Cambridge Wrongful Death

Regardless of how it happens, a wrongful death is something that you hope to never have to grapple with. Unfortunately, these incidents do occur and figuring out what your next steps should be can be just as difficult as coping with the emotional distress of losing someone prematurely to an incident which could have been prevented. If you lost someone through what you believe is a wrongful death, contact the Cambridge wrongful death experts at Altman & Altman LLP today.

Believe it or not, medical errors are the third leading cause of death in America, after cardiovascular issues and cancer. According to one report, about 250,000 people die in the country every year (700 a day) directly because of medical malpractice. Boston, Cambridge and the rest of Massachusetts, despite having some of the most renowned medical facilities in the nation, are no exception to this risk. However, wrongful deaths can occur in many different places outside a hospital room.

Wrongful deaths may occur in a wide range of professions, however the most at risk professions are loggers, fishermen, pilots, garbage men and recycling professionals, construction workers, roofers, iron and steel workers, electricians, professional drivers and truck drivers, utilities repairmen and those in the agricultural industry.

What is Considered a Wrongful Death?

Under Massachusetts law, a wrongful death is defined as any incident resulting in the death of an individual that could have been prevented and may have been partially or entirely caused due to some type of negligence. Wrongful deaths may occur in hospitals, on job sites, on the highway or even on an exterior stairway that wasn’t cleared of icy snow.

To demonstrate that a loved one was the victim of a wrongful death, you must be able to show that their death could have been avoided through reasonable efforts to prevent possible accidents. This burden of proof obviously varies from case to case. Perhaps a loved one died after falling from a roof because they were given a faulty safety harness, or they were electrocuted because a property manager failed to disclose the presence of a live wire underneath an active construction site.

In every profession, there is an expectation that workers will be subject to certain protections against bodily harm and wrongful deaths. This can mean requiring that supervisors provide certain types of physical protection, like helmets, or providing educational materials and training to educate workers against common dangers on the job.

Wrongful deaths do not just occur during a work day, however. A person who drinks and drives and crashes into another driver who was doing nothing wrong, killing him or her, would be responsible for any wrongful death claim brought forward by the family in the aftermath. Wrongful deaths can occur in various ways, including but not limited to:

• Medical malpractice or as the result of incorrect subscription of medicine
• Worksite negligence
• Slips and falls
• Defective or faulty products
• Motor vehicle or trucking accidents

The Right Attorney Makes All the Difference

Regardless of what type of accident occurred that resulted in a wrongful death, the expert personal injury attorneys at Altman & Altman LLP have over 50 years of experience advocating for those who have lost loved ones to wrongful deaths in Cambridge, Boston, Salem and throughout Massachusetts.

A wrongful death suit can give you the money you need to take care of final expenses for your loved one and recover money lost from income they used to bring in through their job. While no financial amount can replace what has been lost, you will at least be able to handle the deluge of expenses that come your way as the result of the death.

Call us for a free consultation to go over the details of your case today at 617-492-3000 or toll-free at 800-481-6199. We are available 24/7.