LOST A LOVED ONE DUE TO NEGLIGENCE?
Wrongful Death Attorney in Burbank
No legal outcome can undo what happened. But when negligence takes a life, the responsible party must be held accountable — and the financial impact on surviving family members must be addressed. As your Burbank personal injury attorney, I handle wrongful death claims with the seriousness and personal attention they deserve, fighting for every dollar of compensation your family is entitled to receive.
LOCAL BURBANK EXPERTISE
Your Dedicated Burbank Wrongful Death Attorney
At Personal Injury 365, I represent families who have lost a loved one due to someone else’s negligence — whether in a car accident, a trucking collision, a medical error, a dangerous property condition, or any other preventable event. These are the most difficult cases in personal injury law, and I approach them with the care they require. My job is to handle the legal fight so that your family can focus on healing.
California wrongful death law gives specific family members the right to pursue financial compensation for their losses. I work directly with surviving spouses, children, and dependent family members to build a comprehensive damages claim — one that accounts for the financial support, companionship, and care that your loved one provided. Whether we negotiate a fair settlement or take the responsible party to trial, I pursue the maximum recovery your family deserves.
How I Handle Wrongful Death Claims
Wrongful death cases require thorough investigation, expert testimony, and relentless advocacy on behalf of surviving family members. I handle every element of your claim with care and determination.
Establishing Liability
A wrongful death claim begins with proving that another party’s negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct caused your loved one’s death. I investigate the accident, gather physical and documentary evidence, and retain the experts needed to build a clear and compelling liability case.
Identifying All Responsible Parties
In many wrongful death cases — trucking accidents, defective products, dangerous premises — multiple defendants share responsibility. I investigate every contributing party to maximize the available insurance coverage and hold everyone accountable for their role in your family’s loss.
Calculating Full Economic Damages
Your loved one’s financial contribution to the family — income, benefits, household services, and future earning capacity — must be quantified with precision. I work with economic experts and vocational specialists to calculate the full financial value of what your family has lost.
Non-Economic Loss of Companionship
California wrongful death law allows surviving family members to recover for the loss of love, companionship, comfort, care, and moral support. I document the relationship your family had with your loved one and fight to ensure these deeply personal losses are taken seriously in your claim.
Survival Action Claims
In addition to a wrongful death claim, California law may allow the estate to file a separate survival action for damages the deceased experienced before death — including pain and suffering, medical costs, and lost wages. I evaluate both claims and pursue all available compensation.
Coordinating with the Estate
Wrongful death and survival actions involve different claimants — the surviving family on one side, the estate on the other. I coordinate between the wrongful death claim and any related estate proceedings to ensure the entire recovery is handled correctly and efficiently.
Fast Evidence Preservation
Critical evidence — accident scene data, vehicle data, surveillance footage, corporate records — can be lost or destroyed quickly. I move immediately to preserve all relevant evidence and place litigation holds on records before they are altered or deleted.
Direct Attorney Access
Your family will have direct access to me throughout your case. You will not be passed to a paralegal or case manager. I personally handle every wrongful death file at Personal Injury 365, and I keep your family informed at every stage.
No Upfront Costs
You pay nothing unless I win. My contingency fee arrangement means your family faces no financial risk in pursuing a wrongful death claim. I front all case expenses and only get paid when your family receives compensation.
Compensation We Fight to Recover for You
A wrongful death claim cannot restore what your family has lost. What it can do is provide the financial resources to protect your family’s future and hold the responsible party accountable. As your Burbank personal injury lawyer, I pursue every category of compensation California law allows.
Lost Financial Support
The income, wages, benefits, and financial contributions your loved one would have provided to the family over their working life. I work with economic experts to calculate the present value of this future loss accurately and completely.
Household & Care Services
Beyond income, your loved one provided household services, childcare, and other forms of support that must now be replaced. I document and quantify these contributions as part of the economic damages your family is owed.
