Wrongful Death

The Most Difficult Personal Injury Cases

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Personal injury law encompasses a broad range of cases, each presenting unique challenges. However, certain types of personal injury cases are considered particularly difficult due to complexities related to proving liability, the severity of injuries, and the legal intricacies involved. Here are some of the most challenging personal injury cases. Product Liability Cases Product liability … Read more

Car Accident Law and Alaska Personal Injury

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In Alaska, personal injury law provides a framework for addressing the legal consequences and compensation associated with vehicular accidents. Understanding this framework is crucial for victims seeking justice and compensation for their injuries and losses.  A personal injury lawyer is often able to help victims of car, motorcycle, truck or RV crashes obtain much more … Read more

How a Personal Injury Victim Recovers Compensation

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When someone is injured due to the negligence of another person or party, the person who was injured may be entitled to receive compensation for damages and losses. This is often done by filing a personal injury claim. It is very important for the person who was injured, and needs help, to understand the steps … Read more

What Is Wrongful Death?

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The term “wrongful death” may be misunderstood when filing a lawsuit.  Many people assume that if someone is killed in an accident, there can automatically be a wrongful death lawsuit against the person or group responsible for the accident.  Although this is often the case, there are times when wrongful death suits are inappropriate or impossible.  Additionally, there may be damages that are granted in some wrongful death lawsuits but not in others.  In order to fully understand what a wrongful death lawsuit is and how it applies to any given situation, it is helpful to look at the facts and laws surrounding the term.

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ATV Accidents On the Rise

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Nothing could be more exciting than riding a speeding snowmobile or a fast-moving ATV across the beautiful Alaskan landscape, but this recreational activity comes at a steep cost for some.  ATV accidents tend to cause serious life-changing and life-threatening injuries, particularly among young people, and the number of these types of accidents seems to be increasing.

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What Is a Wrongful Death?

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Whenever someone dies in an accident, it can be difficult to assign blame.  After all, most people have no intention of harming someone else when they take actions that lead to a fatal accident.  However, under the law, certain types of accidents can be deemed as wrongful deaths, depending on their cause.  If your loved one has been lost to a fatal injury caused by an accident, it is important to know if you have the right to recover compensation from the person or entity that caused the death.

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How Are Wrongful Death Claims Handled?

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No one wants to imagine that a loved one could be the victim of a fatal accident.  Unfortunately, it happens every day:  a loving family loses someone due to the negligence or carelessness of another party.  While the person who died may not be able to seek justice, family members can through the process of a wrongful death lawsuit.

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Wrongful Death Claims

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You may have heard the term “wrongful death claim” without truly understanding what it means.  It is obvious that a “wrongful death claim” includes a victim’s death, but who brings such a claim against a defendant?  How do you know if a death is wrongful or just an accident?  What type of compensation is available for wrongful death and who collects it?

These questions are all good ones to pose to an attorney who focuses on wrongful death and personal injury, like those at Barber & Associates.  Here are some facts about wrongful death cases that will help you understand this sometimes confusing area of the law.

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Discover How You Can Get the Justice You Deserve Through a Wrongful Death Claim

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Statistics tell us that roughly 29 percent of all traffic fatalities each year involve an alcohol-impaired driver. Running the numbers even further, that’s one death directly related to drunk driving every 48 minutes.

What happens to the family members who are left devastated in the aftermath?

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Suppression of Evidence Leads to $20 Million Settlement in Drunk Driving/Wrongful Death Case

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A disturbing case in Chicago involving the suppression of records about a man who caused a drunk driving accident that killed two young men has resulted in a $20 million settlement from the City of Chicago to the family of the victims.

In this issue, we’ll talk more about the case and the specifics of why you need a skilled and dogged Alaska personal injury lawyer on your side to obtain justice on your behalf.

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Faulty Design of Toyota 4Runner Leads to $12 Million Wrongful Death Verdict

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If you own a Toyota 4Runner, you’ll definitely want to pay attention to this story. The family of a high school senior killed because of a fractured axle in her 4Runner has received a $12 million decision by a jury. During the trial, documentation revealed that there is a record of such incidents with 4Runners. … Read more

You’ll Never Guess Why This Family is Suing Alaska Airlines

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While mistakes can be made by anyone – including trained professionals – the consequences can often be deadly.

