
LEGALLY REVIEWED BY BARRY J. GOODMAN
Barry J. Goodman has devoted his professional life to keeping courthouse doors open for victims seeking justice. Always a tireless advocate for his own clients, Goodman sees his responsibility as a Detroit personal injury attorney in a broader sense as well. [ Attorney Bio ]
ABOUT GOODMAN ACKER
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