If you believe a loved one has died as the result of someone else’s actions or omissions, you may have a wrongful death case. It’s essential to find a Philadelphia wrongful death attorney who has the necessary experience. Here’s why hiring an experienced wrongful death lawyer in Philadelphia is important:
You will be able to file the lawsuit and you will be able to retain crucial evidence
In every wrongful death case, time is of the essence. If your wrongful death attorney does not act efficiently and swiftly, critical information could be permanently lost or worse – you could lose the opportunity to file a lawsuit at all! You need to hire an experienced attorney who appreciates the time-sensitive nature of your wrongful death claim.
Statute of Limitations
In Pennsylvania, the Estate of a deceased person only has two years after the date of death to file a wrongful death lawsuit. If you don’t file the lawsuit during this window, you lose the right to sue. This time limit is called a statute of limitations. An experienced wrongful death attorney will know the statute of limitations, when the time frame starts, and when to file a lawsuit so you are not barred from doing so.
Retaining Critical Evidence
An experienced wrongful death attorney knows what actions must be taken early in the process such as ordering an autopsy on the decedent. And when ordering the autopsy, an experienced wrongful death attorney knows whether to order toxicology along with the autopsy. Toxicology includes a search for chemicals or drugs in the blood, saliva, and urine. Obviously this autopsy must be done prior to the burial so your experienced wrongful death attorney will act swiftly to ensure that all necessary actions are taken before the decedent is buried.
Other examples of evidence that needs to be gathered in a timely fashion include police reports, witness statements, photographs and videos, death certificate, and physical objects that are related to the wrongful death.
Your likelihood of success is increased substantially
Despite aggressive advertising to the contrary, many attorneys do not actually have experience working on wrongful death cases. Many law firms list “wrongful death” on their websites because they want people to come to them with wrongful death cases, but they don’t actually have any significant experience trying wrongful death cases.
An experienced wrongful death attorney will have tried many of these cases in an actual courtroom. Taking a case from the beginning stages to verdict involves multiple levels of work and effort. With each case, the wrongful death attorney becomes more and more capable because they learn something new every time. And not only do you want an attorney who has tried many wrongful death cases, but you want an attorney who has tried many wrongful death cases successfully. So it’s not just experience, per se, that matters – success rate is important as well.
Your complaint will include all necessary claims for compensation
An experienced wrongful death attorney evaluates the case with knowledge of all possible causes of action and claims for damages. There are special statutes in Pennsylvania that apply to certain cases. An experienced wrongful death attorney knows which statutes apply to your case and how to craft your claim in the way that puts you in the best position to win.
If you believe you or a loved one has died as the result of someone else’s actions or omissions, contact VSCP Law at www.vscplaw.com.
