When someone dies due to another person’s negligence or wrongful act in Fortines, Georgia, surviving family members may file a wrongful death claim to seek compensation for their loss and hold the responsible party accountable.
Losing a loved one creates emotional devastation that money cannot heal, yet families still face immediate financial hardships when the person who provided income and support is suddenly gone. Georgia law recognizes this reality by giving certain family members the right to pursue wrongful death claims that recover both economic damages like lost wages and funeral costs, and the full value of the life that was lost including the deceased person’s future earnings, care, and companionship. A wrongful death lawyer in Fortines helps families navigate this legal process during an impossibly difficult time, handling the investigation, evidence gathering, negotiations with insurance companies, and court proceedings so families can focus on grieving and supporting each other. Life Justice Law Group provides compassionate, experienced representation to Fortines families pursuing wrongful death claims, offering free consultations and working on a contingency fee basis so families pay nothing unless we secure compensation for their loss. Call (480) 378-8088 today to discuss your case.
What Constitutes Wrongful Death in Georgia
Georgia law defines wrongful death as a death caused by the negligent, reckless, intentional, or criminal act of another person or entity. Under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-2, wrongful death occurs when someone dies from an injury that would have given them the right to file a personal injury lawsuit had they survived. The core principle is simple: if the deceased person would have had a valid injury claim while alive, their family can pursue a wrongful death claim after their passing.
The circumstances leading to wrongful death vary widely but share a common thread of preventable tragedy. Car accidents caused by distracted or drunk drivers, medical malpractice during surgery or childbirth, dangerous property conditions that cause fatal falls, defective products that malfunction catastrophically, workplace accidents involving unsafe conditions or inadequate training, nursing home neglect that leads to fatal infections or injuries, and violent crimes all create potential wrongful death claims when someone’s careless or intentional actions end a life. What matters legally is not the specific type of accident but whether another party’s wrongful conduct directly caused the death.
Georgia distinguishes wrongful death claims from estate claims, an important difference that affects who can file and what damages are recoverable. A wrongful death claim belongs to specific surviving family members and seeks compensation for their loss of the deceased person’s life. An estate claim, filed under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-5, belongs to the deceased person’s estate and recovers the pain, suffering, and medical expenses the deceased experienced between the injury and death. Both types of claims may exist simultaneously when someone suffers before dying, but they serve different purposes and follow different rules.
Common Causes of Wrongful Death in Fortines
Several types of fatal accidents occur frequently in Fortines and throughout Georgia, each involving distinct legal considerations and evidence requirements:
Motor Vehicle Accidents – Car crashes, truck collisions, motorcycle accidents, and pedestrian fatalities account for a significant portion of wrongful death cases. Georgia’s roads see thousands of fatal accidents each year caused by speeding, distracted driving, drunk driving, aggressive lane changes, failure to yield, and similar negligent behaviors that transform everyday travel into tragedy.
Medical Malpractice – Doctors, nurses, hospitals, and other healthcare providers owe patients a duty of care, and fatal errors constitute wrongful death when they fall below accepted medical standards. Surgical mistakes, misdiagnoses that delay critical treatment, medication errors, birth injuries, anesthesia complications, and post-operative care failures can all prove fatal when medical professionals fail to provide appropriate care.
Workplace Accidents – Construction sites, industrial facilities, warehouses, and other work environments present hazards that become deadly when employers ignore safety regulations or fail to provide proper training and equipment. Falls from heights, machinery accidents, electrocutions, exposure to toxic chemicals, and fires caused by unsafe conditions create wrongful death liability when employers prioritize profit over worker safety.
Premises Liability – Property owners must maintain reasonably safe conditions for visitors, and fatal accidents on dangerous property create wrongful death claims. Slip and fall accidents on wet or uneven surfaces, inadequate security allowing violent crimes, swimming pool drownings, structural collapses, falling objects, and dog attacks can all prove fatal when property owners neglect their maintenance and security responsibilities.
Defective Products – Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers face strict liability when defective products cause death. Dangerous medications, defective medical devices, vehicles with design flaws, recalled consumer products, contaminated food, and products lacking adequate safety warnings create wrongful death claims when corporate negligence puts profits ahead of public safety.
Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect – Elderly and vulnerable residents depend entirely on nursing homes for care, making fatal neglect particularly tragic and inexcusable. Malnutrition, dehydration, untreated infections, bedsores that develop into sepsis, medication errors, and physical abuse by staff create wrongful death liability when facilities fail to provide the most basic care and dignity to residents who cannot protect themselves.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Claim in Georgia
Georgia law establishes a strict hierarchy determining who has the right to file a wrongful death claim under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-2. Only certain family members qualify as proper parties, and the statute dictates the order of priority that prevents multiple claims for the same death.
Surviving Spouse
The surviving spouse holds the primary right to file a wrongful death claim in Georgia. If the deceased person was married at the time of death, the spouse must file the claim and cannot transfer this right to anyone else. The spouse recovers the full value of the deceased’s life including both economic support and intangible losses like companionship and guidance.
When the deceased had children, the spouse shares the recovery equally with those children even though the spouse alone files the claim. This sharing applies regardless of whether the children are minors or adults. The spouse acts as representative for the family’s collective loss but does not receive the entire recovery amount when surviving children exist.
Children of the Deceased
If no surviving spouse exists, the children of the deceased hold the right to file a wrongful death claim. All children share this right equally, and Georgia law requires them to act together rather than filing separate claims. Both biological children and legally adopted children qualify, but the parent-child relationship must be legally established through birth certificates, adoption papers, or court orders.
When multiple children exist, they typically must agree on hiring an attorney and pursuing the claim collectively. Disagreements among siblings about whether to file, which attorney to hire, or whether to accept settlement offers can complicate wrongful death cases. Courts may appoint a guardian ad litem to represent minor children’s interests during wrongful death proceedings.
Parents of the Deceased
If the deceased person left no surviving spouse or children, the parents gain the right to file a wrongful death claim. Both parents share this right equally if both are living. When only one parent survives, that parent holds the exclusive right to file the claim and receive any recovery.
Parents of adult children can file wrongful death claims even when the deceased lived independently and provided no financial support to the parents. The law recognizes that parents suffer profound loss when a child dies regardless of the child’s age or the parents’ financial dependence. Parents of unmarried adults without children represent a significant portion of wrongful death claimants in Georgia.
Administrator or Executor of the Estate
Only if no spouse, children, or parents survive does Georgia law allow the administrator or executor of the deceased person’s estate to file a wrongful death claim under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-2. This administrator acts on behalf of the next of kin who would inherit the deceased person’s property under Georgia intestacy law. The administrator distributes any wrongful death recovery according to intestacy rules rather than the deceased person’s will.
This situation arises rarely, typically when elderly individuals outlive their entire immediate family or when someone dies with no close living relatives. The administrator files the wrongful death claim to prevent the responsible party from escaping liability simply because no immediate family members survive to assert the claim.
Damages Available in Fortines Wrongful Death Cases
Georgia wrongful death law provides for two distinct types of recoverable damages: the full value of life damages in the wrongful death claim proper, and pain and suffering damages through the estate’s survival claim.
Full Value of Life
The wrongful death statute allows recovery for “the full value of the life of the decedent” as viewed from the perspective of the deceased person rather than the survivors’ perspective. This unique approach distinguishes Georgia wrongful death law from many other states. The damages represent what the deceased person lost by having their life cut short, not merely what the family lost by being deprived of the deceased’s presence and support.
Courts divide the full value of life into two components: economic value and intangible value. Economic value includes all earnings, income, benefits, and financial support the deceased would have provided during their expected remaining lifetime. Economists often provide expert testimony calculating lost earnings based on the deceased’s age, health, education, skills, employment history, and career trajectory. These calculations account for probable raises, promotions, and continued work until retirement age.
Intangible Value of Life
The intangible value of life component recognizes that human life has worth beyond mere financial productivity. Georgia juries may award compensation for the deceased person’s lost experiences, relationships, personal fulfillment, and all non-economic aspects of being alive. This includes the value of watching children grow, enjoying hobbies and interests, building relationships, pursuing goals, and simply existing as a conscious human being with thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
No formula or calculation method exists for intangible life value because these damages are inherently subjective. Juries receive wide discretion to award whatever amount they believe fairly represents the complete value of the life that was lost. Evidence of the deceased person’s character, relationships, activities, goals, health, life expectancy, and personality helps juries understand the magnitude of what was taken when that person died.
