Ocean Springs Wrongful Death Attorney

A loved one’s death can cause your family considerable grief and anxiety about the future. However, your sadness and stress may turn to anger if your loved one dies because of another party’s actions. Your family may have the right to seek justice and compensation for your loved one’s passing. Let an Ocean Springs wrongful death lawyer from Haug, Farrar, Franco & Ruiz, PLLC, advocate for your family’s rights and interests.

With more than two decades of experience advocating for individuals and families across the Mississippi Gulf Coast, our attorneys have dedicated their careers to guiding clients through legal challenges after devastating accidents and losses. We take on the most challenging cases and have secured millions of dollars in recovery. Our attorneys have a reputation throughout the region for never backing down until we’ve secured the best possible result for our clients. 

We know the devastating effects that a family member’s death can have. Our compassionate, reliable lawyers will stand by your family during this darkest hour. You will never feel like just another case number. Instead, we treat everyone who walks through our doors like family members or friends who need our help. We will listen to your concerns and needs, take the pressure of your case off your shoulders, and hold those at fault for your loved one’s death accountable for their negligent or careless actions.

When your family has lost a loved one due to the negligence or fault of another party, get legal representation to demand compensation so you and your family may move on with your lives. Contact Haug, Farrar, Franco & Ruiz, PLLC, for a free initial claim review. An experienced wrongful death attorney in Ocean Springs, MS, can advise you about your legal options for seeking compensation for your loved one’s death.

What Are the Common Wrongful Death Cases in Ocean Springs?

Wrongful death claims frequently arise from the same kinds of accidents that lead to personal injury cases. At Haug, Farrar, Franco & Ruiz, PLLC, a seasoned Ocean Springs fatal accident attorney can help your family seek the money you need after your loved one has died due to an accident. We can handle cases involving:

• Car accidents, including hit-and-run, drunk driving, and Uber/Lyft accidents
• Truck accident
• Motorcycle accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• Boating accidents
• Bus accidents
• Aviation accidents
• Train accidents
• Premises liability (dangerous property) accidents
• Defective product (product liability) accidents
• Workplace accidents/workers’ compensation
• Construction site accidents
• Medical malpractice

What Do You Have to Prove in a Mississippi Wrongful Death Case?

In a Mississippi wrongful death case, you must prove that your loved one’s death occurred due to another party’s negligence, carelessness, intentional acts, or other legal fault. A wrongful act giving rise to a legal claim does not have to involve a criminal act. Instead, wrongful death claims can arise under the same circumstances that would lead to a personal injury claim if the decedent survived their injuries. 

Most wrongful death cases involve claims of negligence or carelessness. To prove negligence, you must show that another party owed your loved one a duty of care and caused your loved one’s death due to the breach of their duty of care. A claim of recklessness requires you to show that the party who caused your loved one’s death knowingly or intentionally disregarded a substantial risk that their actions would cause severe injuries or death. 

Depending on the circumstances of your loved one’s death, examples of evidence you might use to prove a wrongful death claim include:

• Police accident reports
• Business accident/incident reports
• Maintenance/repair records
• Staffing records
• Medical records
• Accident scene photos
• Surveillance footage
• Eyewitness testimony
• Cell phone or computer records/logs
• Accident reconstruction, engineering, or medical expert reports and testimony

What Compensation Is Recoverable in an Ocean Springs Wrongful Death Claim?

We understand that no amount of money can make up for a loved one’s passing. But wrongful death compensation in Ocean Springs can assist your family with the financial consequences of their death and provide you with some measure of justice from those responsible for it. Let our wrongful death law firm in Ocean Springs, MS, help your family seek financial recovery for losses your family has incurred, including:

• A decedent’s final medical expenses
• Conscious pain and suffering that a decedent experienced before their death
• Loss of the decedent’s future income and financial contributions to the family
• Loss of the decedent’s society and companionship
• Funeral/burial expenses

Be aware that Mississippi law caps the amount of compensation your family can recover for non-economic losses you’ve suffered to $1 million (or $500,000 for wrongful death claims arising from medical malpractice). Non-economic losses are subjective, non-quantifiable losses like the loss of your loved one’s society and companionship or your loved one’s conscious pain and suffering,

Who Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Mississippi?

