When a family loses a loved one due to someone else’s negligence or wrongful act in Pelham, Georgia, they may have grounds to file a wrongful death claim under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-1. This legal action allows surviving family members to seek compensation for the full value of the deceased person’s life, including both economic losses like lost income and non-economic damages such as loss of companionship.
Losing a family member suddenly changes everything. Beyond the emotional devastation, families face immediate financial pressures from medical bills, funeral costs, and the loss of household income. In Pelham, a close-knit community where everyone knows their neighbors, these losses resonate deeply. Georgia’s wrongful death laws recognize that no amount of money can replace a loved one, but they provide a legal pathway for families to hold negligent parties accountable while securing the financial resources needed to move forward. The two-year statute of limitations under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33 means families must act relatively quickly, making it essential to understand your rights and options soon after a loss occurs.
If your family has lost someone due to negligence in Pelham, Life Justice Law Group stands ready to guide you through this difficult time. Our wrongful death attorneys understand the unique challenges rural Georgia families face and provide compassionate, aggressive representation on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing unless we win your case. Call (480) 378-8088 today for a free consultation, or complete our online form to speak with a Pelham wrongful death lawyer who will fight for the justice and compensation your family deserves.
Understanding Wrongful Death Claims in Pelham, Georgia
A wrongful death claim arises when a person dies due to the negligent, reckless, or intentional actions of another party. Under Georgia law, specifically O.C.G.A. § 51-4-1, these claims exist separately from criminal prosecutions and serve a different purpose: providing financial recovery for surviving family members rather than punishing the wrongdoer.
The legal definition focuses on causation. The death must result directly from another party’s wrongful conduct, whether that conduct was negligent like a distracted driver causing a fatal collision, reckless like a drunk driver speeding through Pelham’s streets, or intentional like an assault. Medical malpractice, workplace accidents, defective products, and nursing home abuse can all give rise to wrongful death claims when they result in a loss of life.
What distinguishes wrongful death claims from ordinary personal injury cases is who has the right to file. Georgia law establishes a strict hierarchy under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-2. The surviving spouse has first priority to bring the claim on behalf of all children, with the recovery divided among the spouse and children. If there is no surviving spouse, the children collectively may file. If neither spouse nor children survive, the deceased person’s parents may file, and if no immediate family exists, the estate’s administrator may pursue the claim with any recovery going to the next of kin.
Common Causes of Wrongful Death in Pelham
Wrongful deaths occur in many settings across Pelham and Mitchell County. Understanding the most common scenarios helps families recognize when they may have legal grounds to pursue a claim.
Motor Vehicle Accidents – Car crashes, truck collisions, and motorcycle accidents represent the leading cause of wrongful deaths in rural Georgia. U.S. Highway 19 and State Route 93 run through Pelham, carrying significant truck traffic that poses serious risks when drivers violate federal safety regulations or drive while fatigued.
Workplace Accidents – Agriculture, manufacturing, and construction employ many Pelham residents, and these industries carry inherent dangers. Falls from heights, equipment malfunctions, and exposure to hazardous materials can prove fatal when employers fail to maintain safe working conditions or provide proper training.
Medical Malpractice – Surgical errors, misdiagnosis, medication mistakes, and failure to diagnose serious conditions can result in preventable deaths. When healthcare providers in Pelham or nearby facilities deviate from accepted standards of care, families may have grounds to file wrongful death claims.
Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse – Elderly residents in Pelham’s care facilities depend on staff for basic needs. When facilities become understaffed or poorly managed, residents may suffer from dehydration, bedsores, medication errors, or falls that ultimately prove fatal.
Defective Products – Faulty machinery, dangerous pharmaceuticals, and defective consumer goods can cause fatal injuries. Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers may all bear liability when products fail to perform safely as intended.
Premises Liability – Property owners have a legal duty to maintain safe conditions. Fatal slip and fall accidents, inadequate security leading to assaults, swimming pool drownings, and other hazards on someone else’s property may support wrongful death claims when negligence is proven.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Georgia
Georgia’s wrongful death statute establishes a clear order of priority that determines who has legal standing to file a claim. This hierarchy prevents multiple lawsuits over the same death and ensures that those most affected by the loss control the legal process.
