Did you recently lose a loved one in a fatal accident in Boynton Beach, FL? Call Green Personal Injury Lawyers at (561) 362-2009 for legal guidance today. An experienced Boynton Beach wrongful death lawyer can help you fight for compensation.
Pursuing financial compensation is often the only way for grieving families to get justice. Contact our law offices in Boynton Beach to learn how we can help you maximize your recovery. Your consultation is always free.
Why Should I Call Green Personal Injury Lawyers to Handle My Family’s Wrongful Death Claim in Boynton Beach?
Wrongful death cases in Boynton Beach, Florida, can be incredibly difficult. At Green Personal Injury Lawyers, we have extensive experience standing up to powerful insurance companies and defense teams. We’re relentless when it comes to fighting for the compensation our clients need.
Our Boynton Beach personal injury attorneys have over 12 years of experience helping injured clients and grieving families hold responsible parties accountable. We’ve successfully recovered over $40 million in settlements and verdicts.
We offer big-firm resources and results with small-firm dedication. When you hire us, you can skip the red tape that big-firm clients often experience. Instead, you’ll sit down with your attorney from the start, and that attorney will stand by your side every step of the way.
We offer a free consultation, so call to learn more about how our Boynton Beach wrongful death attorneys can help your family.
Florida Laws on Wrongful Death
Florida wrongful death laws define a wrongful death as one caused by another party’s “wrongful act, negligence, default, or breach of contract or warranty”. If the victim could have sued for damages, their survivors retain that right following the death.
Wrongful death cases can involve several different legal theories, including:
- General negligence
- Intentional torts, or intentional wrongdoing
- Strict liability, as in product liability cases
- Premises liability, which is a type of negligence claim
- Medical malpractice
The majority of all wrongful death cases involve accidents. Even when intentional acts are involved, the wrongful death claim is entirely separate from any criminal case.
How Do Wrongful Death Lawsuits Work in Florida?
Wrongful death lawsuits allow survivors to seek compensation for the losses they have suffered due to the wrongful death of a loved one.
These cases are handled in civil court and function much in the same way as personal injury claims. Most cases begin with filing an insurance claim and engaging in settlement negotiations with the insurance company.
Who Can Bring a Florida Wrongful Death Case?
In Florida, the victim’s personal representative files the wrongful death lawsuit. The compensation that is recovered is distributed to the victim’s surviving family, including:
- A surviving spouse
- Children
- Parents
- Any other blood relatives or adopted siblings who depended on the victim for financial support or services (typically, household tasks)
Remember that your right to sue for damages doesn’t depend on the results of any criminal prosecution. Again, in most cases, no criminal actions are involved. You can sue for damages even if the at-fault party’s acts were entirely accidental.
What Is My Boynton Beach Wrongful Death Claim Worth?
The value of your case will depend heavily on:
- Your loved one’s age and life expectancy at the time of death
- The identity of surviving dependents
- Your loved one’s future earning capacity
- The nature of the at-fault party’s acts and the circumstances of your loved one’s death
- Your loved one’s prior financial contributions to the family
- The value of household duties, including childcare, that your loved one performed
- Whether Florida’s shared fault laws apply
Unfortunately, the insurance company won’t hesitate to take advantage of your family’s grief. They often use scare tactics and manipulation to get you to accept a lowball offer.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Survivors in a Boynton Beach Wrongful Death Case?
Florida law specifically allows grieving families to seek a variety of damages. These damages are designed to cover the financial and non-financial losses you have suffered. In legal terms, you can recover economic and non-economic damages.
Examples include:
- Loss of the victim’s financial support
- Loss of the value of household services and childcare that the victim had provided
- Loss of a parent’s guidance and instruction
- Loss of consortium, meaning loss of a spouse’s companionship and protection
- Mental pain and suffering
- Medical expenses for care provided between the date of injury and the date of death
- Funeral expenses and burial costs
- Loss of net accumulations, or loss of inheritance, reduced to present value
- The victim’s lost earnings between the date of injury and the date of death, plus interest
When a defendant’s acts are deemed worthy of punishment, punitive damages may be on the table. Courts in Florida may award punitive damages when a defendant’s acts were intentional or showed a shockingly reckless disregard for human life and safety.
