The Most Common Causes of a Wrongful Death

Whenever a loved one passes, it is always a sad experience. Even for people who know the end is near, the moment of a loved one’s passing is a somber moment. While most families and friends would prefer to celebrate the legacy and life of a loved one when they pass, some deaths aren’t as celebratory. Sometimes, loved ones can pass as a result of wrongful death. When someone is lost as a result of suspicious circumstances, it is important for families to understand that there are legal avenues to hold people responsible. In fact, there are several common causes of wrongful death that people need to keep in mind.

1. Car Accidents

Without a doubt, one of the most common causes of inappropriate deaths is due to car accidents. While some car accidents are unavoidable, there are plenty of car accidents that are absolutely preventable with proper driving habits. For example, everyone knows that drunk driving continues to remain a major problem on the roads today. When someone is killed as a result of drunk driving, the family may have legal grounds to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the party responsible. Other examples of avoidable car accidents include distracted driving (such as texting), driving under the influence, reckless driving, aggressive driving, and deaths that occur in construction zones. Make sure to read the police report after an accident to see if any of these reasons are mentioned as a contributing factor in an accident.

2. Trucking Accidents

While some people may think that this is similar to a car accident, these frequently have different circumstances. Because trucks are so much larger than cars, every accident involving a commercial truck is severe. Most commercial truck drivers actually carry an insurance policy just for situations such as this. Whether a commercial truck strikes a car or a pedestrian, there may be circumstances to file a lawsuit. This is why a thorough investigation after every accident is always a good idea.

3. Medical Malpractice

When people are sick or injured, they rely on a highly trained physician to provide the best medical care available. Nobody goes to the doctor expecting to wind up worse after the visit. Unfortunately, sometimes this happens. For example, some people have had gynecologic surgeries performed using a power morcellator over the past few years. These devices have actually been shown to increase the risk of developing gynecologic cancer due to the way these devices function. This device now carries a black box warning. People who have had a loved one die as a result of cancer after a surgery using this procedure may be able to file a lawsuit against the physician and the device’s manufacturer.

4. Defective Device Lawsuit

As alluded to above, the power morcellator is a device that many surgeons used in surgical procedures to break up tumors into smaller pieces that are easier to remove during a laparoscopic procedure. Unfortunately, the device could also break tumors into smaller pieces that are no longer visible. Then, the tumor will seed the abdomen, leading to additional, smaller tumors. The power morcellator is only one example of several products that have been the focus of wrongful death lawsuits.

5. Bicycle Accidents

Most people have been on the road and felt the frustration of getting stuck behind a bicycle on the road. While this might cause a minor delay, making people angry, this is never a reason to attempt to drive past a bike without proper vision. In fact, many bikers are struck and killed by impatient or distracted motorists every year. Sometimes, the bikers that are killed are simply children trying to play in their neighborhood. No parent should ever have to lay their child to rest. Anyone who has had a loved one killed while biking should investigate the reason.

6. Accidents in the Workplace

Some occupations are more dangerous than others and there are plenty of work-related accidents every year. Unfortunately, some of them lead to death. People who work with dangerous chemicals and heavy machinery are, particularly at risk. Regardless of the dangers of the workplace, every company has the responsibility to maximize the safety conditions of every employee at work. Employees damaged by explosions, injured using heavy equipment, and made ill by dangerous chemicals are all possible reasons that someone could have grounds for a wrongful death lawsuit.

Anyone who has a loved one who has died as a result of a wrongful death should contact GOM Wrongful Death Accident Attorneys for a free consultation.