Estate’s Survival Claim
Separate from the wrongful death claim, the deceased person’s estate may file a survival action under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-5 to recover damages the deceased personally suffered between the time of injury and death. This claim compensates for the deceased’s own losses rather than the family’s loss. The estate can recover medical expenses incurred before death, lost wages during any survival period, and most significantly, the conscious pain and suffering the deceased experienced.
Pain and suffering damages in survival claims can be substantial when the deceased remained conscious and aware after suffering fatal injuries. Evidence that someone knew they were dying, experienced severe physical pain, felt terror or anguish, or suffered for hours or days before death supports significant pain and suffering awards. These damages belong to the estate and are distributed according to the deceased’s will or intestacy law after estate debts are paid.
Funeral and Burial Expenses
The wrongful death claim may include reasonable funeral and burial expenses actually incurred by the family. Georgia law caps these expenses at the amount that is reasonable and necessary for a respectful funeral and burial appropriate to the deceased’s station in life. Courts typically approve funeral expenses in the range of several thousand to fifteen thousand dollars depending on what the family actually paid and whether those costs were reasonable.
Punitive Damages
When clear and convincing evidence shows the defendant acted with specific intent to cause harm, willful misconduct, or that entire want of care indicating conscious indifference to consequences, Georgia law permits punitive damages under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-5.1. Punitive damages punish the defendant and deter similar conduct rather than compensating the family. These damages are rarely awarded because the legal standard requires more than ordinary negligence or recklessness.
Drunk driving accidents, nursing home neglect showing a pattern of deliberate understaffing despite known dangers, manufacturers who knowingly sell dangerous products, and similar cases involving conscious disregard of known risks most commonly support punitive damages claims. The amount is capped at $250,000 in most cases, with exceptions for product liability and cases involving alcohol or drugs where the defendant’s conduct showed specific intent to harm.
The Georgia Statute of Limitations for Wrongful Death
Georgia imposes strict time limits for filing wrongful death claims, and missing these deadlines typically results in permanent loss of the right to pursue compensation. Understanding and meeting these deadlines is absolutely critical because courts rarely grant exceptions even in sympathetic circumstances.
Two-Year General Deadline
Under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33, wrongful death claims must be filed within two years from the date of death. The clock starts running on the day the person died, not the day of the accident or injury that caused death. This distinction matters when someone survives for days, weeks, or months after an accident before ultimately dying from those injuries. The two-year period begins when death actually occurs.
If the wrongful death claim is not filed in court within two years of the death date, Georgia courts will dismiss the case as time-barred. No amount of emotional hardship, lack of legal knowledge, or good faith belief that more time was available excuses failure to meet this deadline. The statute of limitations is an absolute bar that cannot be overcome once it expires.
Medical Malpractice Exception
Medical malpractice wrongful death cases face more complex timing rules. Under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-71, medical malpractice claims must generally be filed within two years of the date the negligent act occurred or should have been discovered through reasonable diligence. However, the statute also imposes an absolute five-year deadline from the date of the negligent act regardless of when the harm was discovered, with limited exceptions.
When medical malpractice causes death, courts must reconcile the general wrongful death statute requiring filing within two years of death with the medical malpractice statute’s discovery rule and absolute deadline. These overlapping deadlines create confusion, making early consultation with an attorney essential in medical malpractice wrongful death cases. Waiting to investigate or file can result in missing applicable deadlines that vary based on when the malpractice occurred, when it was discovered, and when death resulted.
Tolling for Minors
Georgia law tolls (pauses) the statute of limitations when the party with the right to sue is a minor under age 18. Under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-90, minors have until their 20th birthday to file claims that accrued before they turned 18. This tolling provision can extend the time to file a wrongful death claim when children are the proper parties.
However, when a parent or legal guardian has the right and responsibility to file on behalf of minor children, courts may not apply tolling. The presence of an adult who could file the claim on the child’s behalf often prevents the tolling provision from extending the deadline. These rules are complex and fact-specific, requiring legal analysis of who holds the right to file and whether tolling applies in each situation.