When someone loses his or her life because of someone else’s negligence, surviving family members often have no other option than to file a wrongful death lawsuit to cover a host of expenses, including medical bills, lost income, burial and funeral expenses and the emotional cost of unexpectedly losing a loved one.

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How Long Do You Have To File A Wrongful Death Lawsuit?

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In mid-June, the family of a Duke Energy worker who lost his life while on the job was awarded more than $27 million in a wrongful death lawsuit. In this issue, we’ll talk about the case, and share information about wrongful death lawsuits in Alaska. The Case at a Glance The 43-year-old victim worked as … Read more

Find Out Why Ikea Has Settled for $50 Million

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In what may be one of the largest settlements of its kind, home furniture giant Ikea has agreed to pay $50 million to the families of three young boys who died when Ikea-made dressers toppled over onto them.

The Case at a Glance

The three boys all lost their lives in separate incidents – one in Minnesota, one in Washington and another in Philadelphia. All three cases involved one of Ikea’s Malm dressers, an assemble-it-yourself chest made of particleboard and fiberboard.

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Actor/Funnyman Jim Carrey Sued For Wrongful Death

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The husband of Jim Carrey’s late girlfriend has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the actor/funnyman stemming from her suicide last year. The case, however, may be a difficult one to win. We’ll tell you why here.

What Happened To Jim Carrey’s Girlfriend?

Cathriona White dated Carrey for a couple of years even though she was married to Mark Burton at the time. In fact, she and Burton married in 2013. Tragically, she took her own life in September 2015 by taking a host of different prescription medications.

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Man Who Fled A Deadly Wreck Loses $7 Million Wrongful Death Case

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A rear-end crash caused by a man in a speeding pickup truck led to the death of a man in another car and a wrongful death lawsuit award of $7 million for his widow. The Case at a Glance The accident occurred when the victim’s vehicle – stopped at a traffic signal – was slammed … Read more

Understanding the Impact of Wrongful Death on the Family

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An incredibly poor decision to get behind the wheel drunk – underage, mind you – has resulted in the death of the 18-year-old passenger, and driving under the influence (DUI) and manslaughter charges for the 19-year-old driver.

How it Happened

The incident occurred August 11 in Cordova. The two young men were on their way from a boat moored at Cordova’s Small Boat Harbor to a Shelter Cove public sauna.

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Jury Awards $900,000 in Wrongful Death Lawsuit

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The family of a man who died in a jail cell has been awarded $900,000 in a wrongful death lawsuit. A Bethel jury originally awarded the family $1 million, but the amount was reduced by 20 percent because of an error in instructions to the jury.

During the case, it was revealed that Hooper Bay Police Department policy called for officers

to check on the man’s condition every five minutes while in custody. Records revealed, however, he was checked on twice in 38 minutes. What were the officers doing?  Two of them owned up to reading Facebook rather than checking on the victim.

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Explaining Wrongful Death Law in Alaska

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According to data released by Alaska’s Division of Risk Management, Alaska has shelled out almost $3 million to settle claims by prison inmates and their families over the last decade for wrongful deaths. News reports say that new claims are sure to follow based upon perceived systematic problems in Alaska’s prison system. In this article, we’ll discuss how wrongful death claims are handled in the Last Frontier State.

Wrongful Death Claims in Alaska

A wrongful death suit can be brought forth in Alaska when a person’s death is caused as a direct result of neglect or carelessness of someone else. For example, if a person dies as a result of medical malpractice, motor vehicle or slip-and-fall accident, the victim’s family or estate can file a wrongful death lawsuit.

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Distracted Driving Can Have Tragic Consequences

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The recent case of a 17-year-old Anchorage boy sentenced to a year in prison after a distracted-driving collision speaks to the tragic consequences that can occur when someone chooses to text and drive. Murphy Madison Gross, 17, was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and three misdemeanor assault charges as part of a plea agreement. He … Read more