Macon Wrongful Death Lawyer

When you lose a loved one due to someone else’s actions, it’s important to seek legal advice. You may deserve significant compensation if someone caused your loved one’s death in Macon, GA. An experienced Macon wrongful death lawyer at The King Firm can help you. Contact us at (478) 292-7272.

The King Firm can help you fight to recover full compensation for medical bills, funeral costs, and your family’s pain, suffering, and grief. Our attorneys have 16 years of combined experience practicing law, including significant time handling complicated personal injury cases here in South Georgia. We’ve already used our skills and resources to help families like yours recover tens of millions of dollars in compensation.

After the loss of a loved one, count on us to fight for you. Contact our law offices serving Macon, Georgia, to schedule a free consultation today.

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Why Call The King Firm for Help Handling My Macon Wrongful Death Claim?

It can be tough to think about money after unexpectedly losing someone you love in a fatal accident. While unfair, many grieving families are faced with significant financial stress on top of their grief.

At the very least, pursuing financial compensation from the responsible parties can give your family a sense of closure and justice. That said, you may face an uphill battle toward recovering fair compensation.

The King Firm is led by one of the most experienced civil trial lawyers in South Georgia. Super Lawyers has recognized us year after year for our skilled representation.

When you hire our Macon personal injury lawyers, you’ll have an advocate to:

Help you navigate the entire legal process
Investigate and collect evidence
Identify all parties who are legally responsible for your loss
Hire experts who can strengthen your claim
Defend against blame-the-victim tactics
Take your case all the way to trial if necessary

Our Macon personal injury attorneys will aggressively negotiate with the insurance companies for a full settlement. To get started, contact us today for a free consultation.

How Common Are Deadly Accidents in Georgia?

In 2022 alone, 52 people were killed in motor vehicle accidents in Macon alone. Another 246 victims were killed in accidents involving large trucks across the State of Georgia in 2022. In 2021, another 187 Georgia workers were killed in workplace accidents.

How Does Georgia Define Wrongful Death?

A wrongful death in Georgia is any death caused by another party’s negligence, criminal actions, or defectively manufactured property.

Even if the underlying action is a criminal offense, wrongful death claims are also civil matters. While the criminal justice system may impose punishment, civil lawsuits award financial compensation to the victim’s survivors.

Wrongful death cases are very similar to personal injury cases. The key difference, of course, is that the victim did not survive their injuries. The right to sue for damages then shifts to the victim’s survivors.

Do I Have a Valid Wrongful Death Case?

You may have a valid wrongful death claim if you lost a loved one due to someone else’s careless, reckless, or wrongful actions. Further, your family may have a valid wrongful death lawsuit even if the at-fault party is facing criminal charges. This is still true even if they are acquitted of such charges.

Nearly any type of act can give rise to a valid wrongful death lawsuit, including situations where a third party:

Negligently caused a fatal car accident
Made a medical error that led to a patient’s death
Sold a defective product that caused a person’s death
Intentionally committed criminal acts

However, only certain parties can file a wrongful death lawsuit in Georgia.

Those surviving family members include:

Surviving spouses
Children
The victim’s parents, if no surviving spouse or child exists

When there is no surviving spouse, child, or parent, the victim’s personal representative can file the action for wrongful death.

What Is the Difference Between a Wrongful Death Claim and a Survival Action?

Survival actions are brought by the victim’s estate. When the victim survives for some time after their initial injury, they’re likely to suffer personal damages. Those damages might include medical bills, lost income, physical pain, suffering, and trauma.

The survival action is designed to hold the at-fault party liable for the victim’s losses. Wrongful death suits, on the other hand, are geared toward compensating the victim’s family for their losses.

Your family may be entitled to file both types of claims if your loved one was not killed instantly.

What Factors Can Impact the Value of My Macon Wrongful Death Case?

