Claims are resolved through the recovery of compensatory damages and punitive damages.
Three young individuals suffered fatal injury after an accident in Palm Beach when the driver of a Jeep Wrangler lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a canal in Palm Beach County. The vehicle was heading eastbound on Southern Boulevard entering the offramp for Congress when it crashed into the canal. The force of the crash tore the roof off the Wrangler causing the driver and two passengers to be thrown into the canal. Search dive teams located the fatally injured victims. Surviving family members struggling to make sense of this tragedy may wonder “Where can I find attorneys near me?” to assist in accessing necessary insurance funds to pay for unexpected funeral and burial arrangements in addition to filing insurance claims and wrongful death legal action. Florida no fault insurance may be able to cover funeral costs until wrongful death legal action can be settled.
Driver’s death benefit
Even though Florida is a no-fault state, legal action may need to be in initiated for three wrongful death claims. A death benefit of the driver’s own insurance may be utilized to pay for funeral costs until such time as the accident details have been sorted out and the legal action is pursued after a thorough investigation has taken place.
Wrongful death claim considerations
Experienced wrongful death attorneys will initiate claims within the required two- year statute of limitations, unless the death was caused by medical malpractice, in which case the same possible extension timeframes for filing a medical malpractice case action, possibly going up to four years, and in rare cases beyond that, may apply. Wrongful death monetary values for settlements are based on:
- How old the deceased was: younger person would be higher settlement amount due to longer life expectancy.
- The earning capacity of the deceased: A person who was an attorney earning $200,000 per year may see a higher settlement amount someone who made $45,000 per year.
- The health of the deceased: A person in good health would be expected to live longer.
- The income of the person at their time of death.
- Age and circumstances of dependents: A person who leave children could realize a larger settlement than a single person with no dependents.
- Education and training of the deceased: Higher trained and paid professionals usually see higher wrongful death settlements than a person with only a high school education.
- Medical bills incurred
- Funeral costs
- Value of the deceased’s lost insurance or pension benefits.
Recoverable damages
Claims are resolved through the recovery of compensatory damages and punitive damages. Compensatory damages are based on economic (incurred expenses and financial losses to victims suffering harmful loss) and non-economic factors (pain and suffering
Seek legal counsel
Hire an experienced personal injury attorney at Winegar Law Firm in West Palm Beach to guide insurance claims filing and legal action after a multi-fatality accident.
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