Four things to know about wrongful death actions in Iowa

Iowa City, IA – Some accidents will unfortunately result in injuries that are too severe for the victim to recover. If the person dies, it is still possible to hold the person or business responsible through legal action, although wrongful death cases have some different rules from many of the other situations that injury lawyers handle regularly. For more information about how these lawsuits work, a local attorney in Iowa can be consulted. 

The family rather than the victim must bring the case

In most civil accident and personal injury lawsuits, the person who is the victim will be the plaintiff in the case and work with their lawyer to get a settlement or jury verdict. However, this is not possible in situations where the victim has died due to their injuries. A person who is named as the representative of the deceased person’s estate will bring the wrongful death action on the family’s behalf, and then the compensation can be paid out to surviving family members. 

Compensation laws in wrongful death cases

A victim’s estate can receive various kinds of damages to pay for their losses. This normally includes the person’s final medical treatment, funeral and burial costs, their projected future lost income and wages, and the family’s pain and suffering caused by the fatal accident. These amounts can be quite large if the person had high earning potential or the victim was young at the time of the incident.  

There is a time limit to bring the case

Like other lawsuits, a wrongful death action has a statute of limitations. Under Iowa law, this type of case needs to be brought within two years of the time the person has died. If this time limit has passed, the family cannot receive any kind of relief, which is why it is important to get legal advice sooner rather than later.  

These civil actions are separate from criminal cases

A wrongful death lawsuit in civil court is possible for certain criminal actions that caused the death of the victim. However, these cases will proceed separately, and it is possible for the victim to be liable for damages in civil court even without a criminal conviction. 

Wrongful death lawyers are available to help

Eells and Tronvold Law Offices is a firm that helps people with various kinds of civil injury lawsuits in the state of Iowa. Anyone who needs assistance can schedule a meeting with their attorneys to learn more. 

USAttorneys.com is a service that helps people who have been searching for a legal professional in their area. The site has listings of attorneys in every jurisdiction around the country, and they can be contacted at 800-672-3103 for more information.

Firm contact info:

Eells and Tronvold Law Offices

1921 51st Street NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402-2400

319-393-1020

www.eellsandtronvold.com