The surviving spouse holds the primary right to file under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-2, but this right comes with an important responsibility. The spouse files on behalf of all the deceased’s children, and any recovery must be shared with those children. If the spouse and children cannot agree on how to divide the settlement or verdict, the court will determine the allocation based on each party’s financial dependency and loss of companionship.
When no surviving spouse exists, the deceased’s children collectively have the right to file. All children must be included in the claim, and any recovery is divided equally among them unless the court determines that a different allocation better reflects their individual losses. This includes biological children, adopted children, and in some cases, stepchildren who can demonstrate financial dependency.
If the deceased left no spouse and no children, the parents may file a wrongful death claim. This applies even when the deceased was an adult. Parents can recover for the full value of their child’s life, though courts may consider whether the child provided financial support to the parents when calculating damages.
In cases where no immediate family survives, the administrator or executor of the deceased person’s estate may file a wrongful death claim. Any recovery in these cases goes to the estate and ultimately to the next of kin according to Georgia’s intestacy laws. The administrator acts as the legal representative but does not personally benefit from the recovery beyond reasonable attorney fees and costs.
Damages Available in Pelham Wrongful Death Cases
Georgia law provides for two distinct types of wrongful death damages, and understanding both is essential to maximizing your family’s recovery.
Full Value of Life Damages
The primary measure of damages in Georgia wrongful death cases is the “full value of the life of the deceased” as established under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-1. This encompasses both economic and non-economic components that juries must consider together when determining compensation.
Economic value includes all the financial contributions the deceased would have made to their family over their expected lifetime. This covers lost wages, benefits, pension contributions, and the monetary value of services the deceased provided to the household such as childcare, home maintenance, and financial management. Economists and vocational experts typically calculate these figures by analyzing the deceased’s earnings history, career trajectory, education level, and life expectancy.
Non-economic value addresses the intangible losses that money cannot truly replace but the law attempts to compensate. This includes the loss of companionship, love, affection, guidance, and emotional support the deceased provided to surviving family members. Georgia courts recognize that these losses are real and substantial, particularly when a parent, spouse, or child dies unexpectedly.
Estate Recovery for Expenses
In addition to the full value of life damages, the deceased person’s estate may pursue a separate claim under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-5 for medical expenses incurred before death and funeral and burial costs. These damages belong to the estate, not to the surviving family members directly, though they ultimately benefit the heirs.
Medical expenses can include emergency room treatment, hospitalization, surgeries, medications, and any other healthcare costs incurred between the injury and death. Bills must be documented with medical records and invoices to support the claim. Funeral and burial expenses include the cost of services, caskets, burial plots, headstones, and related items, typically supported by receipts from funeral homes and cemeteries.
Georgia’s Wrongful Death Statute of Limitations
Time limits for filing wrongful death claims in Georgia are strictly enforced, and missing these deadlines typically means losing the right to recover any compensation regardless of how strong your case may be.
Under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33, families generally have two years from the date of death to file a wrongful death lawsuit in Georgia civil court. The clock starts on the date the person died, not the date of the accident or incident that caused the death. This distinction matters when someone survives for days, weeks, or months after an accident before ultimately succumbing to their injuries.
Exceptions to the two-year rule exist in limited circumstances. If the potential defendant leaves Georgia and remains outside the state, the statute of limitations may be tolled during their absence under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-31. If the wrongful death involves fraud or intentional concealment of facts that prevented the family from discovering their claim, the court may apply the discovery rule to extend the deadline. Medical malpractice cases involving minors have different rules that may extend the filing deadline beyond two years.
The statute of limitations for wrongful death claims differs from criminal prosecution timelines. A wrongful death lawsuit is a civil matter seeking monetary compensation, while a criminal case is the state’s prosecution of the wrongdoer. These proceed on separate tracks with different burden of proof standards. A criminal conviction is not necessary to win a wrongful death case, and the statute of limitations for criminal charges does not affect your civil claim deadline.
Waiting too long to consult an attorney poses serious risks. Evidence deteriorates, witnesses’ memories fade, and documents get lost or destroyed. Once the statute of limitations expires, courts will dismiss your case regardless of its merits, and Georgia courts rarely grant exceptions to these strict deadlines. Early action protects your rights and strengthens your case.
