Typical Causes of Wrongful Death
Few things are more devastating than the death of a loved one. It’s even more tragic when the death results from the negligent actions of another person. Thousands of people are killed every year due to the recklessness of other people. The family members of the deceased have the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the negligent party.
Here are some of the most common causes of wrongful death:
Car Accidents
Car accidents are one of the leading causes of wrongful death in the U.S. There are many drivers out there on the roads and not all of them are as careful as they should be. Drivers who speed, are distracted by something else, are drunk or negligent in some other way have an increased chance of causing accidents on the road, harming or kill others.
Medical Malpractice
Patients who go to the hospital or doctor’s office don’t always come out feeling better. When medical professionals don’t provide their patients with a reasonable level of care, the patients may get severely hurt or even die. Common examples of medical malpractice include misdiagnosis, surgical errors, anesthesia errors and medication errors.
Truck Accidents
Truck accidents can result in even more wrongful deaths than car accidents because commercial trucks are such big and powerful vehicles. When trucks collide with other vehicles in an accident, they can cause considerable damage. Some of the most common causes of truck accidents include driver fatigue, distracted driving, speeding, overloading and drunk driving.
Work Accidents
While few people go to work expecting to get injured, it happens more often than you may think. Many workers are killed every year due to unsafe working conditions. Common types of work accidents include machine entanglement, falling objects, explosions, vehicle accidents and falls from heights.
Pedestrian Accidents
Many pedestrians are also killed in wrongful death accidents every year. They most often occur when drivers fail to exercise reasonable care when pedestrians are crossing the street. If drivers speed, fail to yield the right of way to pedestrians at crosswalks, disregard weather conditions or disobey traffic signals, they are in danger of hitting pedestrians and severely hurting or killing them. Pedestrian accidents can also occur when pedestrians are negligent in some way, like ignoring the walk signal at intersections, running out in front of vehicles and failing to use marked crosswalks.
Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycles are much smaller than regular vehicles and don’t offer any protections, so motorcyclists can get seriously hurt or killed in accidents. Some of the most common causes of motorcycle accidents include unsafe lane changes, speeding, sudden stops and lane splitting. It’s important for motorcyclists to wear helmets and other safety gear and be aware of their surroundings to prevent getting hurt or killed.
If your loved one was killed because of another person’s negligence, you may be eligible to receive compensation. Schedule a meeting with a reputable wrongful death lawyer to discuss your case.