Under Mississippi’s wrongful death statute, specific individuals have the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit. These individuals include:

• The personal representative (i.e., an executor or administrator) of the decedent’s estate
• The decedent’s surviving spouse
• Any surviving parents, children, or siblings of the decedent

Eligible parties may file only one wrongful death lawsuit, although any party may join an already-filed action. Parties who have filed a wrongful death lawsuit pursue financial recovery on behalf of all individuals entitled to recover compensation from the claim. 

How Are Ocean Springs Wrongful Death Settlements Paid Out?

Because losing a loved one can cause significant financial and emotional loss for a family, wrongful death claim settlements can involve substantial sums of money. As a result, parties in a wrongful death case may set up settlement payments in one of two ways: lump sum or structured. 

In a lump sum settlement, a family receives the total value of the settlement upfront. Lump sum settlements can help families who must pay off debts incurred due to their loved one’s passing, including medical debts or personal debts taken out to make up for the loss of a loved one’s income. 

In a structured settlement, compensation is paid in multiple payments, either monthly/quarterly/annually or according to a schedule negotiated by the parties. A structured settlement may include large upfront or final “balloon” payments. Although structured settlements require families to wait to recover total compensation for their wrongful death claim, they can provide various benefits. These arrangements can give families an income stream to rely on as they adjust to losing a deceased family member’s income. Families can also recover more money as liable parties may agree to a more sizeable settlement if they can pay it over time. 

At Haug, Farrar, Franco & Ruiz, PLLC, our Ocean Springs family death legal counsel will take the time to listen to your story and understand your family’s needs and goals. In doing so, we will help you determine whether a proposed wrongful death settlement will provide the financial relief and accountability you deserve following a loved one’s passing. 

What Is the Mississippi Wrongful Death Statute of Limitations?

The Mississippi statute of limitations typically requires you to file a wrongful death lawsuit within three years of your loved one’s passing. However, in certain circumstances, you may have as little as one year to file a lawsuit. 

Your family should consult with an Ocean Springs wrongful death case lawyer from Haug, Farrar, Franco & Ruiz, PLLC, as soon as possible after the wrongful death. If you file suit after the applicable limitations period expires on your family’s wrongful death claim, you may lose the right to pursue financial recovery from those responsible for your loved one’s death. 

How an Ocean Springs Wrongful Death Attorney Can Help You

The loss of a loved one can cause your family considerable grief and sorrow. The fact that your loved one’s death occurred because of someone else’s wrongdoing may also add immense anger and frustration. You and your family deserve time to grieve, process your loss, and heal. 

It’s best to obtain wrongful death legal services after losing a loved one due to the fault of others in Ocean Springs or elsewhere on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. While your family copes with your loved one’s death, let a survivor claims attorney in Ocean Springs, MS, handle the details of your wrongful death claims, including:

• Investigating the circumstances of your loved one’s death to recover evidence to build your family’s case
• Reviewing the evidence and working with expert witnesses to prepare your wrongful death claim for trial, which shows insurance companies and liable parties that we won’t back down until we’ve recovered full and fair compensation for you
• Identifying potentially liable parties and applicable insurance coverages to evaluate your legal options for financial recovery
• Documenting your family’s ongoing and future losses to ensure we pursue the compensation you deserve now and in the future
• Aggressively seeking maximum financial recovery, either through a fair and full settlement or by going to trial to hold those at fault for your loved one’s death accountable for their actions

Contact an Ocean Springs Wrongful Death Lawyer Today

After losing a loved one because of the carelessness, recklessness, or fault of another party, your family may have the right to seek accountability and money for the financial loss and emotional suffering you’ve endured. 

Contact Haug, Farrar, Franco & Ruiz, PLLC, today for a free, no-obligation consultation. You’ll learn how a fatal injury lawyer in Ocean Springs, MS, can help you demand justice for your loved one’s death.