The Wrongful Death Claims Process in Georgia
Understanding how wrongful death cases typically progress helps families know what to expect and how to protect their interests at each stage.
Initial Consultation and Case Evaluation
The process begins when you contact a wrongful death attorney to discuss your situation. During this meeting, the lawyer will ask detailed questions about the circumstances of your loved one’s death, the family structure, and potential sources of compensation such as insurance coverage.
Most Pelham wrongful death lawyers, including those at Life Justice Law Group, offer free consultations where they evaluate your case at no cost to you. The attorney will explain whether you have legal standing to file under Georgia law, provide an honest assessment of your case’s strengths and challenges, and outline what steps come next if you decide to move forward.
Investigation and Evidence Gathering
Once you retain an attorney, they will immediately begin collecting all available evidence. This includes obtaining police reports, medical records, death certificates, autopsy reports, employment records, and financial documents. Attorneys may hire accident reconstruction experts, medical experts, economic experts, and other specialists depending on the case’s complexity.
This phase can take several weeks or months depending on how quickly records are produced and whether expert analysis is needed. Thorough investigation is essential because it determines the strength of your claim and your attorney’s leverage during settlement negotiations.
Demand Letter and Negotiation
With evidence in hand, your attorney will send a formal demand letter to the at-fault party’s insurance company. This letter outlines the facts of the case, explains why their insured is liable, details the damages your family has suffered, and demands a specific settlement amount.
Insurance adjusters typically respond with a much lower counteroffer, beginning a negotiation process. Your attorney will handle all communications, using evidence to justify your demand and pushing back against lowball offers. Many wrongful death cases settle during this phase when insurance companies recognize they face significant liability.
Filing the Lawsuit
If negotiations fail to produce a fair settlement, your attorney will file a wrongful death complaint in the appropriate Georgia court. For cases in Pelham, this typically means the Superior Court of Mitchell County. The complaint formally alleges the defendant’s negligence or wrongful conduct and demands compensation for your losses.
Filing a lawsuit does not mean immediate trial. Most cases continue negotiating even after a complaint is filed, and many settle before trial. However, filing demonstrates your seriousness and forces the defendant to respond under oath through a formal legal process.
Discovery Process
Discovery is the pretrial phase where both sides exchange information and evidence. This includes written questions called interrogatories, requests for documents, and depositions where witnesses and parties give sworn testimony before a court reporter. Discovery allows each side to understand the other’s case and assess settlement value more accurately.
The discovery phase can last several months to over a year depending on case complexity, the number of parties involved, and court scheduling. While this phase feels slow, it is essential for building a strong case and often leads to settlement as both sides better understand their risks at trial.
Settlement or Trial
Most wrongful death cases settle before trial because both sides face uncertainty if a jury decides the outcome. Settlement gives families certainty about recovery amount and timing, avoids the stress of trial, and eliminates the risk of an unfavorable verdict.
If settlement is not possible, the case proceeds to trial before a Mitchell County jury. Trials can last several days to several weeks. Both sides present evidence, examine witnesses, and make arguments before the jury deliberates and returns a verdict on liability and damages.
Choosing a Wrongful Death Attorney in Pelham
The attorney you choose significantly impacts your case outcome and your experience during an already difficult time. Several factors should guide your decision.
Experience with wrongful death cases specifically matters more than general personal injury experience. Wrongful death claims involve unique legal rules, damage calculations, and emotional considerations. Ask potential attorneys how many wrongful death cases they have handled, what results they achieved, and whether they have experience with cases similar to yours.
Local knowledge of Pelham and Mitchell County provides practical advantages. Attorneys familiar with local courts understand how judges rule on specific issues, which experts local juries find credible, and what settlement values are realistic in your community. This insight helps attorneys position your case effectively and manage your expectations realistically.
Resources to fully investigate and prosecute your case matter because wrongful death claims require significant upfront investment. Your attorney must be able to hire experts, pay for depositions, obtain records, and cover litigation costs sometimes totaling thousands of dollars. Firms with adequate resources can build stronger cases without cutting corners.
Contingency fee arrangements make quality legal representation accessible to families regardless of financial means. Most wrongful death attorneys work on contingency, meaning they receive a percentage of your recovery only if they win. You pay nothing upfront and nothing if the case is unsuccessful. Typical contingency fees range from 33% to 40% depending on whether the case settles or goes to trial.
