Knowing what to do after a wrongful death can help you take important steps to protect your future, even as shock and grief seem to prevent you from thinking beyond the next minute.
You deserve justice for your loss, and collecting documentation, securing evidence, and learning your legal options can support that outcome. A Salt Lake City wrongful death lawyer from Siegfried & Jensen can support you and take care of all legal needs.
Collect Medical and Legal Documents
Gathering documentation after a wrongful death supports your potential claim for damages. Get multiple copies of the death certificate. If your loved one died in an accident or as a victim of a crime, obtain the accident and police reports.
If applicable, get an autopsy report. Maintain all other medical bills, reports, and records. Review the documents for errors or omissions. Make copies to keep for your own records. You can bring these documents and other evidence to the attorneys at Siegfried & Jensen.
For a free legal consultation, call (801) 266-0999
Secure Evidence After a Wrongful Death
You can help compile the proof required in a wrongful death case by securing evidence. If an accident took your loved one’s life, take photographs of the accident scene and the vehicles involved. If an accident on someone else’s property caused the death, photograph the property, focusing on the hazard that caused the accident.
You may be able to request video footage from traffic or security cameras. An attorney can handle this task for you. Whether your loved one died in an accident, as a result of medical malpractice, or from an intentional act, witnesses may have seen what happened.
Be sure to get their contact details. Ask them to send you a text or email of their account of events before their memories fade. The Siegfried & Jensen team can follow up to verify and clarify those testimonies.
Avoid Committing Claim-Damaging Mistakes
The unexpected loss of a loved one causes emotional upheaval. You may want to vent your anger and grief on social media or at others involved in the event leading to the death. Though this desire is completely understandable, it’s important to resist it.
Representatives for the at-fault party will be looking for ways to deflect responsibility and know how to use your posts, pictures, and words to undermine your claim. The other side’s representatives may reach out to you for a statement or even to offer you a settlement.
Don’t respond. Refer them to Siegfried & Jensen. Representatives know how to prompt statements to reduce their client’s culpability. Further, initial settlement offers do not offer true financial justice. The other side’s hope is that your vulnerability will prevent you from recognizing the offer’s unfairness.
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Partner with an Experienced Wrongful Death Attorney Right Away
Another thing to do after a wrongful death is to form a swift partnership with Siegfried & Jensen. The wrongful death statute of limitations in Utah is two years for many, though not all, situations. For example, the role of government immunity in wrongful death cases reduces that deadline to one year and includes special filing procedures.
Other times, the deadline could be extended. The extension may apply if those eligible to apply did not, and could not have reasonably known, that their loved one’s death was caused by another party’s negligence within those two years. Once they make that discovery, the two-year timer starts.
A fast connection prevents you from missing the legal deadline and potentially losing the chance to seek justice. Be sure to connect with us even if you think the deadline has passed. We can review your case for free to see if an extension applies.
Evidence Availability
Evidence gathering is generally more productive when carried out quickly. There is less time for video footage or documents to get lost, or for witnesses to forget details. Fast access to evidence is another reason to form a fast legal partnership after a wrongful death.
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Learn About Your Legal Options
Siegfried & Jensen can explain your legal options after you lose a loved one to a wrongful death. Utah Code 78B-3-106 defines a wrongful death as a fatality caused by “the wrongful act or neglect of another,” and establishes the right of the decedent’s personal representatives or heirs to seek damages for the consequences of that loss of life. Utah Code 78B-3-105 identifies heirs as the deceased’s:
- Spouse
- Children
- Natural or adoptive parents
- Stepchildren under age 18, or who resided with or received financial support from the decedent at the time of death
If there are no heirs as listed, any “blood relative by the law of intestate succession” can file. An attorney can determine your filing eligibility and then take your claim through the process.
Restore Your Financial Security After a Wrongful Death
You and your family need to heal and find a way to face your future with financial confidence after the loss of your loved one and their financial and household support.
This is why you should hire a wrongful death lawyer. Siegfried & Jensen will handle your family and your claim with care as we fight to secure the highest compensation available.
Damages for a wrongful death claim typically include related medical costs, funeral expenses, your loved one’s lost future earnings, and the value of their contributions to the household. They also acknowledge your family’s loss of affection and relationship and mental anguish.
Utah’s system of comparative fault only allows you to file for damages if your loved one was less than 50% to blame for the incident ultimately causing their death, per statute 78B-5-818. If your loved one held a lower percentage of blame, your compensation is reduced by that same percentage. We can fight to protect your settlement or trial award from unjust deductions.
We Take Care of Your Claim, so You Can Take Care of Your Family
What you need to do after a wrongful death is take care of yourself and your family. It’s easier to do that when you have the Utah wrongful death attorneys at Siegfried & Jensen handling your claim and offering guidance and support. We’ll take care of all legalities, so you can focus your energy on healing.
Call or text (801) 266-0999 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form