California Helicopter Crash Injury Lawyers

In general, a surviving spouse has priority to file a wrongful death claim. Children can also file a wrongful death claim, and if they are still minors, an estate administrator can file the claim on their behalf. There are also special situations in which registered domestic partners, grandchildren, and other dependent minors (such as stepchildren) might also be eligible to file a wrongful death claim.

In the unusual situation that no family members can be found, and the victims died without a will, more distant relatives can also be allowed to file the wrongful death claim. It is important to consult with a wrongful death lawyer about your case if you fall under one of these special circumstances. Not all relatives are eligible to file a wrongful death claim.

In general, wrongful death claims must be filed within two years from the time of the victim’s death. This window of time does not mean that you have two full years to hire an attorney. Your helicopter crash lawyer will need time to investigate your case and consult with expert witnesses. There are also certain deadlines that might apply before the statute of limitations.

If, for example, you are suing a city for negligently maintaining its airfield, you must notify them of your claim within six months of the death. This “notice of claim” applies to any defendant that is a government agency. Your helicopter accident lawyer will ensure that all of these deadlines are met. It is, however, important to hire them as soon as possible so that you do not miss a deadline and lose your claim forever.

There are many potential defendants in a wrongful death claim resulting from a helicopter accident. These are the same defendants who are liable for other helicopter injuries, such as pilots, owners, charter companies, manufacturers, and others whose negligence caused the victim’s death.

Our experienced helicopter attorneys know how to find all potential defendants so that you have access to all the compensation you are legally owed for the wrongful death. Anyone who contributed to a preventable death must be held accountable for it, which is the only way to prevent fatal mistakes in the future.

There are many expenses that can be claimed in a wrongful death claim resulting from a helicopter crash. Burial and funeral expenses are common. If the victim had any medical bills before their death, these too could be claimed. There may be lost wages that represent the victim’s earnings from the time of their wrongful death through their expected retirement age.

Surviving spouses (and registered domestic partners) are also entitled to compensation for loss of consortium. This loss of consortium represents the emotional losses associated with a spouse’s untimely death, such as care, companionship, affection, and even access to sexual relations. Jurors are human. They understand that the untimely death of a spouse will be emotionally devastating, and our lawyers can help prove the value of this loss.

You will never have to pay any money upfront to hire our trusted firm. Like many personal injury attorneys, our helicopter crash lawyers work on a contingency, meaning that you agree to pay us a portion of whatever award we get for you.

If you don’t get paid, we don’t get paid. Our contingent fee agreements clearly spell the terms of our representation, including court costs, administrative fees, expert witness fees, and other litigation expenses. If you have any questions about how a contingent fee agreement works, just ask! We want to make sure all of our clients understand the financial arrangements and feel comfortable with our representation.