Have you recently suffered the death of a spouse, child, or parent in a fatal accident in Chicago, Illinois? Contact Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys to discuss your legal rights and options. If someone else is responsible for your tragic loss, our Chicago wrongful death lawyers can help you fight to hold them financially accountable.
Since 2009, Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys has been a source of strength and support for grieving families in Chicago. We’re award-winning Illinois trial attorneys with a proven ability to help our clients take on powerful insurance companies and win big.
Our results are a testament to the work we do, with tens of millions in settlements and jury verdicts recovered for victims after been injured due to a truck accident, brain injury case, medical malpractice claim, Chicago catastrophic injury case, or an aviation accident.
Now we’re ready to help you fight for the compensation you deserve in the wake of your loved one’s death. Contact our law firm in Chicago, IL, at (312) 726-1616 to get started. Your initial case evaluation is free.
How Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys Can Help Your Family After a Fatal Accident in Chicago, IL
The insurance adjuster will be sympathetic to your loss. However, they’ll still try to find a way to limit your financial recovery or prevent a payout altogether. After all, insurance companies are more interested in profits than in making things right after a tragic accident.
Protect yourself from manipulative tactics and increase the odds of a meaningful financial award by turning to our experienced Chicago personal injury lawyers for help.
We’re known and respected litigators with a reputation for going above and beyond for our clients. We understand that this is your one shot at recovering compensation, and our team is prepared to invest whatever time and resources are needed to get you the best possible result.
Focus on grieving your loss and count on us to:
- Thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding your family member’s wrongful death
- Analyze police reports, accident reports, video footage, photographs, witness statements, forensic evidence, property damage, and other evidence pertinent to your case
- Consult professionals and expert witnesses who can assist in proving liability and calculating what your wrongful death case is worth
- Anticipate and defend against claims of shared responsibility
- Represent you and your family during settlement negotiations
- Explain the pros and cons of accepting any settlement offers extended by the defendant
- Have an award-winning trial attorney bring your wrongful death lawsuit to court in Cook County, IL, if you’re continually lowballed by the insurer
You’re going through an incredibly difficult time in your life. Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys can help to make the days, weeks, and months ahead easier.
We work on a contingency fee basis, so you pay absolutely nothing for our help unless we win or settle your wrongful death case. Call our Chicago law office to set up a free consultation to learn more.
What Is Wrongful Death?
Illinois’ Wrongful Death Act (740 ILCS 180/1) provides that a wrongful death occurs when:
- A person is killed because of the wrongful act, neglect, or default of another, and
- That person would have been entitled to bring a legal claim for damages if they’d survived.
In these situations, the right to take legal action shifts from the victim to their estate. The party responsible for causing the victim’s wrongful death can still be held financially accountable for their actions.
We Handle All Types of Wrongful Death Cases in Chicago
Under the right circumstances, just about any accident, act of violence, or traumatic event has the potential to be fatal.
At Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys, we have decades of experience representing families in wrongful death cases involving:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bus accidents
- Uber accidents
- Lyft accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Falls from heights
- Construction accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Nursing home abuse
- Premises liability
- Product liability
- Catastrophic injury
- Boating accidents
We have the resources and experience to take on powerful adversaries – including businesses, hospitals, healthcare providers, manufacturers, and insurance companies – and win big for our clients. Put our name, reputation, and experience to work for your benefit. Call our team to get started today.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Chicago, IL?
Some states give family members the right to take action and file a wrongful death lawsuit after the loss of a close family member. Illinois is not one of those states. Instead, the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit lies with the personal representative of the victim’s estate.
A personal representative is traditionally a person named by the victim in their will, often a spouse, child, or parent.
If there is no will or if no personal representative has been named, the court reserves the right to name one.
The personal representative files the wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the victim’s family. Damages are awarded to the estate and then distributed to the victim’s beneficiaries pursuant to their will and Illinois intestate law. Specifically, the Wrongful Death Act provides that damages “shall be for the exclusive benefit of the surviving spouse and next of kin.”
What Damages Are Available in Chicago Wrongful Death Cases?
