Are you grieving the loss of a spouse, child, or parent because of a recent accident in Alpharetta, Georgia? Contact Rafi Law Firm at (770) 758-4176 for a free consultation. Our experienced Alpharetta wrongful death lawyers can help you fight for the compensation your family deserves in this difficult time in your life.
Rafi Law Firm is the difference maker in Georgia wrongful death cases. Backed by 50+ years of combined legal experience, our award-winning Alpharetta trial lawyers have successfully obtained over $200 million in damages for injury victims and families. We can help you obtain the best results in your family’s wrongful death lawsuit, too.
Why Choose Rafi Law Firm for Help After a Fatal Accident in Alpharetta, GA
Choosing Rafi Law Firm means working with compassionate, knowledgeable legal advocates with a proven track record of securing top compensation for clients. Our Alpharetta personal injury lawyers understand that the sudden death of a family member can be devastating – both emotionally and financially.
You need time to grieve, which is why it’s important to pick up the phone and call our legal team for help. Clients in Alpharetta, GA, trust us because:
- We’re well-versed in the complex laws and regulations that can impact litigation and appreciate the time-sensitive nature of much of the evidence that will influence your wrongful death claim and its value.
- We can begin to investigate, preserve evidence, consult experts, and formulate a winning strategy as soon as you ask for our help.
- There’s a reason why hundreds of former clients have taken the time to leave five-star ratings for our law firm online: we’re honest, hard-working attorneys who don’t back down or give up on a fight.
We offer a complimentary case evaluation for prospective clients, so reach out today to speak with an Alpharetta personal injury attorney.
Understanding Georgia Wrongful Death Law
Wrongful death cases are a type of personal injury case that allows a family to pursue compensation when someone they love is killed without justification. Every state defines wrongful death differently and provides different remedies.
Georgia’s Wrongful Death Act defines a wrongful death as “the death of a human being resulting from a crime, from criminal or other negligence, or from property which has been defectively manufactured, whether or not as the result of negligence.”
Most wrongful death cases are based on negligence, which involves a departure from reasonable care. However, some wrongful death cases can also be brought on the grounds of product liability, strict liability, or intentional torts.
What Causes Most Wrongful Deaths?
At Rafi Law Firm, we represent spouses, parents, and children who’ve lost family members because of:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Train accidents
- Bus accidents
- Rideshare accidents
- Boating accidents
- Aviation accidents
- E-scooter accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Construction accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Dog bites
- Assault
- Defective products
If you’ve lost someone you love because of another person’s negligence or wrongful actions, call our Alpharetta law office to discuss your situation. We’re here to listen to your story, evaluate your potential legal rights under Georgia law, and explain how our award-winning legal team can help you navigate this gut-wrenching loss.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Georgia?
Not just anyone can file a wrongful death claim in Georgia. It’s a right reserved for a select few – typically the surviving spouse, child, and/or parent, as follows:
- If the decedent was married at the time of their death, the surviving spouse has the exclusive right to file a wrongful death claim.
- If the decedent is not survived by a spouse, or if their spouse is responsible for their death, their children can file a wrongful death claim.
- If a child is killed in an accident in Alpharetta, Georgia, their parents have the right to pursue damages with a wrongful death claim.
In the absence of a surviving spouse, parent, or child, the decedent’s estate can bring a claim to recover compensation. Damages awarded to the estate would be distributed pursuant to the decedent’s will or, if they died intestate, in accordance with Georgia probate law.
How Much Is My Family’s Wrongful Death Claim Worth?
Georgia law explicitly provides the right for a family to recover the “full value” of a decedent’s life in a wrongful death lawsuit. Several factors have to be taken into account when determining the appropriate value of a wrongful death claim.
These include the decedent’s:
- Average wages and income before their death
- Age at death and life expectancy if they’d survived
- Shared responsibility for their fatal accident
- Relationship with the plaintiff
- Role in taking care of a household or raising children
- Conscious pain and suffering before death
Our wrongful death attorneys in Alpharetta, GA, understand that every case is unique. We approach valuation with care and attention to detail, working hand-in-hand with knowledgeable experts to understand and quantify the very real impact your family member’s death has had – and will continue to have – on your life.
What Damages Can Be Awarded in an Alpharetta Wrongful Death Case?
GA Code § 51-4-2 allows spouses, parents, and children to seek damages for the “full value of the life of the decedent.” Through a wrongful death lawsuit, you may be able to recover both economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic damages help to offset the verifiable, objective costs and financial stresses related to your loved one’s wrongful death, such as:
- Lost wages, income, job benefits, and business interests
- Loss of inheritance
- Loss of household services and support
Non-economic damages are awarded to compensate for harder-to-value struggles and suffering, such as:
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of care, companionship, and guidance
- Loss of consortium
Punitive damages can also be awarded in an Alpharetta wrongful death lawsuit, but only when a case makes it to trial. A jury can decide that punitive damages are appropriate to punish a defendant for intentionally harmful actions, fraud, or gross negligence.
Survival Actions
Additional damages can potentially be awarded in separate but related survival actions brought by the decedent’s estate. Survival actions are permitted when a decedent survives their fatal injuries, even if it’s only for moments.
The damages awarded compensate for the immense pain and suffering they experienced before death, as well as for costs related to medical care provided to keep them alive, lost income and wages, medical bills, and funeral expenses.
How Much Does It Cost To Pursue a Wrongful Death Claim in Alpharetta?
Our Alpharetta wrongful death attorneys represent families on a contingency fee basis. It costs nothing out of pocket to hire our law firm to represent you or pursue your claim. We’re so confident in our ability to win that we’ll even front the costs of litigation.
We assume the risk, you reap the benefits. We don’t get paid until we win compensation for your wrongful death claim. If we don’t win, you pay nothing. It’s that simple.
How Does Georgia’s Shared Fault Rule Affect Wrongful Death Claims?
Georgia’s modified comparative negligence rule can adversely affect your wrongful death settlement. If your family member is assigned blame for their fatal injuries, it will reduce or bar a financial recovery. Damages are barred if your family member is assigned 50 percent or more of the responsibility for their fatal accident.
Damages are reduced proportionately to fault in all other situations. If your spouse was killed in a fatal crash in Alpharetta and assigned 40 percent of the blame for the wreck, your wrongful death settlement or jury award would be reduced by 40 percent of its value.
What Is the Statute of Limitations for Wrongful Death Lawsuits in Georgia?
Georgia imposes a two-year statute of limitations on most wrongful death cases. This gives a surviving spouse, parent, child, or estate representative two years from the date of the decedent’s passing to seek compensation from a negligent party or insurance company.
You have to file your claim before time runs out. Once the filing deadline passes, you’ll forfeit the opportunity to demand financial justice for your gut-wrenching loss.
Schedule a Free Case Review With Our Alpharetta Wrongful Death Lawyer
Call Rafi Law Firm for help if you’ve recently suffered the wrongful death of a close family member in an accident in Alpharetta, Georgia. Someone else was careless, and our Alpharetta wrongful death attorneys will fight to hold them accountable.
Our team of top-rated Georgia trial attorneys has 50+ years of combined experience handling high-stakes, high-value injury claims. As fierce and relentless advocates for justice, we’ve helped clients recover hundreds of millions in monetary awards.
We can help your family in its time of grief, too. Call today to arrange your free case review.
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