The 10 Most Common Causes of Wrongful Death

A “wrongful death” occurs when a person is killed because of another person’s negligence or intentional misconduct. Family members of the deceased, such as a spouse or child, can bring a wrongful death suit to seek justice for their loss.

What’s more, all sorts of fatal or catastrophic incidents might give rise to a wrongful death lawsuit, from simple traffic accidents to more complex cases of medical negligence or product liability. Negligent behavior can result in legal consequences for individuals, businesses, and even government personnels. Here are some of the most common causes of wrongful deaths that are typically presented to courts.

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Auto Accidents

The majority of wrongful death claims in the United States involve fatalities that occurred in automobile accidents. For instance, the Texas Department of Transportation reported that in 2020 there were 1.5 fatalities for every 100,000,000 miles driven in the state of Texas.

Bicycle-Pedestrian Accidents

Deaths can occur when a driver ignores pedestrians at a crossing, is speeding, or just doesn’t notice them. When struck by an automobile, pedestrians have no defenses and are at high risk for serious injury. Pedestrians with slower reflexes, such as the elderly or young children, are more vulnerable in these situations. Inattentive motorists and poorly defined bike lanes pose many of the same threats to cyclists as they do to pedestrians.

Truck Accidents

Although semi-truck accidents are still considered vehicle accidents, certain key distinctions place them in a unique category. The primary difference is the enormous size of 18-wheelers. Different factors contribute to collisions involving semi-trucks. Most truck accidents occur because the driver is carrying more cargo than the vehicle can safely carry, or when the truck itself develops technical problems.

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Medical Malpractice

While the vast majority of doctors and nurses are exceptionally competent, accidents can occur. The most prevalent causes of mortality resulting from medical misconduct are incorrect or delayed diagnosis. Surgery and treatment mistakes are other frequent sources of medical malpractice suits.

Factors suggesting a prescription error, misdiagnosis, surgical damage, misdiagnosis, or delayed diagnosis may have caused a patient’s death and may lead to a wrongful death lawsuit being filed by the patient’s loved ones.

Products Liability

The maker should be deemed liable if a faulty product results in someone’s death. Proving fault in such cases can be challenging. Defective pharmaceuticals, hazardous foods, hazardous kid products, and defective vehicles are only some of the most prominent causes of this sort of wrongful death.

Property Damage Liability

It is the responsibility of every landowner to keep their property in such good condition that no visitor to their property will get any sort of injury while on the premises. You may be held responsible for any injuries sustained on your property if you choose to disregard our advice. Many company leaders fail to address obvious dangers like icy walkways, damaged buildings, broken railings, damp floors, and more.

However, the owner of the property is responsible for ensuring the safety of these features. If the owner fails to address these hazards or clearly labels potentially hazardous places, they may be held accountable for any injuries that occur there, and if those injuries are fatal, they may face a wrongful death claim.

Workplace Injuries

A wrongful death lawsuit can be filed for any work-related fatality due to workplace negligence. Common examples include injuries and illnesses brought on by things like poorly maintained machinery, hazardous working conditions, and fires and explosions. Even if a worker’s death was caused by workplace circumstances or equipment, it may still be considered a wrongful death if it occurred away from the office.

Assault and Battery

Everyone has moments where they lose control of their temper, but when things escalate into a physical altercation, lives are on the line. Generally speaking, a personal injury case is filed when someone is hurt by your conduct, whereas a wrongful death lawsuit is filed when someone dies as a result of the injuries you caused.

Pushing someone down and forcing them to strike their head on a rock, tackling someone and breaking their neck, hitting someone and inflicting brain damage that leads to death, and similar scenarios are all examples of this. As a result, you may have to pay hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars in compensation.

Drowning/Boat Accidents

A person can drown in a variety of settings, including a private pool, a community pool, or even at the beach. If a person drowns because a pool wasn’t securely locked, the property owner may be held responsible. Wrongful death suits may be filed against a boat owner who is responsible for an accident or who fails to provide adequate safety equipment.

Aviation Accidents

Aircraft mishaps are less common than car wrecks, although they do occur. Thousands of planes are in the sky at any given moment, increasing the likelihood of an incident. Since commercial flights are frequently running late, crews may forgo necessary maintenance or even overwork the engines in an attempt to reach their destination on time. From touching down to taking off, and everything in between, airlines must follow a stringent set of regulations.

If a plane crashes and kills people on board because the pilot or aviation company disregarded safety checks, increased the plane’s speed beyond what was considered safe, or disregarded air traffic control guidelines, the pilot or aviation company would be held liable for the damages caused. Mechanical problems are another significant cause of aircraft accidents, and the manufacturer may be held responsible in these cases.

The Bottom Line

It’s a good idea to look into lawsuit funding if you’re going to file a wrongful death complaint. If you need some financial breathing room while you pursue a case, lawsuit loans may be an option. These loans can be used to cover things like rent, utilities, motor vehicle payments, and medical expenditures.

Apply for Our Wrongful Death Lawsuit Loan Today

Do you have an ongoing wrongful death case? You may apply for legal funding. Contact us today to know more about our pre-settlement funding. Our trusted team will guide you through every step of your lawsuit loan application.

Call or text (877) 735-0016 or fill out our form to apply today for free.