Orlando Wrongful Death Attorney

Like many other states, Florida has a Wrongful Death Act, which helps protect its citizens from unlawful or negligent acts that lead to a person’s death. Losing a family member is hard enough, but losing a family member due to the wrongful or negligent acts of another person or company is a tragedy no one should have to go through. That is why the Orlando wrongful death attorneys are there for you and your other surviving family members during this time of loss. They work extra hard for you and your family so you may cope with other things.

By Florida law, a wrongful death is any death that is caused by a breach of contract, negligence, or wrongful act. In other words, a death should and could have been prevented. When a third person, company, or other entity causes a preventable death in the state of Florida, there is a possibility for a wrongful death suit. Survivors of the deceased are the ones who file a wrongful death suit in civil court. Children, parents, spouses, and any blood relative or adoptive relative are considered survivors under the Florida Wrongful Death Act. Survivors include relatives who are wholly or partially dependent upon the deceased person, either financially or for support and service. Support and service include parental upbringing, friendship, security, and protection. Therefore, under Florida law, survivors of a person who supplies not only financial support but also other support and service who is a victim of a wrongful death, is legally deserving of monetary compensation for the loss of that person.

Orlando is a city that is full of activity and potentially fatal accidents waiting to happen. The sunshine state is known for biker festivals and it is not a coincidence that the number of fatal motorcycle accidents has tripled in the past five years. In 2006 alone, fatal motorcycle accident deaths in Orlando compared twenty-one to seven in Lake County, Florida, which makes Orlando the highest in the state.

The leading causes of wrongful death, according to the National Center for Health Statistics are vehicular accidents, falls poisonings, drowning, burns, and suffocations. One tragic case was that of an eighty-year-old grandmother who resided at a retirement home in Orlando. The woman suffered from so many falls in the nursing home that it resulted in her death. The nursing home is accountable for the woman’s death. Her family entrusted the retirement home for her care and their negligence caused her death. Therefore, the grandmother’s survivors have a strong case for wrongful death.

A forty-year-old husband and father of three who dies after routine surgery at the Orlando hospital from an infection contracted while recovering at the hospital is another example of a wrongful death. This may be a case of medical malpractice due to negligence of the hospital staff. His surviving children and spouse are entitled to compensation that is equal to his potential lifetime earnings, retirement benefits, interest, and funeral expenses. They may also be entitled to reimbursement of medical expenses that accrued while in the hospital. The Orlando wrongful death attorneys know these legal rights and will work hard to ensure the surviving family members get what they are deserving of in regards to the loss of their beloved.

Tragic accidents happen across the United States every day that result in a wrongful death. Thankfully, the state of Florida has enacted a law that provides survivors legal action against the person, people, or entity at fault for the death of their loved one. AS in all states, Florida’s Wrongful Death Act does have a statute of limitation, which is two years from the date of the death. Survivors are entitled to compensation from the date of death, whether they file within six months, one year, or two years. Whatever the case, the Orlando wrongful death attorneys will work for you and your family in your time of need.