530+ Google Reviews
If you are dealing with the tragic loss of a loved one due to another party’s reckless actions or negligence, your family deserves compensation for your losses. Those who are responsible should pay for the funeral and burial costs, as well as other damages. A wrongful death lawyer from our Spartanburg personal injury lawyer team in Spartanburg, SC, can fight for your family’s rights and help you pursue a fair settlement.
At Farmer & Morris Law, PLLC, we offer comprehensive legal services for families that have been devastated by the death of a family member. We can help you identify the at-fault party, determine the damages in your case, and negotiate a fair settlement with the insurance company. Your family has been through enough—you should not have to pay for someone else’s mistake, as well. Call today. Our initial case assessments are free.
How a Wrongful Death Lawyer from Our Spartanburg Office Can Help You
At Farmer & Morris Law, PLLC, our Spartanburg personal injury lawyers provide comprehensive legal services to help you with all aspects of your family’s case. Our legal team can help if your family is presently going through a wrongful death claim or lawsuit, if you cannot handle your case while grieving for the deceased, or if you want legal support and advice that could help you bring the liable party to justice in your civil case.
When we represent you, we will work to:
- Identify who is responsible for your loved one’s death
- Obtain and submit evidence that proves negligence
- Assess and calculate the full extent of your damages
- Prepare and submit your claim, including all documents and evidence
- Negotiate for a fair settlement with the insurance company
We obtain evidence such as police reports, eyewitness accounts, medical reports, expert testimony, and photos or videos to establish who was at fault and how their negligence led to the fatality. We also engage with all parties on your behalf to give you the best legal representation possible. You can focus on spending time together, grieving, and managing other matters while we develop support for your claim and seek compensation based on the facts of the case.
Our Team Is Here to Support and Advocate for Your Family
When you have our legal team on your side, you have the leverage to move forward with your wrongful death case in confidence. If we cannot negotiate an appropriate settlement, you can leave the legal process of filing a lawsuit in our hands. Our team will leave the decisions up to you, but we will ensure that you understand what your case is worth and offer advice along the way.
Then, we will handle the next steps for you. You will always know what to expect and be up to date about the latest developments, and we have team members available to answer any questions you have throughout the legal process.
Our Services Cost You Nothing Up Front
One of the biggest factors that often keeps people from hiring a law firm after an injury or fatality is the fear of high legal fees. Our team seeks to eliminate such fears by operating strictly on contingency when it comes to wrongful death cases. Our approach to legal fees means that:
- You pay nothing to get us started on your claim or lawsuit.
- We front all costs associated with investigating, building, and pursuing the case.
- If we do not recover compensation for your family, you owe us no legal fees.
- When we do deliver a settlement or court award, we take a predetermined percentage of this as our fee.
- You never have to pull out your wallet to pay for our legal services.
If this fee arrangement still seems confusing, there is no need to worry. A member of our team will be happy to explain how our payment structure works during your free consultation. We will make sure you know what to expect before you ever sign a contract with us.
It is policies like this that have led our past clients to praise us as “professional, prompt, and competent” in our Google reviews and testimonials. Our goals include exemplary customer service and putting the client first always, and we are proud that our former clients feel this way about our team.
We Can Pursue Fair Compensation for Your Family
What type of damages you can claim for the untimely death of your family member depends on the circumstances of the accident, who is responsible, and how the accident led to the death of the victim.
In general, you may have a valid wrongful death claim if the victim was killed due to the negligent actions of another. Survival actions, on the other hand, are based on the damages the decedent could have claimed if they survived. While the standards necessary to prove these two types of cases are similar, the recoverable damages are different.
Per S.C. Ann § 15-51-20, certain family members may be able to recover the following types of damages in a wrongful death case:
Pre-Death Medical Expenses
If the deceased spent time in the ER or hospital prior to their death, your family may be able to recover compensation for any medical expenses related to the fatal accident. Examples include costs for emergency medical care, surgical procedures, and an ICU or hospital room stay.
Pain and Suffering
Did your loved one endure severe physical pain or mental anguish before they died? If so, you may be able to request compensation for their suffering in your claim. Although it seems impossible to put a dollar amount on pain and suffering, we can pursue what your claim is worth based on the circumstances, industry practices, and South Carolina law.
Our firm will fight for your family to receive as much compensation as possible if your loved one suffered conscious pain and emotional distress following their injuries but before they passed away.