Assessing the value of damages in wrongful death cases can be incredibly complicated. Having an experienced attorney in your corner is critical to recovering the full amount your family deserves.
How Can Florida’s Comparative Fault Laws Impact the Value of My Wrongful Death Claim?
You could lose your right to compensation entirely. If your loved one wasn’t mostly responsible, your compensation will be reduced to account for their share of fault.
Florida has a modified comparative negligence law. Your family cannot recover damages if the other side proves your loved one was more than 50% responsible for their fatal injuries.
Otherwise, your compensation is limited. Say the insurance company can prove your loved one was 30% responsible for a car crash. Your family remains entitled to 70% of your compensation award.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Wrongful Death Lawyer in Florida?
At Green Personal Injury Lawyers, we’re confident in our ability to win. That’s one reason why we work on a contingency fee basis. The value of our attorneys’ fees depends entirely on how much compensation we recover in your case. When we do win, you pay a percentage of your settlement or verdict.
In plain terms, you only pay if we win, and you’ll never have to pay anything upfront.
How Can a Wrongful Death Attorney Help?
Our Boynton Beach wrongful death attorneys will refuse to let insurance companies get away with taking advantage of you.
When you hire us, we’ll:
- Locate and carefully evaluate all available evidence
- Compare your case to similar cases
- Bring in respected experts to testify about the value of your losses
- Fiercely defend against allegations involving shared fault that could lower your case value
By forcing the insurance adjusters and defense teams to negotiate in good faith, we’ll be well on our way to getting your family the money you deserve.
Our Lawyers in Boynton Beach Handle All Types of Wrongful Death Cases
Some examples of the types of cases we handle at Green Personal Injury Lawyers include:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Firearm violence
- Slip and fall accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Rideshare accidents involving Uber or Lyft
- Amusement park accidents
- Boating accidents
- Construction accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Dog bites
- Defective products
- Medical malpractice
- Nursing home abuse
We’re here to help, regardless of how your loved one’s death occurred. Call us today so that we can discuss your legal options in detail.
How Do I Prove a Wrongful Death Case?
Most wrongful death cases are based on negligence. To prove general negligence, you must prove:
- The responsible party had a duty of care
- They breached their duty by failing to exercise reasonable caution
- The fatal injury would not have occurred “but for” the breach of duty, or causation
- The damages your family has experienced in the aftermath
Recovering compensation isn’t automatic. You must present strong evidence to show that someone else was responsible for your tragic loss. Our attorneys are here to help at every stage, including determining who was responsible for your loss.
How Long Do I Have To File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Florida?
You have two years from the date of death to file a lawsuit. After two years pass, you’ll almost always lose your right to sue for damages. Insurance companies will also refuse to negotiate when the threat of trial is taken off the table.
How Common Are Fatal Accidents in Florida?
Deadly accidents in Florida are, unfortunately, common. In 2024, fatal traffic accidents claimed the lives of:
- 3,161 motor vehicle accident victims
- 698 pedestrians
- 203 bicyclists
- 585 motorcyclists
4,380 fatal fall injuries were reported statewide in 2023. 3,202 fatalities were attributed to firearm violence in 2023. 306 Florida workers lost their lives in workplace accidents that year.
Contact an Experienced Boynton Beach Wrongful Death Lawyer for a Free Consultation
If you’ve recently lost a loved one in an accident in Boynton Beach, FL, the clock is already ticking. When in doubt, call an experienced Boynton Beach wrongful death lawyer sooner rather than later. Green Personal Injury Lawyers can help you take legal action and understand your legal options.