Each year in the United States some 3 million people are injured in car accidents and another 50,000 loose their lives as the result of a car accident. According to Ventura County car accident attorney Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates, the latest statistics for Ventura County show that in 2008 there were over 3,000 car accidents and 63 people lost their lives in car accidents. Losing a loved one to a car accident is a tragedy. Losing someone to a car accident that could have been prevented is an even bigger tragedy. It is true that accidents sometimes happen where no one is to blame, but the vast majority of the time someone was negligent. If you have lost a loved one as the result of a car accident and you believe that someone else was at fault, what are your legal options?
Emery Ledger, Ventura County car accident attorney, says that many people are in such a state of emotional shock and grief after the loss of a loved one that they are not thinking in terms of the future. While this is certainly understandable, it is not wise. If someone else was to blame for an accident that took the life of your loved one, you may be entitled to file as a claimant in a wrongful death lawsuit. If you were dependant on the decedent, financially or emotionally, then you may be entitled to recover for your loss. This may be the last thing that you want to think about during the grieving stage, but it is critically important that you think about the future before it’s too late. As with all tort claims, a wrongful death claim has a statute of limitations – at time within which the claim must be filed or you lose the right to recover, says Ventura County wrongful death attorney Emery Ledger. In most cases that time frame is two years, but in some cases – like when a municipality is concerned – the time frame is considerably shorter. Additionally, evidence and documents that you may need to prove your claim will be much harder to obtain the longer that you wait. If your loved one was supporting you while he was alive, why wouldn’t he want the opportunity to keep doing so after his death in the form of a wrongful death settlement?
A wrongful death claim can provide the financial means for you to take care of yourself and anyone else that the decedent was supporting. Even if the decedent wasn’t actually earning a paycheck, if the decedent supported you while you worked by taking care of the house or the children, then you may have a wrongful death claim. The best way to find out if you have a valid wrongful death claim is to consult with an experienced Ventura County car accident attorney. For an appointment with Ventura County car accident and wrongful death attorney Emery Ledger of Ledger & Associates, please call 1-800-300-0001 or you can communicate with his office online at www.ledgerlaw.com
