Bakersfield families can seek justice and support after a truck driver’s mistake claims a precious loved one’s life. However, wrongful death cases can be complex, starting with the fact that support may come from the truck driver’s insurance coverage or potentially the driver’s employer.
Securing financial support for grieving families is an important mission that Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield is proud to take on. We offer a free, no-obligation consultation for all family members in Kern County. It’s a chance to find out how to hold insurers fully responsible and earn the most in a settlement to protect the family’s future.
Should My Family Speak with a Wrongful Death Lawyer After a Fatal Accident?
Yes. After a terrible accident, families should be granted peace and privacy so they can mourn their loss. Unfortunately, close relatives may be forced to take action to earn justice for a loved one, and also to secure support for the family in the years to come.
A confidential and free meeting with a real Bakersfield wrongful death lawyer can alert the family to their rights. It’s also an easy way for families to discover what they should be demanding from an at-fault driver or trucking company.
If a family requires our legal protection, these are a few of the benefits:
- We handle the frustrating battle with insurance providers and large trucking companies so that families can mourn their loss in peace.
- We conduct a thorough investigation into the fatal accident and gather the evidence needed to hold businesses fully responsible.
- We provide protection when trucking corporations or agricultural companies bring in their own attorneys to attack your family’s case.
- We confront corporate lawyers with the evidence when they attempt to shift blame in the fatal truck collision or downplay the hardships placed on those left behind.
- We prepare a full list of the hardships families endure and will endure in the future to see that they factor into any settlement.
- We file the family’s claim and negotiate to secure the most for the family’s future.
- We can often secure much more for families in a wrongful death settlement than they could by handling their claims themselves.
Another benefit for families forced into sudden financial difficulties is that we don’t charge anything up front for our representation. Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers takes up your case without cost and only collects payment if we win your case for your family. Then our fee comes out of the settlement an insurer must pay.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Claim?
In California, these parties would generally get the first right to file a wrongful death claim, usually representing all other family members:
- A spouse or registered domestic partner
- Children, including stepchildren and adopted children, and in some cases, grandchildren
If a victim didn’t have a spouse or children, the parents of the victim may be allowed to file. This would be the case if a child’s life were claimed in a tragic traffic accident. The victim’s siblings might be next in line to file a wrongful death claim.
An executor or personal representative named in the deceased’s could file a claim on behalf of the estate, but usually only if the deceased had no close relatives.
A wrongful death lawyer can also file a claim on behalf of family members and help them secure the most possible for their futures. A skilled and compassionate lawyer would handle this claim with as little disruption to the grieving family as possible.
Who Can Be Held Liable for a Fatal Truck Accident?
Any drive anywhere around Bakersfield can put motorists in close proximity to giant trucks from places like manufacturing plants, packing plants, local farms, grocery chains, and delivery companies like Amazon. Rides along a busy Ming Avenue can put people in smaller cars and SUVs at risk when around trucks. A walk or bike ride across Ming Avenue might put pedestrians and cyclists at risk of a reckless truck driver.
Most truck drivers put safety first, but they are also on the clock while they are trying to control these big rigs. They can be distracted by their cellphones or messages from their companies and end up causing dangerous accidents. The size and weight of the vehicles only increase the deadly hazard a truck represents.
- Truck drivers who own their own trucks will have their own commercial truck insurance to draw from.
- Trucking company, farm, or other businesses. Larger companies will hire full-time drivers and back them with commercial truck insurance. Companies are also responsible for maintenance to keep trucks safe, and are responsible when worn tires or brakes cause a deadly accident.
- Truck manufacturers. Truck makers are liable if they put an unsafe truck on the road that causes an accident. The problem might be a design flaw or a manufacturing issue. A skilled lawyer would check for recalls on a truck involved in an accident and examine whether recalls should have been in place for an unsafe vehicle.
What Can Families Earn Support for in a Wrongful Death Claim?
Families can earn support for financial damages they may quickly face and deal with for years. This can include the cost of a burial and funeral service. It should cover ambulance fees and any hospital bills from before a cherished family member passed on.
The income the deceased may have supported the family with, and now, of course, can no longer provide, will be a big part of any settlement. Our attorneys make sure loved ones get support to replace that income that lasts for years, so families have what they need to rebuild their lives.
The emotional damages are also quite real for families who have had a loved one taken from them in a truck accident. Families should earn support for the lost feeling of protection and sense of security that a loved one may have provided. They should earn support for the love and care that’s been lost in the coming years. The common life events that family members share, such as weddings and birthdays, are now lost and must earn support.
Parents who tragically lose a child in a crash caused by a truck driver must earn support for the lost companionship they’ll have to cope with in the future.
Contact a Fatal Truck Accident Lawyer Serving Families in The Bakersfield Area
Families who lose a loved one to a truck accident can count on a free case review from Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield. There’s no obligation for this informational meeting, and it’s always confidential.
Please make sure your family understands their right to ask for help after a careless truck driver and a negligent trucking company cause a tragedy.