Under this category,  Toledo, Ohio fatal accident beneficiaries can seek financial compensation for the inheritance they might have received from the decedent had the decedent lived a normal lifespan.

Most of us don’t have to hire lawyers very many times in their lives, so there’s an understandable apprehension. One source of anxiety is the fear that hiring a lawyer will cost too much money. In a Toledo, Ohio wrongful death case, though, that shouldn’t be a concern. The vast majority of lawyers handling cases like these will work on a contingent-fee basis. That means that the attorney’s fee is covered through the settlement proceeds or jury award.

The benefit of this type of arrangement is that the client doesn’t have to pay the lawyer a big retainer up front and doesn’t have to cover the numerous expenses involved in wrongful death cases. Litigating cases is an expensive endeavor. Most people would never be able to come up with enough money to pay a lawyer by the hour for these time-consuming cases, let alone cover the big-ticket items such as payments to medical experts and the creation of complicated exhibits. Under a contingency fee agreement, family members who lost a loved one don’t have to be rich to get their day in court.

If you or someone you know has lost a loved one to tragic circumstances, you need information. Order your FREE copy of The Ohio Wrongful Death Book to learn your rights. Our attorneys are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we have six locations in northwest Ohio where we can meet with you – for free – to discuss your case.

We represent Ohio personal injury clients from Toledo, Maumee, Delta, Port Clinton, Bowling Green, McClure, Napoleon, Helena, Fremont, Fostoria, Tiffin, Cygnet, North Baltimore, Ottawa, Findlay, Carey, Bryan, Sandusky, Swanton, Perrysburg, Grand Rapids, Waterville, Liberty Center, Portage, West Millgrove, Woodville, Genoa, Gibsonburg, Findlay, Risingsun, Deshler, Hamler, Oregon, Sylvania, Delta, Weston, Oak Harbor, Port Clinton, Clyde, Lorain, Ottawa Hills, Rossford, Millbury, Walbridge, Holland, Northwood, and Whitehouse. We also serve those who live in Lucas, Wood, Seneca, Lorain, Fulton, Erie, Hancock, and Sandusky Counties.

Demonstrate the relationship

The Ohio Wrongful Death Statute is designed to benefit the survivors of the person who died as a result of the conduct of a negligent party. The more survivors who depended on the loved one for companionship, guidance, and income, the greater the value of the Ohio tragic accident death case.

For example, several years ago we represented a truck driver killed in a truck accident. He was single, had no children, no living parents, and two adult siblings with whom he had a distant relationship. Unfortunately, we settled the case for less than it would normally have been worth because there were few damages to claim as a result of the limited number of relationships.

In a more recent case, we represented the surviving parents in the tragic death of a small child. When a child dies, generally there are no significant economic damages. However, we were able to prove the intense personal loss felt by the parents and the child’s siblings. The parents wrote heart-wrenching letters that spelled out the devastating impact the loss of their child had caused. Psychologists also wrote reports that discussed the grief everyone in the family had experienced. Photos of family celebrations, holidays, sporting events, and school concerts helped tell the story of a close-knit family that would never be the same again.

Your attorney should work with you as a team to develop the best strategy for your family’s case.

If you or someone you know has lost a loved one to tragic circumstances, you need information. Order your FREE copy of The Ohio Wrongful Death Book to learn your rights. Our attorneys are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we have six locations in northwest Ohio where we can meet with you – for free – to discuss your case.

We represent Ohio personal injury clients from Toledo, Maumee, Delta, Port Clinton, Bowling Green, McClure, Napoleon, Helena, Fremont, Fostoria, Tiffin, Cygnet, North Baltimore, Ottawa, Findlay, Carey, Bryan, Sandusky, Swanton, Perrysburg, Grand Rapids, Waterville, Liberty Center, Portage, West Millgrove, Woodville, Genoa, Gibsonburg, Findlay, Risingsun, Deshler, Hamler, Oregon, Sylvania, Delta, Weston, Oak Harbor, Port Clinton, Clyde, Lorain, Ottawa Hills, Rossford, Millbury, Walbridge, Holland, Northwood, and Whitehouse. We also serve those who live in Lucas, Wood, Seneca, Lorain, Fulton, Erie, Hancock, and Sandusky Counties.

