Have you experienced the wrongful death of a close family member in an accident in New Orleans, Louisiana? Don’t hesitate to call the compassionate legal team at Mansfield Melancon Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers. You may have the opportunity to demand compensation for your devastating loss. Our experienced New Orleans wrongful death lawyers can help you fight for maximum recovery.
At Mansfield Melancon Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers, we’re known and respected Louisiana trial lawyers with over 50 years of collective legal experience. Our focus on client justice is unmatched, as evidenced by the tens of millions of dollars in settlements and jury awards we’ve recovered from insurance companies, employers, government agencies, and corporations across the State of Louisiana.
We’re here to help you get the justice you deserve in the wake of your unimaginable loss. Contact our New Orleans law offices at (504) 294-3804 to set a time for a free consultation now.
How Mansfield Melancon Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers Helps Families After Fatal Accidents in New Orleans, LA
Odds are, you’ll have to deal with an insurance company when you file a wrongful death claim in New Orleans. While the insurer might appear to be sympathetic to your situation, they certainly won’t prioritize your needs or help you secure the compensation you need to move forward with your life.
Don’t trust the insurance company with your future. Call Mansfield Melancon Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers, and trust our New Orleans personal injury lawyers to force the results you deserve.
Our attorneys are highly-respected litigators who’ve been recognized as Top 40 Under 40 Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers, Louisiana Rising Stars by Super Lawyers, and Top Personal Injury Lawyers by Acadiana Profile.
When you ask for our help getting compensation after a fatal accident in New Orleans, you’ll be able to count on us to:
- Be available to offer guidance, support, and answers to your questions throughout the claims process
- Help you understand your legal options and make important decisions about your wrongful death case
- Carefully investigate the circumstances of your family member’s death
- Evaluate the evidence we’ve gathered during the discovery process
- Consult expert witnesses and professionals as we construct your wrongful death claim
- Strategize the best ways to deal with victim-blaming tactics and claims of contributory negligence
- Calculate what your wrongful death case is worth
- Negotiate with the defense to get you the best possible terms in a settlement agreement
- Take your wrongful death lawsuit to trial if the defense won’t take responsibility for your heartbreaking loss
If you hire us, you’ll be able to count on our wrongful death attorneys in New Orleans every step of the way. We’ll handle your case on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing until we win compensation for your family.
Call our law office in New Orleans, LA, today to learn more. There’s no charge for your first case evaluation.
Advocating for Families in All Types of Wrongful Death Cases
At Mansfield Melancon Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers, we’re here to fight for your family if you’ve recently experienced the unexpected and tragic death of a family member because someone else was careless, reckless, or committed a crime.
We represent clients in wrongful death cases involving:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Uber and Lyft accidents
- Bus accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Construction accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Birth injury
- Nursing home abuse
- Slip and fall accidents
- Dog bites
- Assault
- Sexual assault
- Matters of premises liability
- Matters of product liability
- Catastrophic injuries, including brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and severe burns
You’ll have one shot at getting compensation for your unimaginable loss. Experience can make a world of difference in how your wrongful death case unfolds. Put our 50+ years of combined experience in your corner and set yourself up for the results you deserve. Call our New Orleans law office to get started and set a time for a free consultation today.
What Is Wrongful Death?
In Louisiana, a wrongful death is simply defined as the death of a person “due to the fault of another.”
Typically, wrongful death claims arise when a death is caused by negligence or criminal actions.
Just because an accident is fatal does not mean that the at-fault party is off the hook for their actions. Rather, the right to take civil legal action shifts to another party.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Claim in New Orleans?
Not just anyone can file a wrongful death lawsuit. In Louisiana, this right belongs to the victim’s surviving family members in the following order of priority:
- Surviving spouse and/or children
- Surviving father and/or mother if there is no surviving spouse or child
- Surviving brothers and/or sisters if no spouse, child, or parent survived the decedent
- Surviving grandmother and/or grandfather if no other relatives survived the decedent
Louisiana state law explains that the aforementioned family members can be related biologically or by adoption.
