The sudden loss of a loved one is devastating enough, but the preventable loss of a loved one is inexcusable. If your spouse, child, parent, or significant other has been killed in an accident caused by another person’s negligence, then you deserve the justice, emotional closure, and accountability that a wrongful death claim can provide.
At Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC, we have the specialized experience, resources, and compassion necessary to fight for their memory. Contact our Minnesota wrongful death attorneys today to learn how we can help.
Wrongful Death Experience
When our Minnesota personal injury attorneys represent a family, we take the time to learn about them and their loved one. We want to see their pictures, the cards they wrote, and hear what they meant to you. In order to properly represent a family, we want to know where their loved one grew up, what motivated them, and how they interacted with their family.
A death caused by another party’s negligence can occur in many circumstances.
Goldenberg Lauricella has handled wrongful death cases involving:
- Car accidents
- Drunk driving accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bicycle and pedestrian accidents
- Defective drugs
- Dangerous medical devices
- Gas explosions
- Construction collapses and OSHA violations
- Bridge collapses
- Hotel fires
- Electrocutions from power lines
- Defective products and machinery
- Chemical exposure
Wrongful Death Statistics
Every year, over 90,000 deaths occur due to medical negligence, over 40,000 deaths occur due to motor vehicle fatalities, almost 20,000 deaths occur due to unsafe premises, and over 5,000 deaths occur due to workplace accidents.
June 2023: Minnesota Expands Wrongful Death Damages
On May 21, 2023, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed the Omnibus Judiciary and Public Safety Bill, which dramatically expanded the potential compensation available for surviving family members of injured people who pass away.
Previously, most of an injured person’s personal injury claim was nullified if they died and their cause of death was unrelated to their injury. The only claim available to survivors was for special damages such as medical bills and lost wages. If the cause of death was related to the personal injury, survivors could only seek economic losses, the value of lost counsel, guidance, and aid, and lost advice, comfort, assistance, companionship, and protection through wrongful death claims.
Under the new bill, surviving family members can now seek claims for damages suffered by the decedent before they died, regardless of whether their cause of death was related to their injury. Those damages include:
- Pain and suffering;
- Emotional distress;
- Embarrassment;
- Disability; and
- Disfigurement
In other words, all personal injury claims in Minnesota now survive the death of the injured person, regardless of whether the personal injury was the cause of death. The change is effective immediately and applies to all pending and future claims.
While nothing will ever bring back the loss of a loved one, this change will allow survivors to pursue the compensation they are rightly entitled to after the loss of their loved one.
Goldenberg Lauricella’s Minnesota Wrongful Death Attorneys Can Help
We are genuinely sorry for your loss. While we understand that nothing we can do will make the pain go away completely, we hope that we can help to ease the pain and bring you the justice that you deserve. Contact Goldenberg Lauricella and find out if one of our Minneapolis based wrongful death attorneys can help you out.
True Wrongful Death Story
On a warm August day, “Sophie,” a young Minnesota woman, was driving her car across the 35W Bridge in Minneapolis. Suddenly, the entire bridge collapsed, and her car plummeted more than 60 feet into the Mississippi River. Sophie and 13 other people were killed, and another 145 people were injured.
Goldenberg Lauricella was hired to help represent Sophie’s family as well as two other seriously injured victims. Along with 17 other law firms, Goldenberg Lauricella assembled a team to help represent the bridge collapse victims.
To further examine this case, we hired some of the best investigators and engineers in the world. We learned that the bridge was built without redundancy and that the gusset plates were too thin. Through the review of thousands of documents, we also became aware that a bridge consulting company called URS had previously given advice to the state about the bridge’s integrity.
Lastly, we identified that the bridge’s structure was further compromised due to a construction company placing 578,000 pounds of construction equipment on it.
Our team of firms commenced a lawsuit against URS and the construction company. Although the army of lawyers hired by both companies fought hard against liability, the case ultimately obtained a settlement of 52.4 million dollars, and additional money was paid by the construction company. All told, almost 100 million dollars were recovered. Sophie’s family and the other victims received justice as well as the knowledge that we were willing to fight for what was right for them and the public’s safety. As a result, Goldenberg Lauricella received the Award of Professional Excellence from the Minnesota State Bar Association.
Get a free consultation from our minnesota wrongful death lawyer
Goldenberg Lauricella offers free consultations to those who believe they may have a Wrongful Death claim. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us: there is no charge and there is no obligation.