Wrongful Death FAQ

There are a lot of questions and confusion when it comes to a wrongful death of a loved one. Different than a criminal case, our goal as your Los Angeles wrongful death lawyer is to get you money (versus jail time). Here are some of the most common questions we get from our wrongful death clients during their initial free consultation with Walch Law.

How much do I end up paying a wrongful death lawyer?

Good news- you pay us absolutely nothing unless we get you paid. We take all our wrongful death and personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis which means that we ultimately take a predetermined percentage of the final award we get you. As the name implies, our payment is contingent on how much we get you so the more we get our clients, the more we get paid too which is a very big incentive for us to get the absolute most. We pride ourselves on being very upfront with our clients about fees.

How long will my wrongful death case take?

For starters, the sooner you call us, the sooner we can begin working on your case. The timeline for how long a wrongful death case will take varies greatly but the stronger the evidence and the easier the defendant (usually an insurance company) will always be the fastest cases and the ones where liability is disputed and the defendant is being difficult are the slowest. Some winning Los Angeles wrongful death cases have been won by our team in a matter of months.

Why file a wrongful death case?

Wondering if a lawsuit sounds like more of a hassle than it might be worth? We promise it is very easy working with Walch Law. The moment you hire us is the moment that you can stop worry about money and legal issues and focus on healing. To answer the question of whether you should file a suit—if you lost a loved one because of the actions of someone or something else, it is absolutely worth it.

What is the California statute of limitations on wrongful death lawsuits?

Generally, it is two years from the accident but waiting that long comes with challenges. Evidence is always best fresh. There are some instances in which you have only one year to file (medical malpractice and suing the government) so do not delay in making the very important call to Walch Law now. Hiring is extremely easy.

What if my loved one played a role in their death?

It is very common that there is some shared liability in an accident. For instance, a deadly pedestrian accident where the victim was jaywalking at the time is a example of shared liability for an accident. The good news is that even if someone played a role in their accident that lead to their death, their family can STILL file a winning wrongful death lawsuit with Walch Law. How? Because Los Angeles and all of California is a comparative negligence state which means that the role each party played in the accident will be compared and the total payout for the accident will be reduced accordingly. For instances, if your loved one was found 50% at fault for a $1,000,000 accident, you would still be able to get $500,000. Too many people mistakenly miss the chance to file a winning Los Angeles wrongful death lawsuit because they think that they are barred from the opportunity but that is not the case. Do yourself a favor and take a free consultation with us to learn more.

What are some of the common causes of wrongful death actions?

There are many accidents that can lead to a death that never should have happened and with 45 years in the business, we have successfully won them all. Some common causes include: car accidents, truck accidents, pedestrian accidents, slip and fall, medical malpractice, motorcycle accidents and defective products. Even a dog bite can lead to a wrongful death. Some wrongful deaths are instant (as is common with a truck accident) and some take months or even a year for the individual to succumb to the injuries from the accident.

How do I hire the best Los Angeles wrongful death law firm?

At Walch Law, we are different that the big law firms you see endlessly advertised. We are highly personalized in our approach to cases and client relationships. When you call or email, you hear from the lawyers you are looking for, not brushed off to talk to support staff. With over 45 years of experience and a 98%+ success rate, choosing any firm but Walch Law is a mistake.

I don’t like my current lawyer, can I switch to Walch Law?

Yes you can. It is not uncommon for clients to come to our firm because they are unhappy with their current level of legal service. Usually the question is if they are going to pay more for switching lawyers and the answer is no. If you want to have Walch Law take on the remainder for the case, we work with your previous attorney to pay them their portion based on the work that they have done and then we take ours, keeping the total amount you pay in legal fees still on a contingency fee and not double. Call us to chat more about this option.

What are some other benefits of a winning wrongful death case?

Cashing a large check is not the only benefit of a winning wrongful death case with Walch Law. Many of our clients also feel a tremendous about of closure and justice when their case is finished—we hope to provide that for you as well.

How do I hire Walch Law?

It only takes one call to hire us. We start with an initial free consultation to help answer your questions, understand your case and tell you about our approach. With four decades in the business, we only have happy clients and would love to help you during this difficult time. Call us NOW 1-844-999-5342 to get started.