Communication style and personal rapport matter during what may be a year or more of working together. You should feel comfortable asking questions, confident that your calls and emails will be returned promptly, and respected as a partner in the process. Trust your instincts about whether an attorney genuinely cares about your family’s situation or sees you as just another case file.
Wrongful Death vs. Survival Action in Georgia
Georgia law recognizes two separate types of claims that may arise from a fatal injury, and understanding the distinction is important because both may apply to your situation.
A wrongful death claim under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-1 belongs to surviving family members and compensates them for their losses. The damages focus on what the family lost due to the death, including future income, companionship, and guidance. Only the specific family members designated by statute can bring this claim, and any recovery belongs to them directly.
A survival action under O.C.G.A. § 9-2-41 is different. This claim belongs to the deceased person’s estate and represents the personal injury claim the deceased could have filed if they had survived. It compensates for the pain, suffering, and medical expenses the deceased experienced between the injury and death. The estate’s administrator or executor brings this claim, and any recovery becomes part of the estate, ultimately distributed to heirs according to the will or Georgia’s intestacy laws.
Most fatal injury cases involve both claims filed together. The survival action addresses what the deceased endured before death, while the wrongful death claim addresses what the family lost after death. Courts treat them as separate causes of action with different damages, but they typically proceed together in one lawsuit to avoid duplicating effort and expense.
The survival action’s value depends heavily on how long the deceased survived after the injury. If death was instantaneous, there may be little or no conscious pain and suffering to compensate. If the person lived for hours, days, or weeks in pain before dying, the survival action’s value increases significantly. Medical records documenting the deceased’s treatment, pain levels, and awareness become critical evidence in these claims.
Insurance Issues in Wrongful Death Cases
Insurance coverage typically provides the funds to pay wrongful death settlements and verdicts, making it essential to identify all available policies and understand how insurance companies operate.
Identifying Coverage Sources
Multiple insurance policies may apply depending on how the death occurred. Auto insurance liability coverage applies to car accidents, with Georgia requiring minimum liability limits of $25,000 per person. Commercial truck accidents may involve policies of $1 million or more. Homeowners insurance covers premises liability incidents on residential property. General liability and professional liability policies cover business and professional negligence.
Your attorney will investigate to identify all potentially responsible parties and their insurance coverage. This may include requesting driving records, business licenses, and insurance declarations pages. Multiple defendants often mean multiple insurance policies, increasing the total compensation available to your family.
Bad Faith Insurance Practices
Insurance companies sometimes engage in unfair practices to minimize payouts. Denying valid claims without reasonable basis, offering unreasonably low settlements, delaying investigation or payment without justification, and misrepresenting policy terms are all forms of bad faith under Georgia law.
When insurers act in bad faith, policyholders and claimants may pursue additional damages beyond the policy limits under O.C.G.A. § 33-4-6. Bad faith claims can result in awards of the full amount owed plus attorney fees, penalties, and in some cases punitive damages. Experienced wrongful death attorneys recognize bad faith tactics and know how to hold insurance companies accountable.
Wrongful Death in Specific Contexts
Certain types of wrongful death cases present unique legal and practical challenges that families should understand.
Medical Malpractice Deaths
When a loved one dies due to medical negligence, Georgia law imposes special requirements under O.C.G.A. § 9-11-9.1. You must file an expert affidavit with your complaint confirming that a qualified medical professional reviewed the case and believes the standard of care was breached. This requirement prevents frivolous medical malpractice suits but adds complexity and cost to legitimate claims.
Medical malpractice cases require experienced attorneys because healthcare providers vigorously defend these claims. Hospitals and doctors carry substantial insurance coverage and retain aggressive defense firms. Building a winning case requires medical experts who can explain complex healthcare issues to juries and demonstrate exactly how the provider’s negligence caused death.
Workplace Deaths
When a worker dies on the job, workers’ compensation typically provides death benefits to surviving dependents under O.C.G.A. § 34-9-265. These benefits include funeral expenses up to $10,000 and weekly income replacement equal to two-thirds of the deceased worker’s average weekly wage, subject to statutory caps. However, workers’ compensation is usually the exclusive remedy, meaning you cannot sue the employer in a wrongful death action even if the employer was negligent.