How a Wrongful Death Lawyer Builds Your Case
Building a successful wrongful death case requires immediate action to preserve evidence, identify liable parties, calculate damages accurately, and develop a legal strategy that maximizes recovery while meeting all procedural requirements.
Immediate Evidence Preservation
Physical evidence disappears quickly after fatal accidents. Vehicles get repaired or scrapped, accident scenes get cleaned, witnesses move away or forget details, surveillance footage gets recorded over, and medical records become harder to obtain as time passes. Attorneys send preservation letters to potential defendants immediately upon being retained, legally requiring them to preserve all relevant evidence including vehicles, equipment, surveillance video, employment records, maintenance logs, and internal communications.
Early evidence collection often makes or breaks wrongful death cases. Attorneys visit accident scenes to photograph conditions, interview witnesses while memories remain fresh, obtain police reports and medical records, hire accident reconstruction experts to document physical evidence, and identify all potential sources of evidence before they are lost or destroyed. Evidence that exists in the days after death may become unavailable or unreliable months later when families finally contact an attorney.
Comprehensive Investigation
Wrongful death cases require thorough investigation beyond what police or insurance companies conduct. Attorneys review all available records, interview witnesses not contacted by initial investigators, hire experts in relevant fields to analyze evidence and provide opinions about cause and fault, obtain records from employers, medical providers, government agencies, and other sources, and identify all parties who may share liability through negligence or failure to act.
This investigation often uncovers facts that significantly change the case value or legal strategy. A seemingly straightforward car accident wrongful death case might reveal that the at-fault driver was working, making their employer liable, or that the vehicle had a recalled safety defect known to the manufacturer. A workplace death might expose systemic safety violations beyond the immediate cause. Thorough investigation ensures all responsible parties are identified and held accountable.
Expert Witness Retention
Wrongful death cases almost always require expert testimony on multiple issues. Accident reconstruction experts analyze physical evidence, vehicle damage, skid marks, and crash dynamics to determine how accidents occurred and who was at fault. Medical experts review records and provide opinions about cause of death, standard of care in medical malpractice cases, and whether different actions would have prevented death.
Economic experts calculate the full value of life by analyzing the deceased’s earnings history, education, skills, and career potential to project lifetime lost income. These experts also calculate lost household services, benefits, and other economic contributions. Life care planners may testify about the value of care and assistance the deceased provided to children or elderly parents. The credibility and thoroughness of expert testimony often determines whether juries award appropriate compensation or undervalue the life that was lost.
Liability Analysis
Georgia follows a modified comparative negligence rule under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33, meaning wrongful death recoveries are reduced by any percentage of fault attributed to the deceased person. If the deceased is found 50% or more at fault, the family recovers nothing. Attorneys must carefully analyze all facts to minimize any assignment of fault to the deceased while maximizing the defendant’s percentage of responsibility.
This analysis involves identifying all parties who contributed to the death and determining each party’s degree of fault. Multiple defendants may share liability, and defendants often try to shift blame to each other or to the deceased victim. Strong liability analysis supported by solid evidence is essential to defeating these tactics and securing maximum recovery.
Damage Calculation
Calculating the full value of life requires comprehensive analysis of economic and intangible factors. Attorneys work with economists to project lifetime earnings based on the deceased’s age, health, education, work history, and career trajectory. They gather evidence of the deceased’s relationships, character, activities, goals, and personality to help juries understand the intangible value of the life that was lost.
Medical records, tax returns, pay stubs, employment records, educational transcripts, performance reviews, and personal documents all contribute to accurate damage calculation. Testimony from family members, friends, coworkers, and others who knew the deceased helps paint a complete picture of who this person was and what they would have experienced had they lived a full life.
Insurance Investigation
Most wrongful death claims are paid by insurance companies rather than defendants personally. Attorneys investigate all applicable insurance coverage including the at-fault party’s liability insurance, commercial policies if business entities are liable, professional liability insurance in medical malpractice cases, and any umbrella or excess policies that provide additional coverage beyond primary policy limits.
Identifying all available insurance is critical because wrongful death damages often exceed primary policy limits. Cases involving commercial vehicles, businesses, or professionals may have multiple layers of coverage totaling millions of dollars. Without thorough insurance investigation, families may settle for primary policy limits unaware that additional coverage exists that could provide significantly greater compensation.
