Minneapolis Wrongful Death Lawyer
Justice for Lost Loved Ones
Nothing can bring back a loved one who has died. But justice through compensation is available for many who lose a close family member. If you have lost someone due to the unlawful acts of another, a Minneapolis wrongful death lawyer from our team can potentially help you and your loved ones recover substantial compensation for the wrongs committed.
Why Choose Us?
Our Minneapolis Wrongful Death lawyers Have Recovered Millions for Our Clients
At Tyroler Leonard Injury Law, we have a track record that demonstrates not only that we care about our wrongful death clients but that we also know what it takes to get them the compensation they deserve.
The millions of dollars we have recovered for clients have helped them recoup financial losses and rebuild their lives. For this reason, we never accept low offers of compensation for our clients but fight for what they deserve.
When you choose Tyroler Leonard Injury Law, you get a firm with:
- A history of recovering millions of dollars for clients
- Industry-recognized attorneys who are committed to their clients
- A demonstrated track record of success with complicated cases
- 24/7 communication with clients.
Firm founders Isaac Tyroler and Rachel Sperling Leonard have collectively brought in tens of millions of dollars for their clients, a feat that has garnered them recognition as Super Lawyers. And each wrongful death attorney on staff takes great care with each client they serve, making sure they fully understand the needs of those they represent.
Understanding Wrongful Death
Death is an inescapable fact. Tragically, however, many deaths are preventable and occur due to another person’s unlawful act. When they do, a wrongful death claim may be appropriate.
Generally speaking, wrongful death in Minnesota occurs when:
- A person dies
- The death was caused by another person
- The person who caused the death acted unlawfully or failed to act when required.
Acting unlawfully can refer to negligent and intentional actions, whereas failing to act typically deals with negligence. Individuals who are suspected of committing a wrongful death may potentially face criminal and civil repercussions.
Common Situations Leading to Wrongful Death Claims
Although a wrongful death might occur under innumerable circumstances, the numbers clearly show that certain situations are more dangerous than others.
Car Accidents
Every day, someone dies on Minnesota roadways. Since negligence is a leading cause of these car crash fatalities, many of the deaths are wrongful deaths. Various forms of negligence underlie wrongful death car accidents, including:
- Distracted driving
- Driving while drunk or intoxicated
- Excessive speeding
- Road rage
- Aggressive driving
- Driving while drowsy
- Failure to yield or stop
- Failure to obey traffic rules
- Driving an unsafe vehicle.
In many cases, car accident victims pass away on the scene or shortly after being transported to a hospital. However, some cases see injury victims pass away months or even years after the car accident.
Whether a car accident is fatal or injurious depends on many factors, but in the end, car accidents can be highly unpredictable. With that being said, certain injuries portend death more than others, such as:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Severe burns
- Severe internal organ damage.
- Construction
- Natural resources and mining
- Farming and ranching.
- During transportation
- Slip-trip-and-fall accidents
- Deadly contact with equipment, tools, or objects.
- Intentional homicide
- Assault and battery with great bodily harm
- Robbery homicide.
- Falls from high places due to faulty handrails or the absence of safety measures
- Slip and fall incidents
- Electrocution
- Being struck by a falling or flying object
- Lack of adequate security.
- Manufacturers for faulty manufacturing
- Designers for unsafe designs
- Marketers for making unsafe claims about a product
- Installers for improperly installing a product
- Retailers if they know of a defect yet sell the product anyway.
- The death was intentional
- The death was the result of a DUI
- The death was the result of gross negligence.
- Duty
- Breach of duty
- Causation
- Death.
- Police report
- Medical records
- Traffic and surveillance footage
- Witness testimony.
- Medical care and treatment costs, including medication and hospital stays
- Transportation costs related to medical treatment and care
- Lost financial support from wages, benefits, pensions, and insurance
- Burial expenses
- Memorial expenses.
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of protection and care
- Loss of guidance.
- Spouse
- Children
- Parents
- Siblings.
- Claim paperwork and documents, such as filings and responses
- Investigations into the incident to collect evidence for your claim
- Hiring medical and other relevant experts
- Discovery, including depositions
- Negotiations with implicated insurance companies
- Representing clients at trial whenever necessary.
Regardless of the injury, secondary complications, such as sepsis, always make car accident injuries dangerous.
Work Accidents
Work accidents cause tens of thousands of injuries each year and roughly five fatalities each month in Minnesota. Given the number of dangerous industries out there, the fact there are fatalities on the job is not surprising. However, the danger of an occupation does not excuse negligence. In fact, workers in dangerous occupations receive specialized safety and operational training to mitigate accident risks.
According to the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, the following industries typically produce the highest number of fatalities:
Whatever the job context of work injuries in the state, a look at the numbers shows that most of the deaths occur under one of the following circumstances:
A wrongful death may also occur as a result of an acquired illness or by way of an intentional act of another person.
Intentional Violence
Intentional acts of violence can form the basis of a wrongful death case if the victim dies as a result, even if death was not the intended result. Some of the criminal acts that often end up causing death include:
However, not all intentional actions are necessarily prosecuted as homicides by the state. If the state fails to prosecute, the victim’s family retains their right to file a wrongful death claim for compensation. Additionally, if the state loses a case against a defendant, that defendant may still face and lose a wrongful death claim or lawsuit.
Premises Liability
Premises liability refers to fault for incidents that occur on another person’s property. Property owners and tenants have the duty to maintain reasonably safe premises for the public who enter. When they breach this duty and someone dies, the victim’s family can seek compensation.