Burial and Funeral Costs
Funerals can be expensive, potentially costing your family thousands of dollars. After laying your loved one to rest, you may have incurred burial and funeral costs related to:
- Body preparation
- The casket
- Funeral services
- The burial plot and tombstone
- Funeral home fees
You may be entitled to receive full compensation for all of these expenses in a wrongful death case.
Household Losses
Household damages can range from lost income, benefits, or retirement to loss of companionship and parental support. We can calculate your current and future lost household income and add it to your claim, along with loss of services and related damages.
Your Family’s Emotional Distress
It may also be possible to get money damages for the emotional harm surviving family members endured because of their loved one’s injuries and death. From loss of parental guidance to loss of companionship, our attorneys understand that this has been difficult on every member of your immediate family.
Punitive Damages
Depending on the circumstances of your wrongful death case, you and your family may also be eligible to receive punitive damages. However, these damages are only rewarded by the courts. The defendant must be shown to have acted in extreme negligence. These damages are meant to punish the defendant for their egregious actions and warn others not to commit anything similar in the future.
Our goal is to recover the compensation your family is eligible for based on the extent of your losses. You do not have to let the insurance company tell you what the case is worth and accept the first settlement an insurance adjuster offers. In fact, this is generally a bad idea. Most insurers’ initial offer is a lowball settlement that they hope you will not recognize as far too low for the value of your case.
A wrongful death attorney from our team can stand up for your rights. We will help you explore all of your losses in order to submit and negotiate an accurate claim in Spartanburg. Call Farmer & Morris Law, PLLC today for a free case consultation with a member of our legal team. We can listen to your story and explain your family’s legal options for recovering just compensation.
Negotiating a Fair Settlement With the Insurance Company
When working with insurance companies, it is often beneficial to allow your lawyer to engage with the adjuster on your behalf. Doing so minimizes any potential mistakes that you could make if you do not know the law or the tactics they may use to hurt your payout. Even when you don’t make any mistakes, the insurer could still take your words out of context in an effort to deny or devalue the claim.
They may also:
- Try to blame your loved one for some or all of their injuries
- Claim another party was at fault
- Downplay or deny some key elements
- Create another defense to avoid accepting blame for the incident, injuries, and death
Our team knows how this process works and how to protect a case from such tactics. We can initiate a claim soon after the accident, submit all records, send paperwork to the insurer, and present a compelling case for why your claim should be accepted.
If the insurer rejects your claim or offers a low settlement, then we can explore your options. For instance, we may counter with another offer. Our lawyers can also represent you in court if you decide to file a lawsuit.
We Take on All Types of Wrongful Death Cases
Farmer & Morris Law, PLLC, has the resources, legal staff, and knowledge necessary to take on complex wrongful death cases. Regardless of how the fatal accident occurred, we can review the facts of the case and discuss your family’s legal options. We help clients in cases related to:
- Auto accidents
- Product liability
- Workers’ compensation
- Commercial vehicle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Other types of deadly personal injury incidents
Our team stands firm in our commitment to helping you see that justice is delivered and that your family is cared for. You can let us handle your case while your family grieves during this difficult time—we can advocate on your behalf.
Our attorneys know the types of evidence necessary to prove fault and liability in each of these injury incidents. We can develop a case against the individual or party whose actions caused them, filing a claim based on their applicable insurance policy or suing them in civil court. This is often successful in recovering compensation for our clients who lost a loved one in a negligence incident.
Your Family Has Three Years to File Your Wrongful Death Lawsuit
All lawsuits must be filed before their statute of limitations expires. You have a limited time to take legal action in a wrongful death case under S.C. Ann § 15-3-530. The deadline to file is three years. Missing this statutory deadline could bar you from pursuing fair compensation through the courts.
Those three years may seem like a lot of time, but you and your attorney will need that time to build a strong case. If you contact your attorney soon enough, they are in a better position to collect and preserve evidence. Also, the insurance companies are aware of these deadlines. If you do not resolve your claim with them and miss the deadline on your lawsuit, you will lose any negotiating power you may have with them.
Our team can outline the deadlines and exceptions to the statute of limitations after reviewing your case.
Speak With a Team Member From Farmer & Morris Law, PLLC
If you are ready to file a claim against the responsible party for your loved one’s death in Spartanburg, a wrongful death lawyer from our team wants to help. Farmer & Morris Law, PLLC, is here to provide legal support and represent you in the fight for a fair settlement or court award.
Call or complete our online contact form to get a free case evaluation today.
