The Villages Wrongful Death Attorney

The loss of a loved one can affect every aspect of your life. You will likely face unexpected bills, considerable emotional pain and suffering, and a new way of life. However, you may have options to seek justice and recover your losses. If another party caused your loved one’s passing, our wrongful death lawyers in The Villages can help you file a wrongful death claim to recover compensation for this devastating loss.

At Meldon Law, our personal injury attorneys in The Villages understand how difficult this time can be. We will take over every aspect of your case, allowing you to focus on your family. Contact us today for a free review of your case.

What the Legal Team at Meldon Law Can Do for You After a Fatal Accident in The Villages

We want you to be able to focus on grieving your lost loved one and celebrating their life. Our wrongful death attorneys in The Villages will handle all the following for your case.

Identifying All Liable Parties

Who we hold liable depends on the accident that caused your loved one’s passing. Potentially liable parties could include:

• Motor vehicle drivers
• Truck drivers
• A negligent driver’s employer
• Property owners
• Nursing home staff
• Nursing home administrators
• The nursing home itself
• Dog owners
• A municipality

Other parties we haven’t listed may be liable as well. Our wrongful death lawyers in The Villages will investigate your case to determine who might be liable. In some cases, multiple parties might share liability.

Investigate Your Case

We will gather evidence to determine who contributed to the accident that caused your loved one’s passing. This is a necessary process for any wrongful death claim.

Fight for Fair Compensation for Your Claim

We will examine your situation so that we can advocate for fair compensation. We’ll use evidence like invoices, W2s, pay stubs, and receipts. We can use expert witnesses to determine the value of certain losses, such as future earning capacity and lost support and services.

Negotiate for a Fair Settlement

Once we have determined a fair value, we’ll fight for it. One way we do this is by building a compelling case with the evidence we have gathered.

Managing Deadlines

If we believe that taking your case to court is the best option, we will file a lawsuit. However, there is a limited amount of time to take action. Per Florida Statute 95.11, you typically only have two years from the date of your loved one’s passing to file a wrongful death lawsuit.

Our wrongful death attorneys in The Villages will manage this deadline, ensuring we leave ourselves enough time to build a strong case. However, to give ourselves that time, you should call us as soon as possible after your loss. During your initial free consultation, we can discuss the legal options available to you.

Represent You at Trial

If necessary, we can represent you at trial, establishing that the other party’s negligence caused you to lose your loved one.

Provide You With Updates

We know that this can be a very isolating experience. We never want you to feel as though you’ve been left in the dark. We’ll provide you with regular updates to ensure you always feel involved.

What Compensation Can I Recover in a Wrongful Death Claim?

No amount of money will counter what you have lost. However, financial compensation can grant you the time to grieve and celebrate your loved one’s life without the threat of eviction or creditors calling you day and night. Successfully pursuing a wrongful death claim against the liable party may also give you a sense of justice for what they’ve caused your family.

You deserve compensation for every dollar you’ve lost, and every minute of emotional anguish this has caused you. We’ll fight for all available compensation, including:

• Funeral and burial costs
• Medical bills: For any care your loved one needed before they passed, such as emergency medical care
• Lost support and services: Things like your loved one’s probable net income had they not passed, as well as services they took care of in daily life
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of companionship and protection
• Loss of consortium

Who Can Recover Compensation in a Wrongful Death Case?

Only the personal representative of the decedent can file a wrongful death claim. This person was likely named in your loved one’s will. If not, the court will appoint a personal representative. We can help you determine if you should be the personal representative.

Who Can Benefit from a Wrongful Death Claim?

In Florida, only certain parties can benefit from a wrongful death claim. The personal representative will file a claim on behalf of the deceased person’s:

• Spouse
• Children
• Parents
• Estate

If the following parties are “partly or wholly dependent” on the deceased person, they can also benefit:

• Any blood relatives
• Adopted siblings

Our team will help you determine whether you qualify to benefit from a wrongful death case. Contact our wrongful death lawyers in The Villages today to discuss your case during a free review.

Our Wrongful Death Attorneys in The Villages Gather the Evidence You Need

When a loved one has passed away due to the negligent acts of another, you may be devastated at the idea that the negligent party will not face consequences for their actions. Your lawyer can identify the liable party(s), seeking justice and compensation for you and your family.

In addition to establishing fault to determine who is liable to pay damages, it’s also important to prove that your loved one was not negligent. Under Florida’s modified comparative negligence law, only those who were less than 51% negligent can still pursue compensation.