Perhaps the most familiar example of premises liability would be a slip and fall at a grocery store or on someone’s porch. In both instances, the potential liability would be based on failure to keep a walkway safe.
Another common example is a landlord who fails to have the proper safety measures installed in a building or residence they rent to someone else. For example, a broken fire alarm that fails to alert a building’s occupants of a blaze can likely be held to answer a claim for wrongful death if anyone perishes.
Other examples of premises liability situations that lead to death include:
Premises liability may also apply when dangerous substances from a property poison someone who eventually dies. These types of cases may occur due to improperly stored hazardous material.
Defective Products
Product designers and manufacturers have the duty to provide the public with reasonably safe products. However, every year, dangerous products harm and kill people. The deaths occur in private homes, on the road, and in the workplace. Fortunately, family members of victims can pursue compensation from:
In some cases, more than one entity in the chain of production of a dangerous product may be liable for death.
Wrongful Death Liability
Society takes a great interest in the deaths of its members. Hence, both criminal and civil penalties are on the table when someone dies at the hands of another. But the criminal and civil proceedings are two separate processes that are handled independently of one another, largely. However, their results typically greatly impact one another.
Criminal vs. Civil Liability
Regardless of what state law enforcement officials decide to do, family members of a wrongful death victim have the right to seek damages for the loss of their loved one. The criminal justice system gets involved when the death rises to a level of criminality, which is not always the case.
Generally speaking, a criminal case for wrongful death will likely be filed when:
A compensation claim, on the other hand, can be filed under many more circumstances. This difference exists because the standard of proof is lower in civil cases than in criminal cases. In other words, it is easier to prove a civil compensation claim than a criminal case.
How a Minneapolis Wrongful Death Lawyer Proves Liability
Minneapolis wrongful death lawyers investigate and analyze the facts to determine who is liable for wrongful death. When the case is based on negligence, attorneys must prove various elements, including:
Duty refers to the obligation that people and organizations owe one another to act in a reasonably safe manner. Proving that this duty existed and was then subsequently breached is paramount for all wrongful death cases. Equally important is demonstrating that the breach was the cause of death.
Accomplishing this involves skilled investigation and evidence collection. The evidence wrongful death attorneys deal with depends heavily on the type of case. In a car accident case, the evidence will likely include:
However, in a medical malpractice wrongful death claim, Minneapolis wrongful death attorneys must deal with more complicated evidence and seek expert medical testimony.
Determining Damages in Wrongful Death Cases
The wrongful death of a person uniformly leads to losses for family members. When a spouse or children are involved, the loss is even greater. Not only do they face financial blows, but they also must contend with the immeasurable benefit they received from the guidance and companionship of the deceased.
Financial Losses
Surviving family members of victims of wrongful death can seek compensation for their economic or financial losses, which are often substantial. They usually include:
Regarding medical treatment, victims who die weeks or months after an incident will likely have significant medical bills. These debts, which may or may not be covered by insurance, are compensable and the responsibility of the unlawful actor who caused the death.
Non-Economic Losses
Non-economic losses are intangible by nature but impactful in wrongful death cases. They include:
Competent wrongful death attorneys make the difference at this stage. They know how to perform calculations and negotiate for compensation sums that do their clients’ situations justice. If you have lost a loved one at the hands of someone else, call our office today for a free consultation and case review.
Pursuing a Wrongful Death Claim in Minneapolis
The rules governing wrongful death claims specifically outline who can bring a wrongful death claim and how they must accomplish it.
Who Can File a Claim
In Minnesota, close relatives of the deceased may file a wrongful death claim. According to the statute, close members include:
Unmarried partners, regardless of whether they are engaged, do not qualify as next of kin.
How to File a Claim
To file a wrongful death claim, the family members must petition the court to appoint a trustee to manage the claim. The trustee’s job is to represent the interests of the decedent’s family members regarding the wrongful death claim.
Although there is one claim that is filed for all parties interested, the victims’ individual family members do well to find and employ a reputable law firm or one of Minneapolis’s wrongful death lawyers with years of experience to look after their interests. The stakes are far too high to go through the process without a skilled wrongful death lawyer.
How Tyroler Leonard Injury Law Can Help
We handle everything for you so that you have the time and space to grieve and handle your affairs, including:
Frequently Asked Questions
Your wrongful death questions are important to us. Please review the following questions and answers, and feel free to contact us to speak with one of our wrongful death lawyers.
How much compensation will I get from a wrongful death claim?
How much do Minneapolis wrongful death lawyers charge?
How long does it take wrongful death lawyers to recover compensation?
Can heirs each have their own Minneapolis wrongful death attorney in a wrongful death suit?
Can I sue for the wrongful death of an unborn child?
What if the decedent had a will?
Please reach out at any time to get answers to your questions. Our team of Minneapolis wrongful death lawyers is ready to help.
Call to Speak with Our Team of Minneapolis Wrongful Death Lawyers
The pain and losses you experience from a wrongful death are the responsibility of those who have acted unlawfully. Tyroler Leonard Injury Law is ready to help you understand your options for justice through compensation.
Call (651) 259-1113 today to speak with our Minneapolis wrongful death lawyers today.
Attorney Isaac Tyroler
Attorney Isaac Tyroler has been a strong advocate for injured people his entire legal career. He has a passion for righting wrongs, and he deeply cares about representing injured clients who may feel overwhelmed or uncertain about how to navigate the legal system. He is compassionate toward clients and aggressive with insurance companies and defendants. He is on the elected Board of Governors of the Minnesota Association of Justice (MAJ), the top personal injury lawyers’ group in Minnesota. And is currently the chair of MAJ’s legislative committee. [ Attorney Bio ]