A number of factors are relevant when calculating your case value, including:

Your loved one’s age and life expectancy at the time of death
The nature of the at-fault party’s actions
Your loved one’s earning potential, calculated by considering education, work history, and other relevant factors
How the victim contributed to your household and family, considering household services, childcare, and more
The identity of surviving depends, including young children or spouses
Any other factors that can show how the loss has impacted your family

Even if they seem sympathetic, remember that the insurance company’s goal is to play as little as possible. It’s your lawyer’s job to prove how much you really deserve.

At The King Firm, count on us to investigate and gather strong evidence. When we sit down at the negotiating table, we’ll have a case that’s powerful enough to convince the insurance companies to play fair.

What Types of Damages Are Available by Filing a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Georgia?

Several different types of damages may be available. Your family can seek compensation for their economic damages and non-economic damages.

Examples include:

Loss of financial support and employment benefits
Loss of the reasonable value of household services performed by the decedent
Loss of consortium
Loss of parental support and guidance
Funeral expenses and burial costs

In a survival action, the victim’s estate can seek compensation for:

The victim’s pain and suffering prior to death
Medical bills
Any other expenses incurred because of the victim’s injury and death

Punitive damages are rare in Georgia. Courts award them when you have clear evidence that your loved one died because of someone’s intentional wrongdoing or shockingly reckless conduct.

How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Wrongful Death Lawyer in Georgia?

It’s essential to have an experienced attorney by your side when filing a wrongful death lawsuit.

That’s why The King Law Firm works on a contingency fee basis. When you hire us, you agree to pay us a percentage of the compensation we recover in your case. There are no upfront fees and, of course, we only get paid if we do recover compensation for your family.

When we sit down for a free case review, we’ll explain our fee structure in detail. Before you hire us, we’ll make sure you fully understand your rights and obligation to pay.

What Happens if the Insurance Company Is Blaming My Loved One for Causing Their Own Death in Georgia?

Shared fault will impact your family’s case value, but you don’t automatically lose your right to compensation. Difficult as it may seem, insurance companies often blame fatal accident victims for their own deaths.

Georgia has modified comparative negligence law. Your family will lose your right to damages if the insurance company can prove your loved one was at least 50% responsible. When their share of fault is less than 50%, your compensation is reduced by the relevant percentage.

An experienced wrongful death attorney in Macon can advocate for your interests, ensuring as little blame is assigned as possible.

We Handle All Types of Wrongful Death Cases in Macon, Georgia

At The King Firm, our Macon wrongful death attorneys handle claims involving:

Car accidents
Slip and fall accidents
Motorcycle accidents
Pedestrian accidents
Bicycle accidents
Truck accidents
Bus accidents
Uber or Lyft accidents
Boating accidents
Construction accidents
Workplace accidents
Dog bites
Defective products
Medical malpractice
Nursing home abuse and neglect
Assault and criminal homicide

Any type of injury can prove fatal if it’s serious enough. If you lost a loved one, contact our law firm to learn more about how we can help today.

How Does My Family Prove We Deserve Compensation After Losing a Loved One in Georgia?

Most wrongful death claims are based on negligence.

To prove negligence, you must establish:

The defendant’s duty of care
A breach of duty
Causation, meaning that the breach caused your loved one’s death
The types and amount of damages you have suffered

Your lawyer can handle the investigation and collect evidence to prove your case. Even if you aren’t exactly sure what happened, speaking with an experienced attorney is never a bad idea. Give us a call to schedule your free case review today.

Is There a Deadline for Filing a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Georgia?

The deadline in most wrongful death cases is two years. However, there are some exceptions to the statute of limitations. For example, if the defendant is facing criminal charges, the clock can be paused, or tolled, for up to six years.

Contact our law firm as soon as you can to preserve your legal rights. We can help you confirm the appropriate time limit for your case.

Call an Experienced Macon Wrongful Death Lawyer for a Free Consultation

If you’re grieving the loss of a loved one, our team at The King Firm is here to help you pursue justice. An experienced Macon wrongful death lawyer can help your family seek full financial compensation from the responsible parties. Contact us today to arrange your free consultation to get started.