Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of wrongful deaths in Arizona.
When a negligent or drunk driver causes the loss of a parent, spouse, or child then Arizona law provides for a claim for damages. Examples include the following cases:
• A 25 year old woman was a pedestrian walking in the crosswalk, on a green light, at Central and Osborn in Phoenix, she was hit by a driver who was on the job, who ran a red light, she was killed. I represented her parents in a case against the driver and his employer.
• A driver drove south on Tatum and Lincoln Drive in Paradise Valley and made a left turn, her vehicle struck a northbound motorcyclist, he was killed. I represented his two children and his mother, the claim was settled with the negligent driver’s insurance company.
• A motorcyclist who was hit by a left turning driver in Pinetop, he was killed, I represented his wife, the case was resolved with the insurance company for the negligent driver and the underinsurance carrier of the decedent and his wife.
• I represented the parents whose son was a South Mountain Community College baseball player, the team van rolled over on Interstate 10, he was killed. There were numerous negligence claims.
The deaths are devastating to families. Sometimes the driver at fault may be on the job, in the course of his or her employment, working for a private employer or for a governmental entity, where a Notice of Claim may be necessary.
Every case is different, family members may have claims for:
• The loss of love, affection and companionship since the death of the decedent and in the future.
• Pain, grief, sorrow and mental suffering experienced since the death, and in the future.
• Lost income as a result of the death.