Loss of Companionship & Support
California wrongful death law compensates surviving family members for the loss of love, companionship, comfort, care, assistance, protection, affection, and moral support. I fight to ensure this profound human loss is fully reflected in your recovery.
Funeral & Burial Expenses
The reasonable costs of your loved one’s funeral and burial are recoverable damages in a California wrongful death claim. I include these costs as part of your family’s comprehensive damages package.
Wrongful Death FAQ
California’s wrongful death laws are specific about who can file a claim, what can be recovered, and how long families have to act. Here are the questions I hear most often. Call me for a free, confidential consultation on your family’s specific situation.
California Code of Civil Procedure Section 377.60 identifies the people who may bring a wrongful death claim. In order of priority, these include the surviving spouse or domestic partner, children of the deceased, and — if there is no surviving spouse or children — anyone who would be entitled to inherit from the deceased under California’s intestate succession laws. In some circumstances, a putative spouse or stepchildren who were financially dependent on the deceased may also have standing. I evaluate your family’s specific situation to determine who is eligible to bring a claim.
California gives surviving family members two years from the date of death to file a wrongful death lawsuit. This deadline is firm — missing it generally bars the family from pursuing any recovery. There are limited exceptions, such as when a government entity is involved (which can shorten the deadline to six months for a government tort claim) or in cases where the death was caused by medical malpractice. Do not wait. Contact me as soon as possible so we can preserve evidence and meet every deadline.
These are two separate legal claims in California, and both can sometimes be filed after a death caused by negligence. A wrongful death claim is brought by the surviving family members for their own losses — financial support, companionship, and household services. A survival action is brought by the deceased’s estate and covers damages the deceased personally suffered before dying — including medical bills, pain and suffering, and lost wages up to the time of death. I evaluate both claims in every case and pursue all available recovery.
There is no meaningful average because wrongful death settlements vary enormously. The value depends on the deceased’s age, income, and earning potential; the nature of the relationship with surviving family members; the number and age of surviving children; the strength of the liability evidence; and the available insurance coverage. Cases involving the death of a high-earning primary breadwinner with young children are valued differently than those involving retired individuals. What I can tell you is that I document every element of your family’s loss thoroughly and fight for the full value of the claim — not a quick settlement that protects the defendant.
Yes. California’s comparative fault rules apply to wrongful death cases. Your family’s recovery is reduced by the percentage of fault attributed to your loved one, but it is not eliminated. If the other driver was 80% at fault and your loved one was 20% at fault, the family recovers 80% of the total damages. I analyze the specific facts of the accident to build the strongest possible liability case and minimize any fault attributed to your loved one.
Loss of consortium refers to the loss of love, companionship, comfort, care, assistance, and affection that surviving family members experience when a loved one dies. In California, wrongful death law allows these non-economic damages to be recovered by the surviving spouse and children. The amount depends on the nature and quality of the relationship, the ages of the surviving family members, and the circumstances of the death. I document your family’s relationship with your loved one carefully to ensure these losses are fully presented and fairly valued.
Wrongful death cases typically take longer than standard personal injury cases — often one to three years from filing. Complex cases involving multiple defendants, disputed liability, or extensive damages calculations can take longer. I work efficiently to advance your case while never pressuring your family to accept a settlement that does not reflect the full value of your loss. Many wrongful death cases settle before trial, but I prepare every case for trial from the start, which gives your family real leverage in negotiations.
A criminal prosecution and a civil wrongful death claim are entirely separate proceedings with different burdens of proof. A criminal conviction can strengthen your civil case, but it is not required. Even if the responsible party is found not guilty in criminal court, your family may still prevail in a civil wrongful death claim — the civil standard of proof (preponderance of the evidence) is far lower than the criminal standard (beyond a reasonable doubt). I pursue the civil claim independently and use every available piece of evidence to build your family’s case.
Contact Us
If your family has lost a loved one due to another party’s negligence, you deserve an attorney who will handle your case with both compassion and determination. Call me today for a free, confidential consultation — there is no cost and no obligation.