You should hire a wrongful death lawyer in Nashville, TN because these cases involve detailed legal rules, tight filing deadlines, and high emotional stakes that are difficult to handle on your own. An experienced attorney can take the legal burden off your shoulders and help ensure the responsible party is held liable so that your family can focus on grieving and caring for each other.
Continue reading to learn what makes these cases unique in Tennessee and how a lawyer can make a difference.
Wrongful Death Claims Have Unique Legal Rules in Tennessee
Tennessee’s wrongful death statute, found in Tennessee Code § 20-5-106, sets specific rules about who can file a claim and how the case must be handled. Unlike a personal injury case, where the injured person files the lawsuit, a wrongful death claim must be brought by a specific party.
These include, in order of priority:
- The surviving spouse
- The surviving children
- The surviving next of kin
- The personal representative or administrator of the deceased person’s estate
- The surviving parent or parents (if the deceased was dependent on them at the time of death)
Filing without the proper legal authority can delay or even jeopardize your case. A wrongful death attorney can help you determine who has standing to file and make sure the claim is structured correctly from the start.
There Is a Short Filing Deadline
Tennessee only gives you one year from the date of the injury that resulted in death to file a wrongful death lawsuit in most cases. If you don’t file your lawsuit within this time frame, you could lose your ability to recover compensation altogether.
There are exceptions to this deadline, but only for rare cases. Hiring a lawyer as soon as you suspect you have a valid claim is the best way to protect your rights.
A Lawyer Can Help You Recover Full Compensation
Wrongful death cases in Tennessee allow surviving family members to pursue compensation for a range of losses, including:
- The deceased person’s medical bills and funeral expenses
- Lost wages they would have earned over their lifetime
- Loss of companionship, guidance, and support
- Pain and suffering experienced by the deceased
Putting a dollar figure on these losses takes careful work. Insurance companies will try to minimize their liability as much as they can, which leads to families often accepting far less than what their case is actually worth. A wrongful death attorney can bring in economists and other experts to calculate the true value of your claim and fight for every dollar your family deserves.
Reach Out to a Tennessee Wrongful Death Attorney for Legal Help
Losing a loved one because of someone else’s actions can be an extremely traumatic experience, and no amount of money can ever undo what happened. However, a wrongful death claim can provide your family with financial stability and a measure of justice going forward.
Contact a wrongful death lawyer in Tennessee with Woodard Injury Law today at (615) 314-4626 for a free consultation to review your case. We’ll do everything we can to help you and your loved ones make it through this difficult time.