6 Major Causes of Wrongful Death
Every day in Colorado, someone is involved in an accident that leads to serious injuries or even death due to someone else’s negligent, reckless, or bad conduct. This is where wrongful death lawsuit comes into the picture. A wrongful death lawsuit is a complex lawsuit brought by a spouse, children, or parents of a loved one for a wide variety of intentional, negligent, careless, or reckless acts that resulted in their loved ones death. Although auto accidents are a leading cause of negligent fatalities, wrongful death lawsuits result from a variety of causes.
Top six causes of wrongful death
The cause of wrongful death can be accredited to several types of conduct, all of which are due to another person or company’s negligent or willful conduct. The following six categories are the leading contributors of wrongful death.
- Automobile Accident: These are some of the most common wrongful death cases, and tragically, also the most avoidable. Increasingly, drivers are held liable for wrongful death because of their distracted driving. Operating a vehicle and not observing all traffic laws is below the standard of care expected of a driver. However, using a cell phone, putting on makeup, eating, or any number of other activities that takes your eyes off the road can be classified as reckless, and often leads to serious life-threatening accidents.
- Medical Malpractice: This is when a licensed medical practitioner breaches the standard of care that is required by their specific practice. If a doctor fails to abide by the standard of care for the procedure they are performing, they can be held liable for the negligence that lead to their patient’s death. Examples of a medical procedure that falls below the standard of care may be a surgery that deviates from the medically accepted procedure, when medication is prescribed for a condition that does not require the prescription, or when the physician’s medical diagnosis leads to the death of a patient for something that was avoidable, discoverable, or preventable.
- Trucking Accident: Truck accidents are similar to automobile accidents, with a twist. Someone operating a truck can be held liable for wrongful death if they breach their duty to observe all traffic laws and operate their large truck in a safe manner. But more so, truck drivers are professionally licensed and have a duty to operate their large truck with more care than the typical automobile because of the weight and danger of large trucks. If a truck driver fails to observe certain rules of the road, it can easily result in a fatal accident.
- Workplace Accident: Injuries and wrongful death cases are more common in high risk industries such as construction, but they can happen anywhere that heavy machinery or heights are involved. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 63.7% of worker fatalities occurred in the construction industry, while 38.7% of those injuries were due to falls. A workplace that does not take the proper precautions or provide the proper level of training may be liable for the wrongful death of their employees.
- Product Liability: If a company that sells products for public consumption is made aware of dangerous defects of their products, and fails to make reasonable attempts to warn their consumers of the defect, or recall the product, they can be held liable for any wrongful death that results from the use of their product.
- Criminal Activity: Any individual that kills someone in the commission of a crime can be held liable for the wrongful death of a loved one.
Our attorneys at Alhasoon, Glidden and Glidden have handled a wide variety of causes of wrongful death, throughout a wide range of industries, and know the ins and outs of handing such complex cases.
If you have lost a loved one due to someone’s negligent behavior, we extend our deepest condolences. In times like these, you need a committed partner to guide you through the complex process of recovering for the loss of your loved one and holding the responsible parties accountable. Time is of the essence! Call the attorneys at Alhasoon, Glidden and Glidden today (720) 487-1050 to set up a free consultation. We will work vigorously to make sure the responsible parties are held accountable – we don’t get paid until you get paid!