We will gather all necessary evidence to prove the other party is liable for the accident. The evidence we use may include:

• Photos: Accident scene photos can be helpful in reconstructing what happened. For example, skid marks (or lack of them) can show whether a vehicle braked before or during the accident. If there were posted traffic signs near the accident, it can help prove that known traffic laws were ignored by the at-fault party.
• Video Footage: Video of the accident is often one of the most helpful pieces of evidence, as it offers a completely unbiased view of what happened. Footage may come from business security cameras, traffic cameras, dashcams, or cellphones.
• Eyewitness Testimony: Bystanders can provide impartial accounts of the accident. Some examples of witnesses include drivers or passengers in other vehicles in motor vehicle accidents, other customers or employees at a store in a premises liability case, or others at a park where a fatal dog attack took place.
• Police or Incident Reports: After an accident, the authorities will create a report detailing what took place. This report may contain descriptions of evidence gathered, as well as witness statements taken. Depending on the nature of the accident, reports may come from police officers, store supervisors, or animal control officers. Our team will recover the accident report from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, or Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
• Black Box Data: Semi-trucks have a built-in device that collects and stores data about both the operation of the truck as well as the driver’s activity during the course of their day.
• Previous Complaints: In nursing home abuse cases, there may be a record of previous complaints about a specific staff member or the nursing home facility as a whole. There may also be previous complaints in premises liability cases.
• Driving Records: Driving records can reveal a pattern of reckless or negligent behavior.
• Expert Testimony: Testimony from accident reconstructionists or safety standards experts can establish how an accident occurred.

We will use this evidence to prove the following:

• The at-fault party owed you a duty of care.
• They breached this duty by behaving negligently
• The negligence caused your loved one’s accident.
• You sustained financial and emotional losses due to your loved one’s passing.

How Can I Afford a Wrongful Death Lawyer in The Villages?

If you are already worried about financial stability and bills after a loved one has passed, taking on the cost of a lawyer may seem infeasible. Our team handles cases on a contingency-fee basis. This means you pay no upfront fees to get our help. We will handle your entire case and only recover our attorney’s fees if you recover the compensation you need.

We don’t want you worrying about how you’ll afford our help at a time like this. There is no financial risk when you work with our firm.

Experience the Meldon Law Difference for Your Wrongful Death Case in The Villages

We aren’t just any law firm. Here are just a few things that set us apart from other attorneys.

We Care About YOU, Not Just Your Case

We don’t treat you like a number. Our team CARES. We handle cases with Compassion and Accountability; ensure we are Reliable; and strive for Excellence and Success.

We Don’t Stop Fighting for You

We’re a force to be reckoned with, both inside the courtroom and out. We’ll stand for you, ensuring that insurers respect you and your right to compensation.

We Want You to Understand the Process

We ensure you know what to expect throughout the entire wrongful death claims process. We also educate you on the process so you’ll know what to expect as your case progresses. We know what we’re doing, and we want you to know, too.

Types of Accidents We Can Help You With in The Villages

Unfortunately, any type of accident can cause a fatal injury. We can help you after a:

• Car accident
• Truck accident
• Golf cart accident
• Bicycle accident
• Motorcycle accident
• Dog bites
• Slips and falls or other premises liability accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Nursing home abuse or neglect

We Won’t Back Down from an Insurer or Large Corporation

The insurance company isn’t concerned with the fact that you lost your loved one. It’s concerned with saving as much money as possible. It will attempt to convince you to take as little as possible in a settlement. We’ll stand toe-to-toe and won’t let it bully you into accepting less than you deserve.

Once you sign an offer, your case is over, and you’ve given up your right to recover compensation later—even if you find out that you deserve tens of thousands more. Our team will review any offers to determine whether they are fair or not. We will offer you guidance throughout the settlement offer process.

What Our Clients Have Said About Us

We can tell you what we’ll do for you, but we believe that former clients will help you better understand how our help will make you feel:

• “They showed how much they cared and took their time to explain the process to me. I’m happy I chose them to help me with my case.”
• “Hands down the best law firm!!! True to their word, They won’t back down!”

Call Our Wrongful Death Lawyers in The Villages for Help With Your Claim

You need the time to grieve instead of handling every aspect of a wrongful death claim. The pressures from insurance companies, as well as often complex paperwork, can leave you feeling even more stressed. When you work with our team, you won’t have to handle any legal aspect of your case. Our wrongful death attorneys in The Villages manage your case from start to finish, fighting for the compensation you deserve and standing up for your rights.

We want you to focus on your family and yourself while we focus on your case. Contact Meldon Law today to get started on your case right away. We’ve recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for accident victims and their families. Let us fight for the compensation you deserve.