Losing a loved one is always a tragic event. It is even worse when the loss was due to someone else’s negligence or willful act. There is legal action that can be taken when this occurs. The surviving family members of the person who passed can file a wrongful death lawsuit, which falls under personal injury cases. There is a wrongful death lawyer in Douglasville, GA who represents clients who wish to file a wrongful death lawsuit. These are some things that clients should keep in mind when involved in these cases.
Wrongful death cases fall under the umbrella of personal injury cases. In Georgia, the statute of limitations for personal injuries is two years from the date of the incident. If the case is not filed in that time frame, any opportunity for the case to be heard will be likely gone. However, there are cases where the two-year time frame is stalled. For example, if the wrongful death is related to a criminal case that is pending, the clock will stop on the two-year time frame. It will resume again once the criminal case has been disposed of.
There are other cases where it may actually be possible for the wrongful death lawsuit to be given a time frame of up to seven years, provided the deceased person’s estate is not in probate. Beyond that, there is the stipulation of who can actually file this lawsuit on the deceased person’s behalf. This includes the spouse first, and any minor children that may be involved. If there is no spouse or children, the next people might be the deceased person’s parents, next of kin, or some other personal representative.
The law offices of Diane M. Sternlieb have been providing residents of Douglasville, Georgia and the surrounding area with legal solutions for the past 10 years. They offer their services in wrongful death claims, medical malpractice, other personal injury issues and also family law. If you are in need of a wrongful death lawyer in Douglasville, GA, they are available. Visit their website at Website Domain.
