Ylla|Gosney Attorneys at Law represents families who have lost loved ones in tragic accidents. We help those left behind demand support from careless individuals and companies who contribute to accidents that claim lives. We stand beside grieving families to make sure they earn the support they need to protect themselves in the future. Our skilled wrongful death attorneys provide free and confidential case consultations to all family members. Contact us today to make sure you stay informed of every benefit available to your family.
Do I Need an Attorney After a Wrongful Death?
A Tulsa wrongful death lawyer can be an important safeguard for your family when trying to seek justice for a loved one’s death. The party that contributed to the cause of a deadly accident should be liable for the immediate costs and the future hardships the family will face.
But in most cases, those who bear fault in a deadly accident will be fighting back and trying to prove they aren’t liable for the death. The insurance company covering the at-fault party will also hope to limit the settlement money they must pay to your family. If the at-fault party was a store chain or another company, they may have the money to pay corporate lawyers to defend them and look for ways to help them wiggle out of taking responsibility.
Your wrongful death lawyer fully investigates your case and the people who caused the accident. All evidence is secured to prove who was at fault and to hold them financially liable. Your lawyer then demands the maximum in support for your family and rejects any settlement offers that don’t go far enough. Your lawyer is prepared to file a lawsuit and take the guilty party to court if they won’t accept complete accountability for the consequences of their actions.
When Can My Family File a Wrongful Death Claim?
Wrongful death claims are possible after someone’s death that can be blamed on the negligence of another party. The party could be a reckless driver who was looking at a cellphone text before ramming the victim’s car from behind. It could be a landlord who didn’t provide adequate safety devices and security to stop a child from gaining access to a pool and drowning.
Drivers, property owners, business owners, and even the City of Tulsa owe residents and visitors a legal “duty of care.” They must act to identify and remove hazards and avoid recklessness that might endanger customers, clients, residents, motorists, tenants, and others. If someone is hurt or killed by a danger that could have been prevented, victims or the victim’s family can file a lawsuit and seek support.
In Oklahoma, wrongful death claims can be filed up to two years after the death of a loved one. You shouldn’t wait years though. Allow a skilled wrongful death attorney to look over your case as soon as possible. Waiting can mean that evidence disappears or becomes harder to locate. Witnesses may move and become harder to contact.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Claim in Oklahoma?
Oklahoma wrongful death claims can only be filed by a “personal representative” who represents the estate of the victim. The representative would usually be named in the victim’s will. If someone was not designated, an Oklahoma court would usually assign a close family member, like a spouse or child of the victim, to act as the personal representative.
The personal representative stands in for the victim and the victim’s dependents. This person must file the lawsuit, but they would usually do so on behalf of all remaining dependents and heirs.
The heirs and dependents would include:
- Spouse of the victim
- Children of the victim
- Parents of a child lost in a wrongful death accident
Others who prove they were financially reliant on the deceased victim could also be allowed to join in any legal action against the at-fault party.
Compensation for Families After a Tulsa Wrongful Death Accident
Nothing can bring back a loved one after a tragic accident, but families must act to protect themselves from the financial burdens that arise after a sudden death.
Your Tulsa personal injury attorney demands support for the hardships families endure in the days after a death and in the years ahead. Families should also receive financial consideration for the hardships victims are put through before they die if they don’t pass away immediately.
Your lawyer would seek support for the emotional and financial damages the family suffered as well as the hardships suffered by the victim:
- Support for leftover medical expenses and ambulance fees.
- Money to pay funeral and burial expenses.
- Support for a spouse’s loss of consortium (the loss of intimacy with a spouse).
- Support for the loss of companionship for the children and parents of the victim.
- Support for the emotional trauma family members must cope with.
- The physical pain and mental suffering the victim experienced before death.
- The loss of financial support the deceased’s income would have provided in the years to come.
- Parents who lose a child should receive support for the loss of the child’s anticipated services and support, the child’s companionship, and the loss of the parent-child relationship.
Unfortunately, the devastating consequences of a tragic death don’t end after a funeral. The tragedy will continue to affect the lives of every family member for their entire lives. At Ylla|Gosney we hope to give family members time to grieve without worries over their finances and frustrating conversations with unhelpful insurance adjusters.
We handle the wrongful death claims process with as little disruption to the family as possible. Families also know that we’ll fight to secure the maximum in support possible so they can start rebuilding their lives when they are ready.
Contact a Tulsa Wrongful Death Attorney
At Tulsa’s Ylla|Gosney Attorneys at Law we want to protect families in mourning by holding at-fault parties fully accountable for a tragic death that could have been prevented.
We offer area families a free, confidential case review with a real Tulsa wrongful death lawyer. There’s never any pressure to file suit or even use our services. That’s your decision. But we do want your family fully informed of the benefits available before they decide on the next step.
If you do decide we can help your family secure more in support, you don’t need to worry about finding the money to hire us at such a difficult time. We work for grieving families on a contingency basis. It means we don’t get paid unless we win your case for your family. Then our fee comes out of the wrongful death settlement support your family receives.
