Savannah Wrongful Death Lawyers Help You Find Closure

Compassionate counsel for grieving families in Coastal Georgia

The death of a loved one, even when due to a long-term illness or advanced age, is one of the toughest times a family must endure. But it can be devastating if their life was unexpectedly cut short due to someone else’s negligence. At Owens & Mulherin Injury Lawyers, we know that you may be unsure of the next steps to take after the loss of your loved one. Our Savannah wrongful death attorneys have helped many bereaved families get justice for lost loved ones, and we want our experience to work for you, too.
Our attorneys have handled wrongful death cases arising from auto accidents, tractor-trailer collisions, nursing home abuse or neglect, medical malpractice, and even falls. We will help you get an administrator or executor appointed for your loved one’s estate so that we can obtain their medical and other records and so that you can begin handling their estate.

It’s our goal to help you and your family focus on honoring your loved one’s memory. Let us take some of the burden off your shoulders during this difficult time.

How to prove negligence in a wrongful death case

To prevail in a wrongful death case, you have to be able to prove four key legal elements:

Duty

Generally speaking, everyone has a duty to behave with reasonable care so as not to injure others. For example, motorists must behave responsibly behind the wheel, observing traffic laws and safety rules. However, there are rare exceptions when a duty does not exist, and there are also cases where there is a higher duty of care, as between a doctor and a patient. The plaintiff’s task is to establish that the defendant owed a duty of care to the decedent.

Breach

The plaintiff must next establish that the defendant violated his duty of care by acting careless, recklessly or with deliberate intent to harm the decedent. A breach of duty can also occur when a defendant who has a duty fails to act. Most wrongful death cases allege that a defendant’s act or omission was careless or, in legal terminology, negligent.

Causation

The plaintiff must prove the defendant’s negligent act or omission directly caused harm to the decedent that resulted in death. The death need not be immediate, but there must be an unbroken chain of causation from the breach of duty to the decedent’s death.

Damages

The plaintiff must prove that economic and noneconomic losses were sustained as a result of the decedent’s death. Damages are explained in greater detail below.

The plaintiff does not have to prove these elements beyond a reasonable doubt, which is the standard for a criminal case. Since a wrongful death action is a civil lawsuit, the plaintiff must prove each element by a preponderance of the evidence, which means the plaintiff’s assertions are “more likely than not” to be true. Building a case that meets this threshold of proof is a complex task, so you should only trust an experienced lawyer with a track record of success.

Types of wrongful death compensation

In addition to the grief your family is experiencing, you also may be dealing with an uncertain financial future — especially if the decedent was the primary income source for your family. To make matters worse, their death can leave you with many expenses you might not be able to afford.

Our legal team will fight to maximize your compensation for:

Medical bills

Ambulance rides, prescription medications, lab tests, surgeries, and overnight stays in the hospital can quickly add up to big bills that you might not be able to afford. And unfortunately, medical bills don’t go away when patients pass. When we take on your claim, we’ll make sure the insurance company knows how much the hospital charged you for your loved one’s treatment.

Lost wages

Thinking about how you’re going to provide for yourself and the rest of your family after losing a secondary or primary source of income can be frightening and stressful. But unlike medical bills, lost income continues to add up and affect your family week after week, month after month, and year after year. We’ll calculate the financial impact of your loved one’s death, and we’ll pursue full compensation on your family’s behalf.

Funeral expenses

You want to preserve your loved one’s memory and celebrate their life, but the costs associated with funerals can be prohibitive. Our legal team will do everything we can to help you get compensated for the expenses you incur when making plans to lay your loved one to rest.

Full value of the life of the deceased person

In addition to allowing dollar damages, such as medical bills, lost wages, and funeral bills, Georgia courts allow recovery for the full value of the life of the deceased, as determined by a jury. This means that a dollar figure is created by the jury based on how they lived and their relationships with others.

With more than 20 years of experience assisting families experiencing difficult times, our legal team knows how to provide a helping hand during some of life’s most difficult moments.

Contact us for compassionate assistance with a wrongful death claim

If negligence played a role in your loved one’s death, you can count on Owens & Mulherin Injury Lawyers to handle a wrongful death claim on your behalf.

We strive to stand up for people who have lost loved ones due to the carelessness of others. We pride ourselves on providing support for bereaved clients while also working hard to get them the compensation they deserve.

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(912) 212-2100

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