There are circumstances under which you may have the right to file a civil suit on behalf of a departed loved one. You can meet with a Jersey City fatal accident attorney to discuss how you might pursue financial support for the losses that you and your loved ones faced on the road.
Morelli Law Firm wants to provide you with comprehensive legal representation as you pursue this compensation. Our attorneys can meet with you for a case consultation at which you can discuss the best way to bring your car accident to the attention of a civil judge.
Fatal Accident Claims Let You Request Accident Compensation
Car accidents are expensive to contend with on their own. Add in funeral expenses and the stark change in the way you live your life, and the financial elements of your accident can become as stressful as the emotional losses.
That is where our team comes in. A fatal accident attorney in Jersey City advocates for your right to post-accident financial support based on your car accident losses. More specifically, we can help you fight for support that addresses your:
- Medical expenses
- Essential at-home care
- Property damage
- Loss of opportunities to work
- Loss of wage
- Loss of consortium and companionship
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
- Wrongful death and funeral expenses
We calculate your possible compensation based on the bills you face after your accident. Afterward, we apply non-economic multipliers to your case to cover your non-billable losses, like pain and suffering. When we bring your case forward, you can request the chance to use your compensation to restore your previous quality of life.
When to File a Fatal Accident Claim
Fatal car accidents can qualify as personal injury accidents in the eyes of New Jersey’s civil courts. As such, the state can apply its personal injury statute of limitations to your case. You must file your claim within this statute of limitations if you want to request compensation for your losses.
N.J. Stat. §2A:14-2 is New Jersey’s personal injury statute of limitations. It allows you to take up to two years to gather evidence of negligence in a fatal car accident. However, there may be external factors that complicate how you can file your case.
If there’s significant overlap between your loved one’s loss and a wrongful death case, New Jersey courts may require you to file within their wrongful death statute of limitations. This statute is described by N.J. Stat. §2A:31-1 (2021). You will still have two years to file for your losses, but you should cite the appropriate statute of limitations when you move to do so.
Jersey City Fatal Accident Lawyer Near Me 877-751-9800
New Jersey Regulates the Filing of Fatal Accident Claims
Losing a loved one is always painful. Unfortunately, there are laws in New Jersey that limit your ability to act in a loved one’s stead after a fatal accident. If you are not a loved one’s personal representative, you may not take legal action on their behalf.
Individuals without personal representatives at the time of a fatal accident will have a representative assigned by New Jersey. Naturally, this lack of control can feel frustrating. If you want to contest a person’s role as a personal representative or explore your other options for financial support, you can contact our Jersey City fatal accident attorneys.
How to Classify Your Claim as a Fatal Accident Claim
As mentioned, fatal car accidents can be considered personal injury accidents in civil court. They also overlap in definition with wrongful death claims. Before you pursue your claim in court, you need to understand why it is that your case can be classified as a fatal car accident claim.
Wrongful death claims cover a broader spectrum of losses than fatal accident claims. For example, death caused by medical malpractice comes to a civil court via a wrongful death claim. Your fatal car accident claim more specifically addresses your roadway losses. That said, you can work with an attorney to determine how you specifically want to classify your suit.
Your Fatal Accident Claim Gives Your Options in Civil Court
When you walk away from a fatal car accident, it’s easy to feel powerless in the face of your grief. Our attorneys want to give some of your power back to you. That’s one of the benefits of a civil claim. Your fatal accident claim allows you to control how you want to request compensation from a liable party.
In most cases, you have two actionable paths. You can take a fatal accident loss straight to court or enter negotiations. Neither path is better than the other. Instead, going to court puts your right to compensation into the hands of a judge and jury. Negotiations allow you to assume more direct control – and responsibility – over your right to financial support.
Don’t Let a Liable Party Undersell Your Losses
If you meet with a liable party for settlement negotiations, you need to be prepared to stand your ground. While some liable parties mean well, many can try to undersell the value of your car accident losses. Do not let these attempts go unaddressed. Our fatal accident lawyers in Jersey City can point these attempts out and respond to them in kind.
More often than not, a liable party’s first settlement offer will be too low to cover all your losses. That’s why our team prefers to bring our own estimate of your possible compensation to these negotiations. When we can refer back to this number – ideally with evidence on hand – we can defend your right to comprehensive financial support.
Unfortunately, some liable parties respond poorly to the “negotiating” part of negotiations. If a liable party becomes belligerent or uncooperative, we can move to take your case before a judge.
Fatal Accident Attorneys Go to Work for You
Fatal car accidents upend the way you view everyday life. As you’re adjusting to your unwanted new normal, you can look for help addressing the full extent of your losses. Our attorneys can step in and guide you through this process.
If you want to file a civil claim on a loved one’s behalf, contact Morelli Law Firm. We can connect you with a fatal accident lawyer in Jersey City, NJ, for a free case evaluation. Let’s work together to honor your loved ones and get your life back on track.