Wrongful Death

Arizona Injury Lawyers for Wrongful Death in Car Accidents

A fatality is the most devastating thing that can result from a motor vehicle accident. A sudden death from an automobile, truck, motorcycle, or bicycle accident can overwhelm the victim's family, both emotionally and financially. If the death was preventable and was caused by negligence on the part of another driver, the vehicle manufacturer, or those responsible for maintaining the streets and highways, it is even more heartbreaking.

When someone's death is caused by the negligence, recklessness, or intentional acts or omissions of another, it is known as a wrongful death, and the victim's family has the right to pursue legal action against the responsible parties and receive compensation for the financial and emotional harm they have suffered.

If the wrongful death of someone you love occurred in a car accident, contact Solomon and Relihan. We are Phoenix injury attorneys with more than 30 years experience helping accident victims in Maricopa County and throughout Arizona.

Causes of Wrongful Death

A wrongful death can be caused by one or a combination of many factors, such as:

Driver Negligence

• aggressive driving
• driving under the influence (DUI)
• red light running
• speeding
• improper turns/failure to yield
• driver distraction (cell phone use, etc)

Manufacturer Negligence

• faulty seatbelts
• malfunctioning airbags
• roof crush
• car fires
• defective tires

Road Maintenance Negligence

• poor road surfaces
• malfunctioning or missing traffic control signals
• improperly marked construction zones
• missing signage
• lack of street lights

Damages for a Wrongful Death Claim

In Arizona, wrongful death claims can be asserted only on behalf of the deceased person's spouse, parents, or children (or, if the deceased person was unmarried and had no children or surviving parents, by the deceased person's estate). While Arizona does not impose any age restrictions--a parent may assert a claim for the death of an adult child, for example, just as adult children may assert a claim for the wrongful death of an elderly parent--current law does not permit siblings, grandparents, or other family members to claim damages for wrongful death.

Monetary compensation for wrongful death is based on each person's individual loss, including:

• The loss of the deceased person's love, affection, companionship, care, protection, and guidance since the death and in the future;
• The surviving family member's pain, grief, sorrow, anguish, stress, shock, and mental suffering;
• The income and services that have already been lost as a result of the death, and that are reasonably probable to be lost in the future;
• The reasonable expenses of funeral and burial; and
• The reasonable expenses of necessary medical care and services for the injury that resulted in the death.

Contact Solomon & Relihan, Arizona Auto Accident Attorneys

If you someone you loved has been killed in an automobile accident, you should talk with an experienced attorney. For a free initial consultation with a lawyer, contact our Phoenix law firm by e-mail or by telephone. For your convenience, home and hospital visits are available upon request.