Negotiating with Insurance Companies After a Wrongful Death
Insurance companies do not voluntarily pay fair compensation for wrongful death claims. They are profit-driven businesses that minimize payouts whenever possible, and families without experienced legal representation face severe disadvantages when negotiating with adjusters trained to reduce settlement amounts.
Adjusters contact grieving families shortly after a death, often before funeral arrangements are complete. They express sympathy while gathering recorded statements and information they later use to minimize the claim value or deny liability entirely. They may offer quick settlements that sound substantial to people unfamiliar with wrongful death law but represent a small fraction of the claim’s true value. Once a family accepts a settlement and signs a release, they cannot later seek additional compensation even if they discover the offer was grossly inadequate.
Insurance companies employ multiple tactics to reduce wrongful death payouts. They dispute liability by arguing the deceased was partially or entirely at fault, claiming their insured did nothing wrong despite clear evidence of negligence. They minimize damages by arguing the deceased had limited earning potential, pre-existing health conditions that would have shortened their life anyway, or weak family relationships that diminish the loss value. They delay investigations and settlement negotiations hoping financial pressure will force families to accept low offers.
Adjusters present themselves as helpful allies working to resolve the claim fairly, but their loyalty lies entirely with their employer and their compensation often depends on minimizing claim payouts. They may suggest that hiring an attorney is unnecessary, that the claim is straightforward and will be paid fairly, or that attorney fees will reduce the family’s net recovery. These statements serve the insurance company’s interests, not the family’s.
Attorneys level the playing field by understanding insurance company tactics, refusing to be pressured or manipulated by adjuster strategies, and presenting evidence and legal arguments that force insurers to recognize the claim’s true value. They handle all communications so families make no statements that damage the claim. They prepare cases for trial when insurance companies refuse fair settlements, and insurers know experienced attorneys will actually try cases rather than accepting inadequate offers.
Research consistently shows that wrongful death claimants represented by attorneys recover significantly more compensation on average than unrepresented claimants, even after attorney fees are deducted. Insurance companies know unrepresented families lack knowledge of claim value, legal rights, and negotiation tactics. They offer more when dealing with attorneys who understand wrongful death law and credibly threaten trial if negotiations fail.
Filing a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Georgia
When settlement negotiations fail to produce fair compensation, filing a wrongful death lawsuit in Georgia’s civil court system becomes necessary to protect the family’s rights and pursue full recovery.
Complaint Preparation and Filing
The lawsuit begins with a complaint filed in the Superior Court of the county where the defendant resides or where the death occurred. The complaint identifies the parties, describes the facts supporting the claim, explains the legal basis for liability, and specifies the damages sought. Georgia law requires specific allegations that give the defendant notice of the claims against them.
Attorneys must name all proper defendants including individuals directly responsible for the death and entities with vicarious liability such as employers or companies. The complaint must be filed before the statute of limitations expires, with the filing date establishing that the deadline was met. Service of process then delivers the complaint to each defendant, officially notifying them of the lawsuit and requiring them to respond within 30 days.
Discovery Process
After defendants file answers responding to the complaint, both sides engage in discovery, the formal process of exchanging information and evidence. Discovery in wrongful death cases typically includes written interrogatories requiring detailed answers to questions about the accident, injuries, and damages, requests for production of documents compelling the defendant to provide relevant records and materials, depositions where witnesses and parties testify under oath before trial with attorneys from both sides present, and requests for admission asking the defendant to admit or deny specific facts.
Discovery often spans several months as both sides gather information to support their positions. Defendants seek information to dispute liability and minimize damages, while plaintiffs use discovery to obtain evidence proving fault and the full value of the life lost. Attorneys file motions to compel when parties fail to provide requested information, seeking court orders requiring compliance.
Expert Witness Disclosure
Georgia requires parties to disclose expert witnesses and provide expert reports before trial. These disclosures identify each expert, explain their qualifications, summarize their opinions, and describe the basis for those opinions. Expert testimony is subject to Daubert challenges where opposing parties argue the proposed expert’s methods are unreliable or their opinions are not supported by accepted scientific or technical principles.
Judges conduct Daubert hearings to evaluate expert qualifications and methodology before allowing them to testify at trial. Successfully qualifying expert witnesses while challenging or excluding the defendant’s experts can determine trial outcomes because complex wrongful death cases often turn on expert opinions about causation, fault, and damages.
