Utah Wrongful Death Lawyer

If you lost a loved one due to another’s negligence, you might be entitled to compensation. We understand that the last thing you want to do after losing a loved one is to spend your time and energy dealing with insurance companies, medical bills, and other legal matters. But if you want to hold the negligent party accountable for their actions, you need an experienced Utah wrongful death lawyer by your side. 

Our Utah wrongful death law firm has been representing clients in the field of personal injury cases for 40 years. We have a long track record of success and awards. Therefore we know what it takes to win! If we take on your case, we will fight until justice is served! So call us now and get a free consultation!

Contact an Experienced Team of Utah Wrongful Death Lawyers Today

You can count on an experienced Utah wrongful death attorney at Parker & McConkie to assist you to recover damages and seek justice from the at-fault party who caused your loved one’s death.

Our attorneys know what it takes to get a favorable outcome for your case. We’re here to discuss your legal alternatives, propose a course of action, and guide you through the procedure of obtaining compensation for your damages and losses.

There is no up-front fee or legal cost to avail of our service unless we have successfully negotiated a settlement with the insurance company or won your case at trial. In other words, we only collect fees once we successfully obtain compensation for you. We’ll provide you with a thorough picture of your case strategy and plan when you meet with us. Each case is given the attention it deserves, and we value the attorney-client relationship. Call us now and seek legal advice!

We Help Families Through Complicated Wrongful Death Litigation in Utah

Litigation is a long and complicated process that involves numerous regulations and processes. The following are just a few of the things our Utah wrongful death attorney will do throughout the litigation process:

1. We will gather pieces of evidence. Pieces of evidence under your favor can be collected in various ways, including through depositions, investigators, document requests, video footage, and so forth.
2. We will file the claim. A wrongful death case must be compelling enough to argue and withstand opposition from the other side. We will file and handle the wrongful death claim on your behalf.
3. We will negotiate a fair settlement/compensation. Most wrongful death claims are resolved out of court. Your wrongful death lawyer will make use of evidence and new arguments to negotiate the best settlement offer until you receive it. But this does not imply that you should accept anything less than your full potential to avoid going to trial.
4. We will challenge the liable party’s defenses. The liable party will use their legal arguments to avoid responsibility. Your wrongful death lawyer will then respond to the other party’s defenses to safeguard your rights to compensation.
5. We will represent you in court if necessary. Suppose the at-fault party refuses to pay you what you are owed. In that case, we have the option to bring your case to court, and your wrongful death attorney will represent you in a jury trial, which has strict evidentiary and procedural standards.

What Is a Wrongful Death Claim?

Under Utah Code Section 78B-3-106, the legal definition of wrongful death is the death of a person caused by another’s negligence or unlawful conduct.

The victim’s blood relatives or personal representatives may take legal action against the responsible party or parties for compensation. If the negligent party is employed by someone else who was responsible for their actions, the employer can also be held liable for the wrongful death.

Wrongful Death Cases Our Utah Wrongful Death Law Firm Handles

Our team of legal professionals will fight for the financial compensation you deserve. Here are some of the wrongful death cases our Utah personal injury law firm handles:

• Bicycle Accidents. If your loved one was struck by a car while riding a bike and died, you may file a wrongful death suit. Vehicles failing to give way to bicyclists are the most prevalent reason for bicycle accidents. Our bicycle accident lawyers understand what insurance companies look for and how we can create a solid case based on the available shreds of evidence.

• Car Accidents. When a negligent or careless motorist strikes another vehicle, the consequences of a leisurely weekend trip or pleasant daily commute may rapidly go from bad to catastrophic. If your loved one died in a car accident due to another’s negligence, you have the right to file a wrongful death claim.

• Motorcycle Accidents. Motorcyclists involved in an accident have a high chance of facing injuries or death. The failure of another motorist to yield the right-of-way to other motorcyclists is by far the most prevalent reason for motorcycle accidents. Other reasons are vision obstruction, following too closely, improper turning, and poor driver attention. But sometimes, motorcycle accidents are not caused by motorcyclists—instead, the driver negligence of the other motor driver. If your loved one died in a motorbike accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you are entitled to fair compensation for your losses.

