When your loved one suffers a fatal injury due to a gun-related accident, you may pursue financial compensation from all of the parties whose negligence led to the violent occurrence. This could include the shooter, the firearm owner, the seller, the property owner, and any other persons who may have played a part in the demise of your loved one.
What is Considered Gun Negligence?
Gun owners or law enforcement personnel who carry firearms should be held to a greater standard of care and accountability because of the risks these weapons pose to others. Threatening someone with a gun is considered criminal activity, but careless gun use can also result in personal injury and wrongful death claims.
Gun negligence examples include:
- leaving loaded weapons in storage, residences, or vehicles.
- failing to secure firearms and keeping kids or illegal users from accessing them.
- storing weapons without trigger locks installed.
- not making sure a firearm is empty before handling or cleaning it.
- not ensuring the gun’s safety is activated at all times until you’re ready to shoot at a legal target.
Compensation in a Wrongful Death Case
The amount of compensation that might be given in a wrongful death case relies on the underlying circumstances of an unintentional gunshot. In addition, the kind of compensation that can be offered depends on the relationship between the deceased person and a living family member. In the wake of an unintentional shooting, for instance, a spouse would be eligible for some sort of financial recovery while a parent might be eligible for other amounts.
In a wrongful death lawsuit, you may be eligible for financial compensation to cover medical bills, funeral costs, and burial expenses. You may also be due compensation for mental agony, emotional suffering, lost companionship, and lost income.
In some situations, wrongful death lawsuits involving unintentional shootings may result in awarding punitive or exemplary damages. Punitive damages are additional compensation in shooting-related wrongful death cases when the shooter’s actions were highly careless or severe.
Get Someone On Your Side
Our attorneys are ready to ensure that our clients receive their just compensation. We are only a phone call away.
Please call us toll free at 866-214-7036 or fill out the contact form on our website. Serving Brunswick, GA and Glynn, Camden, Brantley, Wayne, Ware and McIntosh Counties.