Mediation and Settlement Negotiations
Georgia courts often require mediation before trial, bringing both parties together with a neutral mediator who facilitates settlement negotiations. Mediation gives parties a final opportunity to resolve the case without trial’s time, expense, and uncertainty. Mediators help parties understand strengths and weaknesses in their positions and explore settlement options that might be acceptable to both sides.
Most wrongful death cases settle during litigation before reaching trial. Insurance companies face greater pressure to settle fairly once discovery reveals strong evidence of liability and damages, deadlines for trial approach, and attorney fees and costs continue mounting. Cases that survive summary judgment motions and proceed toward trial often settle during the weeks immediately before trial as defendants recognize the risk of adverse jury verdicts.
Trial
If settlement negotiations fail, the case proceeds to trial where a jury hears evidence and determines liability and damages. Wrongful death trials typically last several days to several weeks depending on case complexity. Both sides present opening statements outlining their case, examine witnesses through direct and cross-examination, introduce documentary and physical evidence, and present expert testimony.
The plaintiff bears the burden of proving the defendant’s negligence or wrongful act caused the death and proving the value of the life lost. Defendants attempt to raise doubt about liability or argue damages should be lower than the plaintiff requests. After all evidence is presented, attorneys deliver closing arguments summarizing the evidence and requesting specific verdict amounts. The jury then deliberates privately before returning a verdict determining liability and awarding damages if they find for the plaintiff.
Why Choose Life Justice Law Group for Your Fortines Wrongful Death Case
Wrongful death cases demand legal expertise, investigative resources, trial experience, and genuine compassion for families enduring unimaginable loss. Life Justice Law Group brings all these elements to every case we handle, providing Fortines families with skilled representation focused on both maximum financial recovery and justice for their loved one.
Our attorneys have successfully handled numerous wrongful death claims involving car accidents, medical malpractice, workplace deaths, premises liability, and other circumstances where negligence or wrongful acts ended lives prematurely. We understand Georgia wrongful death law thoroughly, including the procedural requirements, damage calculation methods, and litigation strategies that maximize recovery. This experience allows us to anticipate insurance company tactics, avoid common mistakes that reduce claim value, and build cases that succeed in both settlement negotiations and at trial.
We recognize that no amount of money restores a lost life or heals a grieving family. Legal compensation serves two vital purposes: providing financial security for families facing hardship after losing their primary income source, and holding responsible parties accountable so similar preventable deaths are less likely to occur in the future. We approach every wrongful death case with sensitivity to the family’s emotional state while aggressively pursuing every dollar of compensation the law allows. Our compassion does not prevent us from being fierce advocates who refuse to accept inadequate settlement offers or back down from taking cases to trial when necessary.
Life Justice Law Group works on a contingency fee basis in wrongful death cases, meaning families pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation. We advance all case costs including expert witness fees, investigation expenses, and filing fees, removing financial barriers that prevent many families from pursuing valid claims. This arrangement aligns our interests with yours because we only succeed financially when we secure compensation for your family. It also allows us to invest substantial resources in building strong cases without requiring upfront payment from families already facing financial strain.
Contact a Fortines Wrongful Death Attorney Today
Losing a family member to someone else’s negligence creates pain that lasts a lifetime, but Georgia law provides a path toward financial security and accountability that can help families move forward. The wrongful death claim process is complex, time-sensitive, and unforgiving of mistakes, making early legal consultation essential to protecting your rights. Insurance companies begin building their defense immediately after fatal accidents, and waiting to seek legal help allows evidence to disappear, witnesses to become unavailable, and legal deadlines to approach dangerously close.
Life Justice Law Group offers free, confidential consultations to Fortines families considering wrongful death claims. During this consultation, we review the circumstances of your loved one’s death, explain your legal rights under Georgia law, discuss the potential value of your claim, and answer all questions about the process ahead. This consultation creates no obligation and provides the information you need to make informed decisions about protecting your family’s interests. Call (480) 378-8088 today to schedule your free consultation with an experienced wrongful death attorney who will fight for justice and maximum compensation while treating your family with the compassion and respect you deserve during this devastating time.