If you have lost a loved one, our sympathies go out to you and your family. Losing a loved one is always hard. Your life changes forever. Further, when you’ve lost a loved one due to someone else’s wrongful act or negligence, the loss may be even harder to bear. People who suffer this kind of loss typically want justice, and some can get it through a wrongful death lawsuit.

“Wrongful death” and “wrongful death lawsuit” might seem like foreign phrases, so here we’ll look at what “wrongful death” refers to and when a “wrongful death lawsuit” might be appropriate.

“Wrongful Death” Defined

In Maryland, “wrongful death” is defined as a death that was caused by a wrongful act of another. A wrongful act could be either negligent or intentional. A wrongful act is one that would have entitled the deceased to file a lawsuit seeking to compensation had they not died.

The lack of criminal charges does not indicate that there is no wrongful death case to be made. In only some cases are criminal charges filed in addition to wrongful death lawsuits.

When Are Wrongful Death Lawsuits Appropriate?

Generally, a wrongful death lawsuit might be appropriate whenever a personal injury results in death. The following are some examples in which a personal injury results in death:

• a grandmother dying due to a doctor misdiagnosing her condition (an example of medical malpractice),
• a car driver dying as the result of a truck collision caused by the truck driver’s negligence,
• a man dying as the result of a defective or malfunctioning product,
• a woman dying as the result of a workplace accident caused by someone’s negligence,
• a mother being intentionally killed by her boyfriend.

These are just a few examples showing personal injuries resulting in death.

You may have additional questions about wrongful death lawsuits. So, if you have lost a loved one, we encourage you to reach out to us. We can answer your legal questions and would love to talk with you.