Wrongful Death | Chicago Lawyer

Have you recently suffered the death of a spouse, child, or parent in a fatal accident in Chicago, Illinois? Contact Zayed Law Offices 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 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.

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.

Table of Contents

How Zayed Law Offices 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, as wrongful death lawyers, have earned a respected reputation as dedicated litigators who consistently go above and beyond for our clients. We understand that this represents your one opportunity to recover compensation, and our team is ready to dedicate whatever time and resources are necessary to achieve the best possible outcome for you.

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
Choose an award-winning trial attorney to bring your wrongful death lawsuit to court in Cook County, IL, if you’re continually lowballed by the insurer.

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 that caused the victim's wrongful death can still face financial accountability 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, 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 and 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.

The victim traditionally names a personal representative in their will, often a spouse, child, or parent.

If no will exists or if no personal representative has been named, the court reserves the right to appoint one.

The personal representative files the wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the victim’s family. The estate awards damages and then distributes them to the victim's beneficiaries in accordance with 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. In wrongful death cases, the courts award slightly different types of damages compared to 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

Illinois wrongful death lawsuits can also award punitive damages, but only in situations where a defendant's conduct was clearly intentional or grossly negligent. People often observe this 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 lawyers in Chicago won’t let them.

Zayed Law Offices Approach

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 we will reject lowball offers and that our firm will not hesitate to take 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.

You’re going through an incredibly difficult time in your life. Zayed Law Offices 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.

How Can Contributory Fault Affect My Wrongful Death Settlement?

Illinois operates under a system of modified comparative negligence. The law reduces a victim's damages 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, your related wrongful death claim will reduce the damages awarded 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. When your wrongful death case is resolved, the less fault assigned to your family member, the more money you can potentially receive.

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

If you've recently suffered the death of a family member in a fatal accident in Chicago, you may qualify for compensation. Zayed Law Offices 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.

Other Resources

Our personal injury law firm in Chicago, IL also provides:

Illinois Personal Injury Lawyer

Address: 10 S La Salle St Suite 1230,
Chicago, IL 60603
Phone: 312.726.1616