As mentioned earlier in the book, Toledo, Ohio wrongful death cases are brought because of another party’s negligence or wrongful conduct. It might be helpful to understand a little bit about those concepts.

Just because someone dies doesn’t mean a wrongful death case can be justified. For example, if Bill trips in a grocery store over cans stacked in an aisle, causing him to hit his head and die, there won’t be a case. Under Ohio law, those cans would be deemed an open and obvious hazard that Bill should have seen, so the store wouldn’t be negligent.

If, however, a grocery store employee spilled some clear, liquid soap on an aisle and left it there for hours without cleaning it up or posting a warning sign, and Bill took the same fateful tumble, the store would be negligent.

If you or someone you know has lost a loved one to tragic circumstances, you need information. Order your FREE copy of The Ohio Wrongful Death Book to learn your rights. Our attorneys are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we have six locations in northwest Ohio where we can meet with you – for free – to discuss your case.

We represent Ohio personal injury clients from Toledo, Maumee, Delta, Port Clinton, Bowling Green, McClure, Napoleon, Helena, Fremont, Fostoria, Tiffin, Cygnet, North Baltimore, Ottawa, Findlay, Carey, Bryan, Sandusky, Swanton, Perrysburg, Grand Rapids, Waterville, Liberty Center, Portage, West Millgrove, Woodville, Genoa, Gibsonburg, Findlay, Risingsun, Deshler, Hamler, Oregon, Sylvania, Delta, Weston, Oak Harbor, Port Clinton, Clyde, Lorain, Ottawa Hills, Rossford, Millbury, Walbridge, Holland, Northwood, and Whitehouse. We also serve those who live in Lucas, Wood, Seneca, Lorain, Fulton, Erie, Hancock, and Sandusky Counties.

Find all the defendants

One of the jobs of the Toledo, Ohio tragic accident attorney is to maximize recovery for the client. In order to do that, the attorney needs to find all the potential individuals or businesses responsible for causing the death. Sometimes this is easy and obvious. If a defendant ran a red light and caused the death, it’s pretty clear who will be the target of the lawsuit. But if the driver was on the job at the time, it may be difficult to determine the business for whom the driver worked. That’s crucial information because under the doctrine of respondeat superior, the employer also may be liable for the accident.

Sometimes it’s tough to figure out who may be responsible. In a complicated and serious electrical injury case involving a construction job, we sued the employer, an electric company, the general contractor, and 10 different subcontractors to determine the responsible parties. After two years of litigation and lots of depositions we were able to get an extremely good settlement.

If you or someone you know has lost a loved one to tragic circumstances, you need information. Order your FREE copy of The Ohio Wrongful Death Book to learn your rights. Our attorneys are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we have six locations in northwest Ohio where we can meet with you – for free – to discuss your case.

We represent Ohio personal injury clients from Toledo, Maumee, Delta, Port Clinton, Bowling Green, McClure, Napoleon, Helena, Fremont, Fostoria, Tiffin, Cygnet, North Baltimore, Ottawa, Findlay, Carey, Bryan, Sandusky, Swanton, Perrysburg, Grand Rapids, Waterville, Liberty Center, Portage, West Millgrove, Woodville, Genoa, Gibsonburg, Findlay, Risingsun, Deshler, Hamler, Oregon, Sylvania, Delta, Weston, Oak Harbor, Port Clinton, Clyde, Lorain, Ottawa Hills, Rossford, Millbury, Walbridge, Holland, Northwood, and Whitehouse. We also serve those who live in Lucas, Wood, Seneca, Lorain, Fulton, Erie, Hancock, and Sandusky Counties.