Accidents are part of life. Mistakes are made and people get injured. Sometimes deaths occur because of the carelessness of other people. This is part of the definition of a wrongful death.

A wrongful death is when a person dies because of the wrongful conduct of a person or people. After the death, the deceased person’s beneficiaries can file a wrongful death lawsuit against those responsible for the death. A wrongful death claim is brought to recover damages for injuries the surviving family may have suffered because of the loss. The purpose is to provide relief to family members who have been injured emotionally and financially because of the death.

Every state determines the statutes needed for their individual state to file a wrongful death suit. To file a wrongful death lawsuit in Missouri, the person(s) filing must show that:

• The death was caused by a wrongful act, neglect or default
• This act, neglect or default would have entitled him/her to recover damages had they not died from it
• There are surviving family – spouse, children, parents, siblings, etc. – or an appointed representative for the victim and
• Damages resulted from the death

Death is hard on everyone. When it’s the result of someone else’s misconduct, it can be especially hard to accept. If you or someone you know needs help filing a wrongful death suit, let your St. Louis wrongful death attorneys help you today!