Ultimately, the purpose of a wrongful death lawsuit is to compensate the victim’s surviving family members for their loss. So, the types of damages that are awarded in wrongful death cases are slightly different from those awarded in other types of personal injury cases.
Illinois law provides that families can receive both economic damages (intended to make up for financial losses) and non-economic damages (intended to compensate for more difficult-to-value trauma).
A successful wrongful death lawsuit can help you secure money for:
- The financial support the victim would have provided if they survived (e.g., lost wages, benefits, and earnings)
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Medical bills paid prior to the victim’s death
- The value of the services the victim would have provided to the household if they survived
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of society, companionship, education, and instruction
- Pain and suffering
Punitive damages can also be awarded in Illinois wrongful death lawsuits. However, these are restricted to situations where a defendant’s conduct was clearly intentional or grossly negligent. This is often seen in cases involving drunk driving accidents, hits and runs, assaults, medical negligence, and product liability.
The insurance company or at-fault party will work hard to dictate the terms of your wrongful death case. They’ll try to minimize the impact of your loved one’s death on your life and downplay the suffering you’ve endured. Our wrongful death attorneys in Chicago won’t let them.
We’ll meticulously build a compelling legal claim that clearly highlights liability and the scope and impact of your loved one’s tragic death on your life. We’ll enlist the help of highly regarded expert witnesses to provide added support. When it’s time to negotiate, we’ll make it clear that lowball offers will be rejected and that our firm will not hesitate to bring a case to trial.
Our detailed and aggressive approach can help you leverage a more meaningful award during negotiations or sway a jury to issue a life-changing payout at trial.
How Can Contributory Fault Affect My Wrongful Death Settlement?
Illinois operates under a system of modified comparative negligence. Under the law, a victim’s damages are subject to reduction if their own negligence contributes to an accident in which they’re injured.
- Damages are prohibited if a victim’s shared responsibility is greater than 50 percent
- Damages are reduced proportionately if a victim’s shared responsibility is equal to or less than 50 percent
The comparative negligence rule applies to wrongful death cases, too. In these situations, the victim’s negligence has a direct impact on a related wrongful death claim for damages.
Let’s say your family member is killed in a fatal truck accident in Chicago. It’s determined that your family member is 30 percent responsible for the fatal accident. As a result, the damages that can be awarded in your related wrongful death claim will be reduced by 30 percent.
Victim-blaming tactics can significantly hurt your ability to recover compensation after the death of a loved one. Your family member isn’t around to tell their side of the story or defend themselves. Protect them and your opportunity to recover compensation by turning to our wrongful death lawyers in Chicago, IL, for help.
As skilled litigators, we’ll be able to anticipate these strategies and work to limit how effective they might be. The less fault your family member is assigned, the more money you can potentially receive when your wrongful death case is resolved.
What’s the Statute of Limitations on Wrongful Death Lawsuits in Illinois?
You will have two years from the date of your loved one’s wrongful death to file a lawsuit for damages.
Once the statute of limitations expires, you’ll lose the right to take legal action and demand financial justice.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced Chicago Wrongful Death Lawyer
You may be entitled to compensation if you’ve recently suffered the death of a family member in a fatal accident in Chicago. Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys can help you force more meaningful negotiations with the insurance company and at-fault party.
Our Chicago wrongful death attorneys have decades of experience and a proven ability to win top results. We’ve won tens of millions for our clients in privately-negotiated settlements and jury awards.
Contact our Chicago, IL, law office to speak with a member of our team about your wrongful death case. Your first consultation is free, so call now.
Visit Our Personal Injury Law Office in Chicago, IL
Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys
Address:
10 S La Salle St STE 1230
Chicago, IL 60603
Phone:
(312) 726-1616
Business Hours:
Monday: Open 24 hours
Tuesday: Open 24 hours
Wednesday: Open 24 hours
Thursday: Open 24 hours
Friday: Open 24 hours
Saturday: Open 24 hours
Sunday: Open 24 hours
Our personal injury law firm in Chicago, IL also provides:
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