Wrongful Death Lawsuits May Be Filed Against Those Facing Criminal Charges

If someone dies by the hand of another and there was negligence involved, a wrongful death lawsuit may be filed. This is applicable even if the defendant was criminally charged.

This is a case that garnered a number of headlines in 2009, as it was a spectacular example of a senseless crime committed for no apparent reason. A 38-year-old man who was shot to death at close range was first reported missing by his wife, who called police to say he had not come home after a company function. The man worked for a trucking company.

When the police arrived on the scene, they found the man’s car parked in the office parking lot, but there were no signs of the man himself. Fellow workers started searching the building and eventually located the man on the second floor of the office building. Unfortunately, he was dead.

Later, as more details about the case came to light, the police discovered that the man had gone to work that fateful day to meet a 47-year-old co-worker, ostensibly to talk about some kind of presentation schedule for a seminar to be held later in the day. No one knows what happened next except for the killer, but the younger man was shot and killed. The killer was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

The young man’s wife has chosen to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the killer to seek compensation for her family to be able to get on with their lives and deal with their financial affairs. The reality of many wrongful death lawsuits is that there is insurance money at stake and the family typically needs the funds to be able to handle the drastic changes in their lives since losing the main breadwinner in their family.

While many seem to think it is wrong to file for compensation for the death of a loved one, those left behind need something to be able to move forward with their lives. There is usually no other way to secure funds without filing a wrongful death lawsuit. Truthfully, wrongful death lawsuits are also often about closure and a final acceptance of what happened the day they suddenly lost their family member.

Christopher Mellino is a Cleveland Malpractice Lawyer specializing in Cleveland Medical Malpractice cases in Ohio. To learn more, visit Christophermellino.com.

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