Money alone can’t possibly make up for losing a close family member before their time, especially if they passed away because someone else acted irresponsibly or did something illegal around them. At the same time, money is the only remedy that the civil court system can offer for the harm you suffer because of your loved one’s death. Getting paid fairly for losses stemming from a loved one’s death can protect your family’s best interests.
While the civil court has jurisdiction over wrongful death claims, many of these claims never make it to a courtroom and are instead resolved completely outside of court through private settlement negotiations. Understanding Lewisburg wrongful death settlements is just as important as understanding how to formally sue over a wrongful death. Help from a winning wrongful death attorney will be vital to getting the best possible case result.
How Often Do Wrongful Death Claims End with Settlements?
It’s not unheard of for wrongful death cases in Lewisburg to end with private settlement agreements. It’s actually far more common for things to play out this way than it is for a court to have to step in. Wrongful death lawsuits can be expensive, time-consuming, and immensely complicated for everyone involved. It’s generally best for the people suing and the people being sued to resolve things outside of court whenever possible.
Negotiating a settlement is a voluntary process, and it only works if both parties are willing to discuss in good faith what amount of money one side should pay the other for the harm they caused. Representation from legal counsel can be vital to keeping the other side honest and making it clear that a failure to negotiate fairly will end up with a lawsuit being filed and a court potentially making them pay even more money than they were originally asked for as a settlement.
Dividing Settlement Money Among Beneficiaries
A lot of factors can affect what amount of money counts as a fair settlement for a wrongful death in Lewisburg, from how old the deceased person was to how many dependent family members they had to even how exactly they were hurt and ultimately passed away. From start to finish of the settlement process, the person in charge of the claim will be the deceased person’s personal representative, which is typically a spouse, child, parent, or other close relative or friend named in the deceased person’s will to manage their affairs after death.
Those same family members—the decedent’s spouse, children, and parents—are also typically the only people who can receive a share of the funds recovered through a wrongful death settlement agreement. The personal representative will usually take a share of the funds to pay for expenses and losses suffered by the decedent’s estate—for example, the costs of funeral and burial services paid out of the decedent’s personal assets.
A Lewisburg Attorney Can Help You Get a Fair Wrongful Death Settlement
Agreeing to settle a wrongful death claim out of court doesn’t mean you’re giving up on additional money you might’ve gotten through a lawsuit—in fact, it’s not uncommon for people to get more money through a settlement than they would’ve been awarded by a court. However, going into settlement negotiations with insurance companies and a defendant’s legal counsel without a skilled attorney by your side will often end with you not getting anywhere near a fair settlement offer.
No matter what specifically led to your loved one’s death or who specifically is to blame for it, our winning legal team will fight tenaciously on your behalf to get you a fair Lewisburg wrongful death settlement. Call Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers today to discuss your options.
