Learning that a loved one died because of a motor vehicle accident is a difficult reality to bear. Once you come to terms with your profound loss, it is common to experience anger and profound sorrow.

You should give yourself time to work through these emotions, but also explore ways to protect and provide for your family. This is particularly true when your loss relates to a crash caused by another driver. Asserting your rights after a fatal car accident is one way to seek justice for an unexpected loss and to help your family move through the grieving process.

Wrongful death claims provide a means of accountability

When motor vehicle collisions involve fatalities, the driver who caused the accident may face criminal charges. Whether distraction or impairment factored into the collision, law enforcement will typically try to bring charges against a person openly breaking the law in a manner that endangered others.

In some cases, there may not be adequate grounds for criminal charges. Other times, there may not be enough evidence for a conviction. Even with a criminal conviction, your family may struggle to find peace after such a traumatic loss. Filing a civil lawsuit for wrongful death against the party who caused the crash and the death of your loved one is an effective way to obtain answers about your loved one’s death and compensation to offset the financial impact of that loss.

Seeking compensation after a fatal car

In a wrongful death lawsuit, surviving family members can seek compensation for medical costs incurred by the deceased prior to death, pain and suffering experienced by the deceased after the accident, lost wages, funeral costs, and costs associated with the loss of support and help from the deceased.

Every case involving a fatal car crash is unique, so it is important to examine the details of the financial impact of your loss. Illinois’ wrongful death law permits families who lose a loved one to use wrongful death lawsuits to seek compensation for the financial impact of the crash and to hold responsible parties accountable for their actions.