If your loved one died in an accident someone else’s negligence caused, contact the Liberty personal injury attorneys of House Packard McElderry, LLC today to discuss the available legal options. You might be entitled to compensation for funeral expenses, medical bills, and other costs that resulted from your family member’s death. We could represent you in your case to hold the at-fault party liable.
It is your right to pursue legal action for the death of your loved one. Someone else is responsible for the deadly incident and should suffer the consequences. You can face massive debt if you can’t afford the bills you receive. You shouldn’t face the financial strain of paying for the expenses associated with your relative’s death when someone else caused it.
At House Packard McElderry, LLC, we understand how traumatic it is to lose someone in an accident the other person could have prevented. When you’re coping with death, the last thing you want to deal with is a wrongful death claim. You need to take time to grieve and finalize funeral arrangements. Adding another responsibility can be overwhelming during this devastating time in your life.
Let House Packard McElderry, LLC take over and complete every step of the legal process on your behalf. We can file your case and aggressively pursue the maximum available compensation on your behalf. You don’t have to worry about handling any legal aspect when you hire us. We will take care of everything for you.
Call House Packard McElderry, LLC at (816) 381-9105 today for your free consultation with one of our dedicated and skilled wrongful death lawyers in Liberty, MO.
Common Causes of Wrongful Death
Various factors can contribute to a person’s death. Individuals and companies could create dangerous situations that have fatal consequences for others. The most common causes of wrongful death are below.
Slip and Falls
A slip and fall accident happens when someone slips on a hazard on someone else’s property and suffers an injury in a fall. Property owners must maintain their properties to prevent accidents. Guests could sustain fatal injuries in slip and fall accidents for a range of reasons, such as:
- Slippery or wet floor
- Inadequate lighting
- Ice or snow in a parking lot
- Unusual flooring transition
- Loose mats and rugs
- Defective steps
- Uneven sidewalk
Our Liberty spinal cord injury attorneys can help you or your loved one recover the compensation needed to cover your medical bills and other related expenses.
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Car Accidents
The occupants of any vehicle could suffer life-threatening injuries in car accidents. Some car crashes have deadly results. In 2020, 38,824 people died in motor vehicle accidents throughout the country. There were 987 fatalities in Missouri the same year.
Common factors that contribute to car accidents include:
- Tailgating
- Fatigued driving
- Speeding
- Unsafe lane changes
- Distracted driving
- Driving under the influence
Pedestrian Accidents
Pedestrians are often invisible to motor vehicle drivers. Many people on roadways don’t notice anyone attempting to cross the street. Pedestrians are at a higher risk of death in collisions involving cars. Whether a motorist disobeys a traffic law or isn’t focusing on the road ahead, they could hit a pedestrian in their path.
The most common causes of pedestrian accidents include:
- Failing to check behind the car before backing out of a parking spot
- Drifting onto a nearby sidewalk while sending a text or distracted by something else
- Proceeding through a crosswalk without yielding to a person already crossing the street
- Speeding in a parking lot
- Turning right at a red light without looking for approaching pedestrians
Aviation Accidents
Plane crashes often lead to passenger fatalities. However, deadly accidents can happen under a range of circumstances while the aircraft is on the runway, in the air, or heading to the gate. The most common causes of fatal aviation accidents include:
- Taking the wrong flight path
- Using the improper maneuvers during poor weather conditions
- Pilot errors
- Miscommunication between air traffic control and the pilot
- Inadequate fuel in the plane
- Defective or malfunctioning aircraft parts
Motorcycle and Bicycle Accidents
Motorcyclists and bikers can suffer debilitating injuries in traffic-related accidents. Without an enclosed vehicle, seatbelt, or airbag, riders have nothing to protect them during a collision. Driver error is a common cause of death in bicycle and motorcycle accidents. Examples include:
- Drifting into the designated bicycle lane
- Opening a vehicle door into the path of an oncoming rider
- Passing the rider too closely
- Tailgating while sharing the road with a biker or motorcyclist
- Turning without checking for crossing riders
- Failing to yield the right of way at an intersection
Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice is a healthcare professional’s negligence that results in a patient’s substandard treatment and subsequent injuries or death. Sometimes, a doctor’s error is apparent. They might obviously have made a mistake while operating or administering medication. However, some people don’t discover that medical malpractice occurred until much later.
Common causes of a patient’s death due to medical malpractice include:
- Errors during surgery
- Using unsterilized medical instruments
- Administering too much anesthesia
- Misdiagnosing a terminal disease
- Prescribing medication without checking for adverse interactions
- Performing an unnecessary procedure
Boating Accidents
Commercial and recreational boating can be enjoyable. However, dangers exist out on the water that put boat occupants at risk. Fatalities can result from drowning incidents, a capsized vessel, collision with another boat, and various other scenarios.
The most common causes of boating accidents include:
- Speeding
- Operator inattention or distraction
- Approaching the dock too fast
- Ignoring swimmers in the water
- Passing by another vessel too closely
Dog Bites Injuries
Although many dog bite injuries heal with proper treatment, some require emergency medical care. Complications could arise, such as infections, that put the victim’s life at risk. Typically, dogs attack humans when they feel provoked. However, there are multiple other reasons a dog might bite someone and cause a fatal injury, such as:
- Feeling threatened
- Protecting itself from perceived danger
- Pain from an injury or illness
- Getting too aggressive while playing
- Trying to grab a toy from someone’s hand
Nursing Home Abuse
Abuse and neglect are common in community settings. Nursing home residents are vulnerable to fatal injuries and illnesses. Substandard care can cause cognitive decline, medical complications, and other severe issues to patients.
The most common causes of wrongful death in nursing homes include:
- Hiring a new employee without performing a background check
- Failing to treat an injury
- Leaving a patient unattended after repeated requests for assistance walking to the bathroom
- Punching, kicking, or shoving a resident
- Forgetting to turn a bedridden patient, resulting in bedsores
- Poorly trained staff
Truck Accidents
When a commercial truck and a small car collide, the smaller vehicle occupants typically suffer more serious harm. There’s also a higher likelihood of death in crashes involving large trucks. According to statistics, there were 5,226 fatalities in large truck accidents in 2021.
Deadly truck accidents often result from these and other factors:
- Loading cargo beyond the maximum weight limit
- Speeding
- Sudden or improper braking
- Failing to perform inspections and maintenance on the truck
- Turning too quickly
- Improperly storing hazardous substances
Construction Accidents
Construction workers face dangers on the job every day. Although employees might take the necessary safety precautions, accidents can occur and cause a person’s death. The most common causes of fatalities on construction sites include:
- Falling from heights
- Malfunctioning equipment
- Lack of safety gear
- Collapsing scaffolding
- Exposure to toxic chemicals
If someone else is at fault for your relative’s death in any type of accident, reach out to House Packard McElderry, LLC today. Our Liberty wrongful death lawyers know how to build cases like yours and secure the money our clients deserve.
Statute of Limitations for Wrongful Death
You must adhere to a strict timeframe if you want to sue someone for causing your loved one’s death. Missouri’s statute of limitations allows three years. That means you have three years from the date your family member died to initiate your lawsuit against the negligent party for compensation.
Contact Us
House Packard McElderry, LLC is ready to help you in the fight for justice. We understand that no amount of money can change what happened. However, we hope the financial award we secure on your behalf can provide economic relief while you plan for the funeral and settle the final medical bills. Our wrongful death lawyers in Liberty, MO, will stay by your side to provide the guidance and support you need.
If you lost your loved one in an accident due to someone’s negligent conduct, call House Packard McElderry, LLC for your free consultation at (816) 381-9105 or contact us online.