San Tan Valley Wrongful Death Lawyers

In Arizona, the people who can file a wrongful death lawsuit are the surviving spouse, child, parent, guardian, or personal representative of the deceased. Regardless of who files the lawsuit, it is on behalf of those who stand to recover compensation, including the spouse, child, parent, or guardian. If the deceased has no surviving family meeting these descriptions, any compensation recovered through the lawsuit will go to the estate, from which it will be distributed to the deceased’s other heirs.

The amount of compensation each party to the lawsuit can receive through a trial award depends on the jury’s determination of what is fair based on their particular losses. For example, surviving spouses often receive more compensation than children or parents due to their relationship with the deceased and the impact losing their spouse’s income will have on their lives.

Under Arizona’s statute of limitations for wrongful death cases, victims’ families have two years to file lawsuits against the parties responsible. You must file your suit within this period or risk having the court dismiss your case without a hearing.

In most cases, the time limit starts counting down on the date of your loved one’s death. However, if the circumstances surrounding their death were unclear, such as if the at-fault party was unknown, the time limit may not start until you have or reasonably should have had that information.

For example, if your loved one died in a car accident, the time limit may begin on that date. But if the accident involved a hit and run and the at-fault driver’s identity wasn’t known until months later, the time limit may begin at that point.