
Did you lose someone because of another person's or company's actions?
We are sorry for your loss. If someone you love died because of a crash, a fall, unsafe conditions at work, a defective product, or medical harm, we are here to help.
Take care of yourself and your family first.
- There is no rush. This page will still be here when you are ready.
- Call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) if you need someone to talk to.
- Come back to this page whenever you are ready.
This page covers wrongful death deadlines and what families can do, at your own pace. We are the family's advocate. We connect you with a lawyer who handles cases like yours, so your family has accountability and security going forward. Always free. When you are ready, talk to an advocate. We usually reply within minutes, at most one business day.
A wrongful death claim is a legal way for the surviving family to seek support after a death caused by someone else's carelessness or wrongdoing. It does not undo the loss. It can help with funeral costs, lost income, and medical bills from before the death.
Why wrongful death claims are tricky

- Not everyone in the family can file. In most states, a spouse and children have the first right to bring the claim, then parents, and in some states other close relatives if there is no spouse or child (Nolo, Who Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit). Many states also require the estate to name an official "personal representative" or "wrongful death representative" before the case can move forward, which is a separate court step from filing the lawsuit itself.
- The deadline can be shorter than people expect, and it is not just about the date you file. In one Wyoming case, a widow filed her lawsuit 13 days before the two-year deadline, but did not ask the court to name her as her husband's official wrongful death representative until months later.
- The defendants in that case argued the whole case should be thrown out because that appointment came after the deadline (Jackson Hole News&Guide).
- Deadlines vary by state, and some states count from the date of death while others may count differently in special situations. We do not list a specific deadline here because it is easy to get wrong. Find your state's information on our state pages.
- These claims often run alongside a separate "survival action" for the pain the person felt before they died, which can have its own rules.
What real wrongful death cases have paid
These are publicly reported results. They show how widely cases vary based on the facts. They are examples only, not a promise or estimate of what any case is worth. We are not a law firm.
- $640 million verdict (including $480 million in punitive damages): a Harris County, Texas jury ruled for the family of a pipefitter crushed by a falling HVAC unit during a crane lift in high winds (Law.com / Texas Lawyer).
- $150 million verdict: a jury near Sacramento, California ruled for a family in a trucking crash case (Expert Institute roundup of 2025 verdicts).
- $100 million verdict: a Miami jury ruled for former Florida state senator Daphne Campbell over the 2021 shooting death of her son (Expert Institute roundup).
- $27 million settlement: the mother of a man shot and killed in Kansas City reached a settlement with the city (Expert Institute roundup).
- $17.5 million settlement: the parents of a young child killed by a speeding, impaired driver in St. Charles County, Missouri settled their claim (Expert Institute roundup).
- $25.7 million and $25.5 million verdicts: two separate Georgia juries ruled for families in 2024, in Hall County and Fulton County (Expert Institute roundup).
The point of these numbers is not to promise an outcome. It is to show that the legal system is built to respond seriously when a death was preventable.
Talk to an advocate. There is no pressure and no rush.
When it goes wrong: a true story

In Wyoming, a construction worker named Pedro Barba-Caro died in March 2024 after a fall at a job site, and federal safety investigators later cited the construction company for five serious safety violations.
His widow, Maribel Carrillo-Farfan, filed her wrongful death lawsuit just 13 days before the two-year deadline. But under Wyoming law, a wrongful death case must be brought "by and in the name of" an official court-appointed representative, and she did not ask the court to appoint her to that role until months later, after the deadline had already passed.
The defendants argued the entire case should be dismissed because of that gap (Jackson Hole News&Guide).
She did nothing wrong as a grieving spouse. The rules around who is allowed to bring a wrongful death case, and when, are more layered than most people realize. This is why having help early matters, not because families make mistakes, but because the system has extra steps that are easy to miss during the hardest weeks of a person's life. When you are ready, talk to an advocate about who should be named before any deadline passes.
What to do in the first days
- When you are ready, talk to an advocate at WeHelpInjured. It is free.
- If safety officials, police, or a coroner are investigating, ask for a copy of their report once it is available.
- Keep funeral, medical, and income records. These often matter later, even if it does not feel like the right time to think about paperwork.
- Learn who, under your state's law, has the right to bring a claim on behalf of the family. This is not always obvious, and getting it wrong can cost time you do not get back.
- Warning: don't wait. The deadline is a trap, and family wrongful death deadlines can involve extra steps beyond just the calendar date, so learning it late can cost your family the claim. The longer you wait, the harder records and witness memories become to gather. Find your state on our state pages when you are ready.
A few gentle notes
- Please do not feel you need to give a recorded statement to an insurer before you talk to an advocate.
- Please do not sign anything, or accept a first settlement offer, before you talk to an advocate.
- Please do not feel any pressure to post about your loss on social media while you are grieving.
- Please do not worry about handling every step at once. Talk to an advocate whenever you are ready.
What we can help with
- Understanding what happened and what your family's rights are, in plain language.
- Helping you sort through the practical and administrative steps after a loss.
- Learning about state benefits and support programs your family may qualify for.
- Connecting you with a lawyer who handles cases like yours, at your pace, so your family has accountability and security going forward.
All of it is free to you. We never take money from injured families.
Talk to an advocate. You should not have to carry this alone.
Sources
- Nolo, Who Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit: https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/who-can-file-wrongful-death-lawsuit.html
- Jackson Hole News&Guide, on the Barba-Caro / Carrillo-Farfan case: https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/cops_courts/defendants-seek-dismissal-of-lawsuit-over-fatal-victor-construction-fall/article_6d14eab4-7d31-42e7-ab32-9088ee03ec64.html
- Law.com / Texas Lawyer, Houston jury $640 million verdict: https://www.law.com/texaslawyer/2025/05/14/houston-jury-awards-640m-in-one-of-texas-largest-wrongful-death-verdicts/
- Expert Institute, The Biggest Wrongful Death Settlements & Verdicts of 2025: https://www.expertinstitute.com/resources/insights/latest-wrongful-death-payouts/