Rhode Island Lawyer, David Slepkow

Causes of wrongful death can run the gamut from auto accidents to choking on ID bracelets, but there are some common categories and patterns that emerge in these lawsuits.

• Automobile Accidents – Distracted drivers, drunk or impaired drivers, aggressive drivers, road construction and pedestrian fatalities are among the leading causes of death in America, and the most common causes of wrongful death lawsuits.
• Truck Accidents – The family of an elderly woman struck and killed by a commercial truck in San Francisco recently recovered a $1 million settlement from the commercial truck driver’s insurance policy, because he failed to yield to the pedestrian crosswalk.
• Bicycle Accidents – The family of 13-year old Brett McDaniel won a wrongful death verdict of $2 million, reduced to $1.2 million, against Mercy Regional Emergency Medical Services after their ambulance hit the boy who was riding his bike.
• Medical Malpractice – When medical professionals fail to provide the required level of care resulting in the death of a patient, the family may seek a wrongful death lawsuit based on facts that indicate a possible prescription error, misdiagnosis, emergency room error, surgical injury, misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, or even a medical equipment malfunction caused the death.
• Products Liability – The designers, manufacturers, distributors, and sellers of products must minimize the risk of harm from their products to the public. A death that results from a faulty design, defective manufacturing process, or failure to warn of possible injuries or death can be the basis for a wrongful death lawsuit.
• Work Related Accidents –Any death that occurs in the workplace as a result of company negligence can be the basis of a wrongful death lawsuit, and these commonly include illness due to unsafe work environments, fires or explosions, faulty equipment, or improper training and machine related incidents.
• Criminal Acts – The family of a New Jersey teen who killed himself after being sexually molested by his high school coach recovered $900,000 in wrongful death damages from the coach, St. Rose High School in Belmar, and The Diocese of Trenton.