Exceptions exist when third parties contributed to the death. If a subcontractor’s negligence, a defective product, or a negligent driver caused the workplace death, you may pursue wrongful death claims against those parties in addition to receiving workers’ compensation benefits. Your attorney will analyze whether third-party liability exists to maximize your family’s total recovery.
Product Liability Deaths
When a defective product causes death, Georgia law provides several theories of liability. Manufacturing defects involve products that differ from the intended design and are unreasonably dangerous. Design defects involve products that are inherently unsafe even when manufactured correctly. Failure-to-warn cases involve products that lack adequate safety warnings about known dangers.
Product liability cases often involve multiple defendants including manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers. These cases can be complex and expensive to litigate because they require expert testimony about product design, manufacturing processes, and industry standards. However, product liability defendants often carry substantial insurance, and the potential for punitive damages can lead to significant settlements when companies knowingly sold dangerous products.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a wrongful death case worth in Georgia?
The value of a wrongful death case depends on multiple factors unique to each situation. Georgia courts calculate damages based on the full value of the deceased’s life under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-1, which includes both economic and non-economic components. Economic value considers the deceased’s earning capacity, age, health, occupation, work-life expectancy, and the financial support they would have provided to their family over time. Non-economic value addresses intangible losses like companionship, guidance, protection, and love that cannot be precisely quantified but are very real to surviving family members.
Cases involving young workers with decades of earning potential ahead of them typically result in higher awards than cases involving retired individuals with no dependents. However, every life has value under Georgia law, and juries consider the unique circumstances of each case when determining compensation. Past wrongful death verdicts in Georgia have ranged from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, but prior results do not guarantee future outcomes because every case depends on its specific facts.
Who gets the money from a wrongful death settlement in Georgia?
Georgia law under O.C.G.A. § 51-4-2 determines who receives wrongful death settlement proceeds based on the deceased’s surviving family members. If the deceased was married, the surviving spouse receives the settlement funds to be divided between the spouse and any children, with at least one-third going to the spouse. If no spouse survives, the deceased’s children share the recovery equally unless the court determines a different allocation is more appropriate based on each child’s financial dependency and loss.
When the deceased left no spouse and no children, the parents may file the claim and receive the settlement proceeds. If no immediate family survives, the estate’s administrator files the claim, and the recovery goes to the estate to be distributed to the next of kin according to Georgia’s intestacy laws. The wrongful death recovery is separate from estate assets and does not pass through probate court, protecting it from most creditors’ claims.
Can I file a wrongful death claim if a criminal case is pending?
Yes, you can file a wrongful death lawsuit even if criminal charges are pending or ongoing against the person who caused your loved one’s death. Civil wrongful death claims and criminal prosecutions are completely separate legal proceedings that proceed on different tracks through different court systems. The district attorney handles the criminal case seeking to punish the wrongdoer through fines, probation, or imprisonment, while your wrongful death attorney handles the civil case seeking monetary compensation for your family’s losses.
The burden of proof differs significantly between these proceedings. Criminal cases require proof beyond a reasonable doubt, a very high standard necessary for taking someone’s liberty. Civil wrongful death cases require proof by a preponderance of the evidence, meaning more likely than not, a much lower threshold. This is why O.J. Simpson was acquitted in criminal court but found liable in civil court for wrongful death—the civil standard is easier to meet.
What if the person who caused the death has no insurance?
When the at-fault party has no insurance or insufficient insurance to cover your damages, options still exist depending on the circumstances. If the death resulted from a car accident, your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage under your auto insurance policy may provide compensation up to your policy limits. If the death occurred on someone’s property, you might pursue the property itself through liens, though collecting on these can be difficult and time-consuming.
In cases involving intentional harm or gross negligence, punitive damages may be available under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-5.1, which are designed to punish the defendant rather than just compensate the family. While collecting punitive damages from an uninsured individual may be challenging, the judgment remains valid and collectible against the defendant’s future earnings, property, and assets. Your attorney will conduct an asset investigation to determine whether pursuing an uninsured defendant makes financial sense or whether other options exist.
