Blog: Wrongful Death

Merging looks routine until someone occupies the space you wanted. An unsafe lane change causes sideswipes, run-off-road crashes, and rollovers. Georgia law puts the burden squarely on the driver who moved. Fault still gets disputed, though. Two cars that touch while changing lanes produce two drivers with opposite stories. Meanwhile, the insurer looks for a …

Accidental death is not rare. The most recent wrongful death statistics from the CDC count 197,449 unintentional injury deaths in the United States during 2024. That total made accidents the third leading cause of death. Only heart disease and cancer killed more people. That ranking surprises most families, and it explains why these claims reach …

No insurer admits a death was its insured’s fault and writes a check. Instead, wrongful death defenses aim at the person who died, at doctors who tried to help, and at companies nobody sued. Families rarely expect that. Yet every argument below appears in Georgia fatal-crash files, and each one has a legal answer. Below, …

Losing a pregnancy to someone else’s carelessness brings a grief few families ever expect. Since 2020, Georgia’s statute has spelled out when a claim for the wrongful death of an unborn child begins, and the answer turns on one medical fact. That fact is a detectable heartbeat. Before that point, the civil claim for the …

Insurers and drivers argue about speed, braking, and belts. Car black box data often settles those arguments, because the vehicle recorded what happened in the seconds before impact. Most people never learn the device exists. Yet nearly every modern passenger vehicle carries one. Moreover, federal rules say exactly what it must capture. Below, we explain …

One death produces two lawsuits. A Georgia wrongful death claim pays the surviving family. Its companion estate claim follows different rules about who collects. Below, we explain both, how Georgia measures a life, and why the difference decides what your family keeps. Why a Georgia Wrongful Death Claim Splits in Two First, the family claim …

Divorced parents often assume the courts will sort out a child’s death claim fairly in the end. Georgia law does not work that way. One parent alone can settle a wrongful death of a child claim, and that settlement discharges the defendant completely. The other parent keeps no claim against whoever caused the death. One …

Wrongful death refers to a claim by a plaintiff (not the victim) who seeks to recover damages for the unjust death of another caused by someone’s negligent, reckless or intentional acts. There are no specific guidelines that dictate the means of death; however, wrongful death tort claims frequently occur in several circumstances: Medical malpractice, especially …

After the loss of a loved one in a car accident caused by a drunk driver, your lawyer will recommend that you consider filing a wrongful death claim and suing for a car accident lawsuit settlement amount sufficient to defray the full and incurred cost of medical expenses, funeral costs, lost wages for bereavement, loss of potential earnings, and …

We are truly saddened to hear that your father was killed in a Georgia drunk driving crash. While we cannot tell you exactly how much your case should be worth without knowing more specifics, we can tell you the following: Insurance companies often attempt to undervalue or deny claims to save money, even in claims …

One of the benefits of living in Georgia is the recreational opportunities that our lakes, rivers, and coast create for boating. Although boating on beautiful Lake Lanier or another lake can be a fun way to spend a day, it can also turn tragic in the event of a Georgia boating accident. Unfortunately, recreational boating …