• Pedestrian Accidents. In most situations, pedestrian accidents are caused by a motorist who is distracted, then crashes into someone walking in the crosswalk or somewhere else on the road. In some instances, the pedestrian hurriedly ran into the road and bore the fault of the accident to someone else. The driver and pedestrian cannot conclude who is really to be blamed. In those situations, Utah’s wrongful death laws may assist you in determining who bears most of the fault.

• Truck Accidents. If someone is involved in a trucking accident, the incident might leave them with minor to severe injuries, but the worst case is death. When your loved one died due to a Utah truck accident, most particularly if it is a commercial truck (especially a semi or big rig), you need an attorney with experience in handling these types of cases. Our wrongful death attorney is experienced in handling wrongful deaths involving trucks.

• Workplace Accidents. Construction zones and workplaces are similar to fast-moving vehicles on the road, with many dangers. When someone did reckless driving in the construction zone, there’s a high possibility that severe injuries or death will occur. At the same time, you have no control over what other people or workers are doing on the job site. Others’ poor, hazardous decisions may get you severely wounded, and you’ll need legal counsel to help you.

• Medical Malpractice. You could be eligible to seek compensation if a medical practitioner or another medical treatment caused you harm or injuries, as well as if your existing medical problem worsened due to their fault. When you visit the doctor, you entrust your health and well-being to their care. When they fail to carry out their obligations that caused you harm, you are entitled to compensation. When medical malpractice caused your loved one’s death, you may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the medical practitioner.

• Drunk Driving Accidents. Alcohol is a significant cause of accidents resulting in injuries and fatalities. It’s self-evident that someone who drives under the influence of alcohol or drugs causing the accident is solely to blame for any injuries or harm done. If you are hurt in an accident caused by a drunk driver, you may be able to make a claim against the person or business who provided the beverages. Moreover, you can also pursue a wrongful death claim if your loved one died due to an accident caused by intoxicated drivers.

If any of these cases happened to you, give us a call so you can talk to one of our Utah wrongful death lawyers. We will give you a free consultation and help you get the compensation you deserve.

Damages You May Receive Under a Wrongful Death Claim

Death may occur unexpectedly in a variety of fatal accidents. If you have a family member who died from injuries in an accident, here is a list of wrongful death damages you may receive through a wrongful death claim:

• Cost of medical treatment that was administered before the family member’s death. The treatment may be minimal, such as the cost of an ambulance, or the costs may be substantial, such as the costs of life support for 6 months. These losses are supported by medical bills and invoices.
• Loss of financial support. If the decedent supported you financially, and now you’ve lost that financial support because of his or her death, you are entitled to be reimbursed for that loss. These losses are primarily supported by tax returns, pay stubs, and statements from co-workers and supervisors.
• Loss of companionship. It is difficult to lose someone you love and enjoyed spending time with. Family relationships tend to be cherished above all other relationships. When a loved one dies, there’s mental anguish, anger, fear, depression, and sadness. We also lose the ability to spend time with and confide in that person. The loss of companionship and enjoyment associated with our deceased family member is supported by statements from the family, pictures, journals, and anything else that shows the closeness of the relationship.

Who Can File a Utah Wrongful Death Lawsuit?

Only legal heirs can pursue a wrongful death claim in Utah. And only one claim may be filed on behalf of all heirs, as specified by Utah Code 78B-3-106.5. All these immediate, surviving family members are considered heirs in Utah:

1. Biological or adoptive parents

2. Biological or adopted children

3. Spouse

4. Stepchildren of legal age, 18 years old, who are also financially dependent on their deceased parents

If no surviving relatives, then heirs can also be any blood relatives. The “presumptive personal representative” in such a scenario is the individual who files the suit, such as the:

1. Adult children
2. Parent
3. Surviving spouse

How Do You Know if You Have a Valid Wrongful Death Claim?