How long does a wrongful death case take in Georgia?
Most wrongful death cases in Georgia take between one and three years from filing to resolution, though the timeline varies significantly based on case complexity, the defendant’s willingness to settle, court scheduling, and whether the case goes to trial. Simple cases with clear liability and adequate insurance coverage may settle within six months to a year, particularly if the defendant’s insurance company recognizes its exposure and makes a reasonable offer early.
Complex cases involving multiple defendants, disputed liability, or substantial damages often take longer because they require extensive investigation, expert testimony, and discovery. Medical malpractice wrongful death cases typically take longer than car accident cases due to the complexity of medical evidence and the need for expert affidavits under O.C.G.A. § 9-11-9.1. If your case goes to trial, expect the process to take at least two years from filing to verdict, though most cases settle before trial once discovery reveals the strength of each side’s position.
Can I afford to hire a wrongful death attorney?
Yes, most families can afford quality wrongful death representation because attorneys typically work on a contingency fee basis. This arrangement means you pay no upfront fees, no hourly charges, and no costs unless your attorney successfully recovers compensation through settlement or verdict. The attorney’s fee is a percentage of your recovery, typically ranging from 33% if the case settles before trial to 40% if the case goes to trial.
Contingency fee agreements make experienced legal representation accessible regardless of your financial situation. The attorney assumes all financial risk, paying for investigation costs, expert fees, court filing fees, deposition expenses, and other case costs out of pocket. If the case is unsuccessful, you owe nothing—the attorney absorbs those losses. This arrangement aligns the attorney’s interests with yours because they only get paid when you get paid, motivating them to maximize your recovery.
What evidence do I need to prove a wrongful death claim?
Proving a wrongful death claim requires evidence establishing four key elements: duty, breach, causation, and damages. For duty and breach, you need evidence showing the defendant owed your loved one a duty of care and violated that duty through negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct. This might include traffic laws the defendant violated, safety regulations ignored, or professional standards breached. Police reports, witness statements, photographs, video footage, and expert testimony often establish these elements.
For causation, medical records, autopsy reports, and expert medical testimony connect the defendant’s actions to the death. Medical experts must testify that the defendant’s conduct was the proximate cause of death, meaning it was a substantial factor in bringing about the death and the death was a foreseeable result of the conduct. For damages, evidence includes the deceased’s income records, tax returns, employment history, educational background, and life expectancy tables for economic damages, plus testimony from family members about their relationship with the deceased for non-economic damages like loss of companionship.
What if my loved one was partially at fault for the accident?
Georgia follows a modified comparative negligence rule under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-33, which allows you to recover damages even if your loved one was partially at fault, as long as their fault did not exceed 49%. If your loved one was 49% or less at fault, you can still recover wrongful death damages, but the amount is reduced by their percentage of fault. For example, if a jury awards $1 million but finds your loved one was 30% at fault, your recovery would be reduced to $700,000.
However, if your loved one was 50% or more at fault, Georgia law bars any recovery whatsoever. This makes liability disputes critically important in cases where fault is contested. Insurance companies often argue the deceased shares substantial fault to reduce their payout or eliminate their liability entirely. Experienced wrongful death attorneys counter these arguments with evidence showing the defendant bears primary responsibility, protecting your right to fair compensation despite any contributory negligence.
Contact a Pelham Wrongful Death Attorney Today
Losing a loved one due to someone else’s negligence leaves families facing emotional devastation and financial uncertainty. While no legal action can bring back your family member, Georgia’s wrongful death laws provide a path to hold negligent parties accountable and secure the financial resources your family needs for the future. The experienced attorneys at Life Justice Law Group understand what you’re going through and stand ready to fight for maximum compensation on your family’s behalf.
Time is critical in wrongful death cases because evidence disappears, witnesses forget details, and Georgia’s two-year statute of limitations under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33 approaches quickly. Early action protects your legal rights and strengthens your case. We offer free consultations where we’ll listen to your situation, answer your questions, and explain your legal options with no obligation or upfront cost. We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay no attorney fees unless we win your case. Call Life Justice Law Group today at (480) 378-8088 or complete our online contact form to schedule your free consultation with a dedicated Pelham wrongful death lawyer who will fight for the justice and compensation your family deserves.