Since 1995, Auger & Auger Accident and Injury Lawyers has represented grieving families across the Carolinas.
Our wrongful death attorneys in Summerfield understand that no legal action can undo what happened. What we can do is fight to make sure the person or company responsible answers for their conduct, and that your family receives the financial support you need to move forward.
Contact Auger & Auger to schedule a free consultation with a Summerfield personal injury lawyer and learn what legal options may be available to your family.
Why Your Family Should Talk to a Summerfield Wrongful Death Attorney
Wrongful death claims are among the most difficult personal injury cases to handle on your own.
Having a wrongful death attorney in Summerfield on your side early can protect your family’s rights during a time when you should be focused on grieving rather than fighting with an insurance carrier.
Identifying Who Is Legally Responsible
Fatal accidents are not always caused by a single person’s mistake. It is possible for multiple parties to be involved and share responsibility for the death.
Your attorney’s job is to investigate the incident thoroughly and identify every party whose negligence contributed to the fatal event so that your family can pursue the full compensation available.
Contributory Negligence Can Threaten Your Claim
North Carolina’s contributory negligence rule applies to wrongful death cases just as it does to other personal injury claims. If the insurance company can argue that your loved one was even 1% at fault for the incident that caused their death, they may try to deny the claim entirely.
A Summerfield wrongful death lawyer who understands this rule knows how to build the case in a way that anticipates and counters those arguments before they gain traction.
Calculating the True Value of Your Loss
The financial impact of losing a family member extends far beyond funeral costs. Your loved one’s future income, the services they provided to the household, the guidance they gave to their children, and the companionship they shared with their spouse all have value under North Carolina law.
A skilled wrongful death attorney will know how to document and present these losses so that your claim reflects the full scope of what your family has lost.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in North Carolina
Under North Carolina law, a wrongful death action must be filed by the personal representative of the deceased person’s estate. This is the person named as executor in the will, or, if no will exists, someone the court appoints to serve in that role.
Although the personal representative is the one who formally brings the lawsuit, the compensation recovered may benefit surviving family members, including:
- The spouse.
- Children.
- Parents of the deceased.
How the recovery is distributed depends on the family’s specific circumstances and what North Carolina’s intestacy and wrongful death statutes provide.
Compensation Available to Surviving Families
While no amount of money can replace the person you lost, a wrongful death claim can provide financial stability during an incredibly difficult time and hold the responsible parties accountable for the harm their negligence caused.
Damages your family may be entitled to recover include:
- Medical expenses related to your loved one’s final injury or illness.
- Funeral and burial costs.
- The income and financial support your loved one would have provided over their remaining lifetime.
- The value of household services, care, and protection they contributed.
- Loss of companionship, guidance, comfort, and society suffered by surviving family members.
- Pain and suffering experienced by the deceased before death, in some circumstances.
The value of a wrongful death claim depends on many factors, including your loved one’s age, health, earning capacity, and role within the family.
A wrongful death attorney in Summerfield can help you understand what a fair recovery looks like based on the specific facts of your case.
North Carolina’s Filing Deadline for Wrongful Death Claims
North Carolina law sets a two-year statute of limitations for most wrongful death lawsuits, measured from the date of the person’s death. If that deadline passes without a lawsuit being filed, your family loses the right to pursue compensation regardless of how clear the other party’s fault may be.
Speaking with a lawyer soon after the loss helps ensure that no deadline is missed and no evidence is lost while your family is still processing what happened.
How Auger & Auger Supports Families After a Wrongful Death
We are a family-owned firm that understands how a wrongful death case can impact a family’s life, personally, emotionally, and financially. We treat every wrongful death case with the gravity and respect it demands.
When you hire Auger & Auger, we take on the burden of the legal process so that you can focus on your family. We investigate the incident, gather and preserve evidence, identify every liable party, calculate the full value of loss, handle all communication with insurance companies, and prepare the case for trial if a fair settlement cannot be reached.
Our attorneys average 19 years of personal injury experience each, and we have recovered over $100 million for our clients. Under our A&A Zero Fee Guarantee™, you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for your family.
Looking For a Lawyer for Wrongful Death in Summerfield?
If your family lost someone because of another party’s negligence, you do not have to face the legal process alone, and you do not have to accept whatever the insurance company offers without question.
You have the right to pursue full accountability and fair compensation, and having the right legal team on your side can make a real difference in the outcome.
Auger & Auger has spent three decades standing up for families across the Carolinas who have been harmed by the carelessness of others. If you are searching for a Summerfield wrongful death lawyer near me, contact our office today. The consultation is free, and there is no fee unless we win.