A valid wrongful death claim contains the following:

1. The Death of a Human Being. It’s critical to remember that a wrongful death lawsuit can only be filed following a loved one’s death. So in other words, one cannot open a wrongful death suit if their loved one is still alive while suffering from serious injuries that the at fault has caused. You should also be ready to show documentation of your connection with the deceased.
2. Your Loved One Was Killed Intentionally or Died Due to Another’s Negligence. You must establish that your loved one’s death was preventable and that a negligent party is to blame for it.
3. The Surviving Family Members Are Suffering Financially. There must be an established party who has been harmed to pursue a wrongful death claim. You’ll have to show that the deceased person was connected to you, and you’ll need to show that you’re struggling financially.
4. Another Person or Entity Is at Fault. The difficulty to claim wrongful death arises when fault cannot be determined. Cases like acts of God, unusual circumstances, and other faultless incidents often make no one to blame. If there is no one to put blame on, it is challenging to seek compensation. Therefore, wrongful death claims should have an entity or person to seek compensation from.

Proving Liability in a Wrongful Death Case

Here’s the process of how you should prove liability for a wrongful death case:

• Proving the defendant owed the decedent a duty of due care. For a defendant to be held responsible for negligence, it must first be shown that they owed the victim a duty of care. The duty of due care varies depending on the circumstances. Still, it generally entails a responsibility to take action to prevent someone else from being harmed or to refrain from doing something that would harm another individual.

• Proving the defendant breached the duty of care. If it’s shown that a duty of due care exists between the plaintiff and defendant, the plaintiff and their legal team will provide evidence that this duty was violated. Because it’s a civil case, the plaintiff must persuade the jury that their version of the events surrounding the care is at least 50% accurate. There is no “beyond a reasonable doubt” requirement in civil cases, as there is in criminal trials.

• Proving the victim’s death resulted in damages. The plaintiff, to establish liability, must show that the decedent and those who survive have been harmed. Medical expenses incurred due to the victim’s injuries before death, pain and suffering endured, loss of consortium, lost wages and future wages, funeral expenses, and other punitive damages are among these possible losses.

• Proving causation between the victim’s death and the breach of duty. The plaintiff must show that the breach of duty was directly responsible for the victim’s injury and death. Causation is often challenging to establish in cases of wrongful death.

If your loved one died due to another person’s or entity’s carelessness or misconduct, you might have a wrongful death claim. Parker & McConkie lawyers are here to help you with your wrongful death claim. Call Parker & McConkie today to speak with one of our Utah wrongful death attorneys for a free case consultation.

Why Choose Parker & McConkie for Your Utah Wrongful Death Case

Here are some of the reasons why you should choose Parker & McConkie to handle your Utah wrongful death case:

1. Our Utah wrongful death attorneys have over 40 years of combined experience successfully handling cases at all stages of litigation, including complicated, high-profile wrongful death lawsuits.
2. We provide superior service to our clients, which is why we are consistently successful at what we do. We are focused on obtaining the greatest outcomes and have won thousands of customer cases (see our testimonials for details).
3. We also deal with the insurance company since we understand how aggravating it is to deal with them. Let us handle this for you.
4. Our attorneys focus on personal injury claims. We are committed to seeking justice for the accident victims and their families.
5. You can schedule a free, no-pressure meeting with one of our personal injury attorneys. We also work on a contingency fee basis, so you need not pay anything unless we recover compensation for you!
6. You can always expect us to be there when you need us the most. We are accessible in person as well as over the phone. If our clients cannot come to our location, we will gladly come to them at their home or place of business.

Utah Wrongful Death FAQs

Finding a Wrongful Death Lawyer Near Me | Contact an Experienced Utah Wrongful Death Attorney Today for a Free Consultation

Our Utah wrongful death lawyers are here to help you in your time of need. The Parker & McConkie Utah personal injury attorneys have helped numerous clients just like you to fight for the compensation they deserve. We will work tirelessly to obtain justice for your loved one’s death and compensation for your damages and losses.

Contact our office today at (801) 845-0440 for a free consultation. If you prefer, we will meet with you personally at the most convenient location for you. Alternatively, you can also submit your case details through our online contact form!