Benjamin Franklin famously said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Of course, death is a natural part of the circle of life. It is when death comes prematurely that people often seek the counsel and assistance of an attorney. Not all deaths will form the subject of a lawsuit.
According to the New York State Department of Health, the 3 most common causes of premature death in New York City are:
- Cancer – for there to be a possible medical malpractice case in the setting of a premature death from cancer, it must be shown that a medical provider failed to timely or properly diagnose cancer and this failure or delay was a substantial factor in causing the cancer to spread leading to a premature death.
- Heart Disease – in a potential medical malpractice setting, a failure to diagnose and treat heart disease typically involves a patient with various symptoms or risk factors associated with coronary artery disease. A medical provider who fails to properly consider these risk factors and order proper treatment and tests can be potentially liable if their patient suffers a fatal heart attack.
- Unintentional Injury – this generally refers to people who died as a result of an accident of some type. There are numerous types of wrongful death lawsuits and they are generally founded upon principles of negligence.
Due to the statute of limitations, it is important for families of deceased individuals to seek the counsel of an attorney as soon as possible. In most cases, the statute of limitations for New York wrongful death lawsuits is two years. The statute of limitations is a law that specifies the amount of time an individual has to file a claim following an incident. Failure to file a lawsuit before the statute of limitations expires can result in victim’s families being forever barred from the compensation they may be eligible to receive. As a result, it is imperative that victim’s families hire an attorney who will handle their claims in a timely manner. At Queller, Fisher, Washor, Fuchs & Kool our wrongful death lawyers have decades of combined experience handling wrongful death claims. We understand all of the time constraints posed by the statute of limitations. Our attorneys file all of our clients’ claims in a timely manner so that they may be eligible to receive compensation for the damages caused by their loved one’s death.
If someone you love has unexpectedly died, Queller, Fisher, Washor, Fuchs & Kool will give you a free consultation to see if you have grounds for a lawsuit. To see if compensation is available to you, call 212-406-1700 or fill out our case review form.
