Virginia Wrongful Death Attorneys
Firm assists families of loved ones who died due to others’ negligence
After a family member dies unexpectedly, life is never the same. The pain can be even worse if you know that someone else was at fault for your loved one’s death. Pikrallidas & Probasco offers effective, compassionate legal counsel to Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. clients seeking to hold negligent individuals and businesses accountable for the fatalities they caused. With offices in Manassas, Fairfax and Centreville offices in northern Virginia and a Front Royal location serving the Shenandoah Valley, we strive to secure a measure of justice for clients devastated by a tragic fatality.
Skillful lawyers handle vehicle accidents and daycare claims
Our firm seeks appropriate relief in various types of wrongful death cases, including those arising from vehicle accidents and negligent supervision at daycare centers and nursing homes. If a family member was killed in a car accident, it can be very difficult to get accurate information about the crash without help from a trustworthy professional. We go beyond the police report to investigate the true causes of fatal car, truck and motorcycle collisions.
In situations where a child, disabled adult or senior dies while under the supervision of a care provider, determining exactly what happened can be a serious challenge. We don’t back down when daycare centers, rehabilitation facilities and nursing homes try to evade their legal responsibility following a negligent fatality.
If you’re in Virginia, you should know that the state’s contributory negligence law bars an award of damages if the victim of a fatality was even one percent responsible for the incident that killed them. So hiring a lawyer with a record of success in these cases is essential. You have two years from the date of death to file a lawsuit seeking damages, but it’s best to hire an experienced lawyer as soon as possible so that key evidence and witnesses can be located.
Potential plaintiffs in a wrongful death lawsuit
Virginia requires that the plaintiff in a wrongful death lawsuit be the personal representative of the decedent’s estate. However, any damages that are awarded go to family members named as statutory beneficiaries under state law. These beneficiaries can include the victim’s surviving spouse, children or grandchildren. In the event that someone dies without a spouse or descendants, surviving parents or siblings could receive compensation from the wrongful death claim.
What damages are available in a wrongful death action?
Achieving a legal result that replaces everything you’ve lost after an untimely death is impossible, but monetary damages are available to address several aspects of your bereavement, such as:
- The cost of funeral services and burial arrangements
- Income that the victim likely would have provided throughout their lifetime
- Grief, anguish and loss of companionship stemming from the fatality
- Loss of household services that the victim provided
- Medical bills associated with the fatal incident that accumulated before the decedent passed away
Our attorneys have decades of combined experience litigating personal injury and wrongful death claims. We know how to overcome defenses raised by liable parties and their insurance companies.
Contact a Virginia lawyer to for a free consultation about a wrongful death action
Pikrallidas & Probasco represents plaintiffs in Virginia and Washington, D.C. wrongful death claims. You can schedule a free consultation at one of our northern Virginia offices in Fairfax, Manassas and Centreville or our Shenandoah Valley Front Royal office by calling 703-267-2600 or contacting us online. Hablamos español.