Our Indianapolis wrongful death lawyers can help you figure out what to do if your spouse is killed by a semi-truck. We’re not here to trample your grief or force you into action. Instead, we’re here to help you explore your legal options and get the financing you need to grieve without compromising your financial future.
Our team has decades of combined experience advocating for grieving Hoosiers. We know how impossible even basic tasks feel right now. That’s why we want to pursue a claim in your name. With your consent, knowledge, and oversight, we can hold bad actors accountable for your life-changing pain.
Determine Your Right to Civil Action
Indiana only allows a deceased individual’s personal representative to take legal action on their behalf. You have an obligation to prove that your spouse elected you as their personal representative if you want to file a wrongful death claim in their name.
Fortunately, most people name their personal representatives in their wills. If you’re wondering what to do if your spouse is killed by a semi-truck, you can attend a will reading. Afterward, you can contact an experienced Indianapolis wrongful death lawyer to discuss what your role as a personal representative entails.
If you do want to take civil action on behalf of your spouse, make sure you contact an attorney within Indiana’s personal injury statute of limitations. You only have two years to file a wrongful death claim after a devastating semi-truck accident.
Work With Officers Who Investigate Your Spouse’s Death
Your efforts as a personal representative have the greatest impact in civil court. Unfortunately, private citizens cannot initiate investigations into any criminal behavior that may have contributed to your spouse’s death. However, you can work with police officers and other investigators to elaborate on the circumstances that led to your spouse’s death.
Officers may choose to take legal action against an offender based on the information you provide them. If they do, the state may call you to testify against the bad actor responsible for your spouse’s death.
It’s worth it to stay on top of any decisions the state opts to take against the parties involved in your case. Our Indianapolis personal injury lawyers can use a criminal conviction as proof of negligence in your civil claim should you choose to file one.
Your Case Will Get
The Attention It Deserves
Let an Indiana Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer Assign Blame for Your Spouse’s Death
Once we determine whether or not you have the right to take legal action against a bad actor, we can begin compiling the information we need to build your civil claim. A thorough investigation of the circumstances that led to your spouse’s death provides us with more information about:
- What parties were on the scene at the time of your spouse’s accident
- What negligence those parties engaged in
- How that negligence violated the duty of care owed to your spouse
In other words, we can assign blame for your losses based on the evidence available to us. In many cases, fault will fall onto a negligent truck driver. However, contracts may see employees default accident fault onto their employers. Alternatively, independent contractors may have to assume liability for their own accidents.
Fight for the Compensation You Need to Stabilize Your Finances
It’s hard to believe that death can become expensive. Unfortunately, funeral expenses, lost income, and other bills can add up quickly. That’s why we want you to file a wrongful death claim if your spouse is killed by a semi-truck. The compensation you receive after filing a lawsuit can help you stabilize your savings.
You specifically have the right to ask for compensation based on economic and non-economic losses like the following:
- Funeral expenses
- Loss of companionship and/or consortium
- Loss of income
- Premortem medical expenses
- Hospice care
- Property damage and restoration
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
- Stress
- Reduced quality of life
Notably, your right to certain losses changes depending on whether or not you go to civil trial. If your case goes before a judge, that judge may award you punitive damages based on a negligent party’s gross negligence. However, you will not receive punitive damages if you negotiate for a settlement.
We Want to Give You the Resources You Need to Grieve in Peace
It’s hard to quantify the loss of a spouse. You look for them in every corner. You save jokes to tell them and realize you can never share them. You live with the injustice of your loved one’s loss, and you learn how to retake control of your life. Our team understands your devastation. That’s why we want to help you recover.
Our services do not replace what you’ve lost, but they can help you stabilize your finances. We can get you the compensation you need to pay for a funeral and compensate for any loss in income. We can also ensure you have the resources you need to step away from work and spend time with your family.
Vaughan & Vaughan’s Indianapolis wrongful death lawyers want you to have space to grieve. Let us advocate for you today. You can book a free, no-obligation case evaluation with one of our representatives today.
