If you’ve suffered the tragic death of a family member because of an accident in Rock Springs, Wyoming, don’t hesitate to call Parker & McConkie Personal Injury Lawyers. You may be entitled to compensation, and our award-winning Rock Springs wrongful death lawyers can help you fight for the financial justice you deserve
Parker & McConkie Personal Injury Lawyers is the trustworthy, experienced legal advocate you’ll want fighting for you in the wake of this tragedy. As nationally acclaimed trial lawyers with over 100 years of combined experience, we’ve taken on powerful corporations and won hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients.
Money won’t turn back time or take away your grief. It can, however, ease the burdens you face and offer a sense of justice. We offer a free consultation, contact us today at (307) 205-7400.
How Parker & McConkie Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help Your Family After a Fatal Accident in Rock Springs, WY
You’ll have one opportunity to hold a negligent motorist, a product manufacturer, or another party responsible for your loss, so it’s essential to make the most of it. You need to level the playing field to force the results you deserve. That’s why you can’t hesitate to hire an experienced Rock Springs personal injury lawyer to handle your wrongful death case.
Choosing Parker & McConkie Personal Injury Lawyers puts top-rated, award-winning civil litigators with a proven track record of success in your corner. Recognized by The National Trial Lawyers, The American Institute of Personal Injury Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and other respected organizations, we’re known as fierce, unrelenting legal advocates dedicated to fighting for individuals, not corporations.
We’ll offer you the time you need to cope with your gut-wrenching loss by handling all aspects of your wrongful death case for you:
- Thoroughly investigate the underlying circumstances of your wrongful death claim
- Establish the cause of your loved one’s death and determine who’s at fault
- Consider critical pieces of evidence obtained during the discovery process
- Hire experts to provide insight and guidance when it can be advantageous to your specific situation
- Assess your damages and calculate what your wrongful death case is worth
- Determine the best way to approach claims of contributory fault
- File your wrongful death claim with the court clerk in Sweetwater County
- Reject unreasonable settlement offers and take your wrongful death lawsuit to trial, if necessary
Count on us to keep you updated on the status of your case throughout the process, answer your questions, and provide the legal advice you need to make smart decisions about your future. We’ll do everything in our power to negotiate a favorable settlement as quickly as possible, but will always be ready to take your case to a jury if we think you deserve better.
Our contingency fee legal services mean there’s no cost to hire our wrongful death lawyers in Rock Springs, WY, unless we win compensation for your case. Call us to learn more. Your first consultation is free.
What Is Wrongful Death?
Wyoming state law defines a wrongful death as:
- The death of a person is caused by a wrongful act, neglect, or default
- That would have given that person the right to file a personal injury claim if they’d survived.
The victim’s death doesn’t erase the right to pursue compensation. Instead, it shifts to someone else. This helps to ensure that the at-fault party is held accountable for the harm they’ve caused.
In Wyoming, the right to file a claim belongs to a “wrongful death representative,” which actually isn’t clearly defined by state law. A person wishing to file a claim must petition the court, and the court will appoint someone. Most often, this will be someone closely related to the deceased.
Fighting for Families in All Types of Wrongful Death Cases
At Parker & McConkie Personal Injury Lawyers, we stand up to fight for families whose lives have been shattered by criminal acts and acts of negligence, including:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Bus accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Construction accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Nursing home abuse
- Dog bites
- Accidents involving defective products
- Boating accidents
- Aviation accidents
- Assault
- Sexual assault
Our Rock Springs wrongful death attorneys can offer the insight, skills, and knowledge you’ll need to win your case and maximize your recovery. Call our law office to arrange a free case review today.
Can Shared Fault Impact My Family’s Wyoming Wrongful Death Settlement?
Yes. In Wyoming, sharing fault for an accident will have a direct and adverse impact on related legal claims. The state’s modified comparative fault law applies to most personal injury cases, including claims for wrongful death.
However, instead of taking the plaintiff’s contributory fault into account, the decedent’s shared fault becomes the focus. Damages can be awarded on a limited basis as long as the decedent is not more than 50 percent to blame for their fatal accident. Once the decedent is primarily at fault, the family loses the opportunity to recover compensation from other liable parties.
For example, let’s say your spouse was killed in a car accident in Rock Springs. Your wrongful death case is valued at $1 million. However, your spouse is assigned 15 percent of the blame for their fatal collision because they were speeding at the time of the crash. As a result, you’ll be able to recover $850,000 – or 85 percent of the value of your wrongful death claim.
Don’t let claims of contributory fault limit your financial recovery, especially when they’re made without evidence to back them up. Count on our wrongful death attorneys in Rock Springs, WY, to anticipate these attempts to hurt your case and fight to make sure that your family receives every cent it deserves.
What Types of Damages Can Be Awarded in a Wrongful Death Case?
Wrongful death claims are intended to help a victim’s surviving family members cope with the costs, trauma, and life changes they experience because of the victim’s death. As a result, the types of damages that can be awarded in a wrongful death claim can differ from those awarded in other types of personal injury cases.
Some of the most common types of damages awarded in wrongful death cases include:
- Wages and income the decedent would have earned if they survived
- Lost inheritance
- Lost benefits
- Value of household support provided by the decedent, such as child care, elder care, and household maintenance
- Medical expenses incurred before the victim’s death
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Loss of companionship, comfort, and society
Additional compensation can potentially be awarded directly to the estate if your loved one survived their injuries for a period of time before their death. In these situations, a survival action can seek compensation for damages your loved one experienced in the time before their death, including their pain and suffering.
There may also be times when punitive damages are appropriate. When a wrongful death lawsuit goes before a jury, punitive damages can be awarded if there’s clear and convincing evidence that the defendant acted intentionally, was grossly negligent, or exhibited a conscious disregard for the victim’s safety.
Don’t settle for less than what your wrongful death case is worth. Don’t give the defense the opportunity to minimize the impact your family member’s death has had – and will continue to have – on your life. Demand top case results by trusting Parker & McConkie Personal Injury Lawyers to fight for you at every turn.
What’s the Statute of Limitations for Wrongful Death Lawsuits in Wyoming?
Wyoming applies a two-year statute of limitations to wrongful death cases. The statute of limitations begins to run on the date of a victim’s death.
You must file your wrongful death claim before the second anniversary of their death. If you miss the filing deadline, you lose the ability to demand the financial justice and peace of mind your family needs.
There are exceptions that can change this time limit, but only for rare cases. Contact an experienced wrongful death lawyer in Wyoming as soon as you can for help filing your claim.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced Rock Springs Wrongful Death Attorney
You’re grieving a painful loss because someone else was careless. Now, it’s time to make sure that they’re held accountable. Parker & McConkie Personal Injury Lawyers want to stand beside you and fight to help you secure a maximum monetary award.
Our Rock Springs wrongful death attorneys have over a century of combined legal experience. As top-rated Wyoming litigators, we’ve taken on powerful insurance companies, manufacturers, property owners, and government agencies and won hundreds of millions of dollars.
Now, our family is ready to fight for yours. We offer a free consultation. Contact us to discuss your wrongful death case today.
