The Intangibles of Losing a Loved One Require Experienced, Caring, and Aggressive Prosecution in a Wrongful Death Case
As an experienced Pennsylvania wrongful death lawyer since 1979, I am still so deeply affected when handling a case involving the loss of a loved one. I often tell my wife and children that each on of these cases takes years off of my life span which is nothing compared to the immeasurable loss sustained by my clients who have lost a loved one.
Obviously the loss of any loved one is life long, never ending, and a life-altering experience. As an attorney, one of our most difficult tasks is to speak deeply and personally about such losses and to enable people who make up juries to understand the tangible value of life while deliberating and to return the largest verdict possible relative to the loss. Although it is noted that we cannot put a “hard” dollar value on life or the value of death, we must ask juries to do just that. In all of the death cases that we have handled, the life of the plaintiff or survivors is changed in just one instant.
Many times there is no time for a proper goodbye, and although wrongful death monetary damages will never bring back the life of a parent or child, as a lawyer our job is to recover the maximum amount of damages for the loss of income earned, medical bills if any, funeral costs, and the mental pain and suffering that accompanies a death. Proving and explaining liabilities and damages in a wrongful death case requires the hiring of numerous experts and sensitivity and requires the surviving clients to have a special and trusting relationship with their attorney.
Each stage of a wrongful death claim must be planned with great care and sensitivity and consideration from the investigation and from jury selection through summation. The job of a competent wrongful death attorney is to put the jurors in the shoes of the family and to enable them to feel the pain felt by those left behind. It is important that the jury understands who the decedent really was and how this loss affected the plaintiffs. Sometimes it is a good idea to prepare a well edited video of plaintiff, family and friends speaking about the decedent. The video should include photographs and interviews of people who will cooperate with what trial witnesses are saying. In some of our cases we prepare the settlement video with moving music which will affect even the hardest core corporate representative or insurance adjuster.
It is important to bring a human element into wrongful death cases. The job of a skilled wrongful death lawyer is to present evidence in a manner that motivates the jury to do justice.
The experienced wrongful death attorneys at Reiff and Bily are lawyers greedy for justice.
