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US Wrongful Death Attorney

For immediate family members (spouses, children, and sometimes parents) who have lost a loved one due to someone else's negligence or intentional harm.

  • Surviving Spouses & Children: The primary individuals legally entitled to file a claim for the loss of their partner or parent.
  • Financial Dependents: Proving that you relied on the deceased's income, benefits, or services to maintain your standard of living.
  • Estate Representatives: In many states, the personal representative or executor of the deceased's estate must formally file the lawsuit on behalf of the surviving heirs.

For families seeking justice and financial stability after the sudden, preventable loss of their primary earner or caretaker.

  • Economic Damages: Recovering quantifiable losses such as funeral and burial expenses, medical bills incurred prior to death, and the lifetime of lost future earnings.
  • Loss of Consortium: Seeking compensation for the profound emotional loss of companionship, guidance, love, and protection.
  • Survival Actions: In certain cases, filing a separate claim for the physical pain and emotional suffering the deceased experienced between the time of injury and the moment of death.

For grieving families who need aggressive legal advocates to uncover the truth and hold powerful corporations or negligent individuals accountable.

  • Independent Investigations: Rapidly deploying accident reconstruction experts, forensic specialists, and private investigators to secure evidence before it disappears or is covered up.
  • Establishing Negligence: Building a bulletproof case showing exactly how the defendant's breach of duty (e.g., drunk driving, medical malpractice, unsafe premises) directly caused the fatal incident.
  • Fighting Corporate Defendants: Standing up to massive insurance companies, hospitals, or trucking firms whose first instinct is to deny responsibility and protect their profit margins.
US Wrongful Death Attorney

If you lost a loved one because of someone else's negligence or fault, a wrongful death claim is the way to recover the harm the family suffered. Car accidents, medical errors, workplace accidents, and defective products are the most common causes. Yellow Law Group stands with the family and manages the file from start to finish; while you grieve, we take on the legal burden.

Our service covers two separate claims: the wrongful death claim that recovers the family's loss, and the survival action that recovers the harm the deceased suffered before death. We cover who can file, the compensation items, and state deadlines in detail in our wrongful death claim guide.

Who Can File on Your Family's Behalf?

The right to file a wrongful death claim is set by law and is generally given to the deceased's closest relatives. First in line are the surviving spouse, registered domestic partner, and children. If none of these exist, the claim can pass to the parents or siblings who stand as the deceased's heirs.

In most states, the claim must be filed by a person who formally represents the deceased's estate (a personal representative). For the legal framework of wrongful death, see the Cornell Law School resource. Who has the right to file and how the estate is represented is the first and critical step of the file; we build this structure according to your case and run the process on the family's behalf.

What Compensation Can You Claim?

Wrongful death compensation targets the family's forward-looking loss: the income and financial support the deceased would have provided, the lost guidance and companionship, and funeral and burial costs. A survival action is a separate item and covers the medical costs and conscious suffering the deceased experienced before death.

The two claims cover different harms and run together in most files. Which items are open varies by state; for example, California ended its temporary rule on pain-and-suffering damages under a survival action at the start of 2026. We assess your file under these rules and build the claim in full.

Facing the Insurance Company and the Other Side

In files ending in death, insurers tend to use the family's grieving period to offer an early, low settlement. An early settlement that is signed can fall short of the family's long-term financial loss and cannot be undone later.

We handle the insurance talks on the family's behalf, compare the offers with the family's real loss, and go to court if needed. Where the death came from the fault of more than one party (for example, both a driver and a product maker), we weigh all those responsible.

Rights for Immigrant and Undocumented Families

A common concern in the immigrant community is that undocumented families cannot claim wrongful death compensation or that filing will put their status at risk. In reality, wrongful death compensation is independent of the immigration status of both the deceased and the eligible family; whatever your status, you can claim your loss.

We cover the effect of immigration status on injury and death claims in our personal injury rights for immigrants guide. Running the immigration and claim file under one roof lets you pursue your rights without putting your status at risk. If the death came from a medical error, see our medical malpractice legal service as well.

Why Yellow Law Group? (No Upfront Fee)

Yellow Law Group serves from its headquarters in Plano (Texas), with offices in Chicago (Illinois), Irvine (California), Alpharetta (Georgia), and Fairfield (New Jersey). Running both immigration and personal injury law under one roof is a critical advantage for immigrant families: your wrongful death compensation is managed by a team mindful of your status.

Wrongful death cases run on a no-upfront (contingency) basis; the attorney fee is paid only if compensation is won. You can review our attorney profiles on our team page and schedule a free initial consultation through our contact page.

Got Questions? We're on it.

US Wrongful Death Attorney • Frequently Asked Questions

The right to file a wrongful death claim is set by law. First in line are the surviving spouse, registered partner, and children; if none exist, heirs such as parents or siblings can file. In most states, the claim is filed by a person who represents the deceased's estate (a personal representative). We determine who is eligible based on your file.

The two claims cover different harms. A wrongful death claim targets the family's forward-looking loss (income, support, companionship, funeral costs). A survival action covers the medical costs and conscious suffering the deceased experienced before death and is brought on behalf of the estate. In most files, the two are filed together.

The most common causes: car and truck accidents, medical errors (misdiagnosis, surgical error, birth), workplace accidents, defective products, and dangerous property conditions. A death can come from the fault of more than one party; for example, both a negligent driver and a faulty vehicle-part maker may be liable. We weigh all those responsible.

There is no fixed figure; compensation is set by the deceased's age, income, dependents, and the circumstances of the incident. The family's lost income and companionship and funeral costs, plus the pre-death medical costs and suffering under a survival action, can be claimed. We can assess your file and offer a realistic range.

In most states, the period is two years from the date of death; California, Texas, Illinois, and Georgia are in this group. In Illinois, the period can extend to five years for deaths from intentional violence. In Texas, the period for a survival action can be paused for up to a year to set up the estate. Missing the deadline loses the right to sue entirely.

Yes. Wrongful death compensation is independent of the immigration status of both the deceased and the eligible family; undocumented families can also claim their losses. Filing usually does not directly put your status at risk. Working with a team that runs both immigration and injury law moves the process forward safely.

If the death came from a doctor or hospital error, the wrongful death claim runs together with medical malpractice rules: a qualified provider's written opinion (an expert report) may be required before filing, and the evidence rests on medical records. We manage such files by assessing the wrongful death and medical malpractice sides together.

In files ending in death, insurers often offer an early, low settlement. A signed settlement is usually final and can fall short of the family's long-term financial loss. It is safer not to accept an offer without assessing it and to have the real loss calculated with an attorney.

No. Wrongful death cases run on a no-upfront (contingency) basis: the attorney fee is paid only if compensation is won and from the amount recovered. If the case yields nothing, you do not pay the attorney fee. This structure lets grieving families pursue their rights without taking on a financial burden.

With our headquarters in Plano (Texas) and offices in Chicago, Irvine, Alpharetta, and Fairfield, we run both immigration and personal injury law under one roof. This is a critical advantage for immigrant families: your wrongful death compensation is managed by a team mindful of your status. We run the process on a no-upfront basis and assess the wrongful death and survival action claims together.