Chicago Wrongful Death Lawyer

Losing a family member to someone else’s negligence is an especially painful event that can also upend your life and create seemingly insurmountable challenges. While a wrongful death claim cannot bring your loved one back to you and may feel like a futile effort, it can provide you with the compensation you need to continue caring for your family while you travel the difficult path toward healing. If you’ve lost a loved one to someone else’s negligence, an important early step you should take is consulting with an experienced Chicago wrongful death lawyer.

Wrongful Death Claims

Wrongful death claims arise out of instances when someone is fatally injured by someone else’s negligence. In other words, a wrongful death claim takes the place of the personal injury claim that the victim would have filed if he or she had survived the negligence-based accident in question.

Duty of Care

Wrongful death claims are based on a duty of care that was owed to the accident victim, but that was neglected. For example, everyone who drives a car owes everyone else on the road an important duty of care to drive safely. Driver negligence represents a failure to uphold this duty of care, and if this negligence – which can take many dangerous forms that include distraction, impairment, and excess speed – leads to a fatal accident, it can end in a wrongful death case.

How Your Wrongful Death Claim Will Proceed

In Illinois, wrongful death claims are filed by the victim’s spouse or children. If the victim (called the decedent in the claim) has no surviving spouse or children, his or her parents or siblings can instigate the claim, which is actually brought by a personal executor or representative of the decedent’s estate on behalf of the survivors. Ultimately, the damages that are awarded are distributed between the eligible survivors in relation to their dependence on the decedent – as guided by the court’s considerable discretion in the matter.

Your Damages

While there is no way to adequately put a value on the pain and damages you’ve suffered in relation to your incredible loss, there are specific categories of damages that the law allows you to seek, including:

The cost of your loved one’s funeral and burial
The financial support you’ve lost
The inheritance you’ve lost
The loss of companionship you’ve experienced
The loss of your loved one’s parental guidance

If the at-fault party’s brand of negligence was especially egregious, you may also be able to seek punitive damages that are intended to punish him or her.

Turn to an Experienced Chicago Wrongful Death Lawyer for the Legal Guidance You Need

The compassionate Chicago wrongful death lawyers at The Horwitz Law Group understand the gravity of your situation and the importance of your claim, and we’re committed to skillfully advocating for a resolution that upholds your rights and works for you. To learn more about how we can help, please contact us to schedule a free initial consultation today.

Meet Your
Winning Team

MARK J. HORWITZ

Managing Partner

JARED J. DUGGAN

Managing Attorney

ANGIE GALAVIZ

Legal Assistant

LAURINE SARGENT

Legal Assistant

Case Results

$6,900,000.00

for a motor vehicle wrongful death case.

$5,300,000.00

for a 75-year-old woman who suffered an above the knee amputation due to being run over by a private school bus.

$4,500,000.00

for a young lady who was run over by a private waste hauling company while crossing the street.

$3,600,000.00

for a trucking accident resulting in the death of the driver.

$3,000,000.00

for a 70 year old man who died, without any living relatives, seven months after being hit by a car while crossing the street.

$2,300,000.00

for a client whose family was killed by a street sweeper that ran a red light.

$2,100,000.00

for a client injured in a 2005 Metra train derailment case.

$1,600,000.00

for a minor rear-ended on an expressway in Kankakee.

$1,400,000.00

for a premises liability accident resulting in below the knee amputation.

$1,200,000.00

for a woman who was hit by a car while crossing the street.

$1,197,000.00

for a client who was injured on the CTA red line train.

$900,000.00

for a bicyclist hit by a car.

$800,000.00

for a passenger injured in a rideshare rollover accident.

$750,000.00

for a rideshare accident injury.

$600,000.00

for a low-speed rear-end accident.

$500,000.00

for injuries in a van accident pulling a trailer.

$500,000.00

for a minor injured in a ride-share accident.

$495,000.00

for a pedestrian injured due to a sidewalk defect.

$350,000.00

for a passenger injured in a rideshare rollover accident.

$289,000.00

for a driver injured in an auto accident.

$270,000.00

for injuries from a right-turning truck.

$260,000.00

for a family injured in an auto accident.

$255,000.00

for a law enforcement officer rear-ended by a truck.

$250,000.00

for a motorcyclist rear-ended.

$233,000.00

for an individual injured by a dog.

$225,000.00

for a bicyclist hit by a car while crossing the street.

$201,000.00

for a driver rear-ended on the expressway.

$175,000.00

for a client who had lawyers at another law firm trying to settle the accident case for only $60,000.

Tell Us About Your Case

To arrange a free initial consultation with an experienced Illinois injury lawyer complete the e-mail form below.

Chicago Wrongful Death Lawyer