If you’ve recently lost a close family member through an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, it’s more than understandable not to know what to do next or what you legally have the right to do next. Even if you broadly understand how wrongful death claims work after incidents like this, it can still be hard to get the legal process started properly, let alone get the best possible outcome from your lawsuit or settlement proposal.
Fortunately, there’s support available to you from skilled wrongful death attorneys who have fought and won on behalf of families like yours many times in the past. If you want to minimize additional stress and maximize the amount of money you get through filing a York wrongful death action, hiring one of our attorneys to represent you should be a top priority.
Preparing Effectively for a Wrongful Death Claim
Like all other types of personal injury litigation, wrongful death claims are evidence-based proceedings. No matter how your loved one’s death happened or how catastrophically it has wrenched your life off course, the burden of proving someone else at fault for that wrongful death—and, through that liability, compelling them to pay for your damages—falls on the personal representative acting in the deceased person’s name is.
In addition to formal documentation establishing that your loved one has passed away due to a specific cause of death, other key evidence that you need to gather before filing a wrongful death action in York include:
- Medical reports for care the deceased person received between their initial injury and their untimely death, including bills and invoices for services rendered
- Tax forms, pay stubs, and anything else that can establish how much money the deceased person made at work before their fatal accident
- Any police report filed by officers who responded to the scene of a fatal accident
- Bills for expenses made necessary by a wrongful death, such as burial and funeral services
- Testimony from family members and friends of the deceased person to establish how the incident has affected them personally
You don’t need to hunt all this information down entirely on your own. A seasoned attorney can assist you from start to finish with your case, including initial evidence collection.
How Long Do You Have to File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit?
Legal counsel can help you gather all the evidence you need and construct a strong civil claim within applicable filing deadlines. Under Pennsylvania law, most people who have legal grounds to file a wrongful death lawsuit have just two years after the death to file suit.
Failing to file a York wrongful death action within this statute of limitations deadline will almost always lead to your case being time-barred and permanently thrown out of court. You may be able to get an extension in certain situations if you can show you didn’t actually know your loved one’s death was caused by someone else’s misconduct until after they actually passed away.
Get Help from a York Attorney with Filing a Wrongful Death Action
Knowing the basic rules for filing a York wrongful death action is one thing, but actually going through the process is another entirely different thing. This can be a uniquely stressful and legally complex endeavor, even if you have an airtight case. No case is completely perfect. You do not want to try handling it without help from dependable legal representation.
Our respected lawyers have years of experience getting good results from similar claims, and we can put that expertise to work for you and your family as soon as you give us a call. Get in touch with Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers today to discuss your options.