What Happens if My Family Member is Blamed for Their Fatal New Orleans Accident?
Louisiana’s pure comparative negligence statute applies to all civil personal injury claims – including matters of wrongful death. So, shared fault can adversely affect your ability to recover compensation after a fatal accident in New Orleans.
Typically, a victim’s financial award is reduced proportionately to the degree to which they’re responsible for causing an accident. Since the victim did not survive, their shared fault becomes a factor in related wrongful death claims.
Let’s say your parent was recently killed in a New Orleans truck accident. Your wrongful death claim is worth $500,000. However, your parent is 10 percent at fault for their fatal crash. As a result, your maximum settlement or jury award will be limited to $450,000.
Your family member is not here to tell their side of the story. They can’t dispute allegations that they caused or contributed to their accident. Our wrongful death lawyers in New Orleans will step in and fight to protect their good name and your ability to get the compensation you deserve.
What Types of Damages Can I Get With a Wrongful Death Claim?
Losing a close family member can have ripple effects across your life. When you file a wrongful death claim in New Orleans, you’ll have the opportunity to recover damages for your financial losses and harder-to-value struggles since your loved one’s death.
Economic damages are available to offset the costs and monetary losses you experience, such as:
- Medical bills paid prior to your family member’s death
- Costs related to your family member’s funeral and burial
- The value of household services your family member would have provided if they survived
- Lost wages, benefits, and income the victim would have earned
Non-economic damages are paid to surviving family members to help them cope with the trauma, life, changes, and suffering they’ve experienced in the wake of a tragic death, which can include money for:
- Loss of companionship, guidance, emotional support
- Grief
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
While punitive damages aren’t typically awarded in most wrongful death cases, there are some situations when they’re warranted. Louisiana state law permits punitive damages when the defendant caused a car accident because they were under the influence of drugs or alcohol, caused an injury or death in an act of domestic violence, or caused a death in an act of hazing.
How Long Do I Have To File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Louisiana?
Louisiana has a strict one-year statute of limitations that applies to wrongful death lawsuits. The one-year clock begins to run on the date of a victim’s death, which might not necessarily be the date they sustained their ultimately fatal injuries.
You have to file your wrongful death lawsuit before the statute of limitations expires. Once the one-year anniversary of your loved one’s death passes, you’ll have lost the ability to seek justice for your loss.
Note that there are exceptions to this time limit for some cases. Contact us as soon as you can for legal assistance.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced New Orleans Wrongful Death Lawyer
Money won’t bring your loved one back to you. It won’t magically erase the anguish and suffering you’re experiencing. However, it can help you navigate the costs of your family member’s untimely death and provide a sense of justice.
Let Mansfield Melancon Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers help you fight for the compensation you need and deserve after a fatal accident in New Orleans.
Our New Orleans wrongful death lawyers have over 50 years of combined experience and a demonstrated ability to win top-dollar awards. We’re not afraid to go the extra mile to help you get every cent you need and deserve from an insurance company, corporation, manufacturer, or another liable party.
Reach out to our New Orleans law office to learn more. Your initial case assessment with our team is absolutely free.
New Orleans, LA Wrongful Death Review
https://maps.app.goo.gl/P79xjfNC3f9bCc1n8
See review. Read more of our Google reviews here.
Visit Our Personal Injury Law Office in New Orleans, LA
Mansfield Melancon Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers
318 Harrison Avenue, Suite 107, New Orleans, LA, 70124
(504) 294-3804
New Orleans Wrongful Death Blogs
New Orleans Wrongful Death Resources
Highly Rated Funeral Homes in New Orleans, LA
- Jacob Schoen and Son Funeral Home – 3827 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70119
- Greenwood Funeral Home – 5200 Canal Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70124
- Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home & Cemeteries – 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70124
*Disclaimer – we do not endorse these companies or profit from having them listed on our website.
