The 5 Most Common Causes Of Wrongful Death

The loss of a friend or a family member is always a challenging experience. However, one of the worst ways to go through this is through an entirely preventable accident leading to death. With a crime such as murder, the bereaved at least have the solace of knowing that the person that committed the offense will be punished. However, accidental death is not a criminal act, and so there is no criminal punishment.

However, that does not mean that an act of negligence that leads to death goes unpunished. Wrongful death is a legal condition that exists to enact financial punishment from someone that has caused the death of another through carelessness, negligence, or another dereliction of responsibility. These are the five most common causes of wrongful death in Florida.

Pedestrian Accidents

When a person crossing a street is impacted by a vehicle, the results are always in favor of the car. A car has more mass, more density, and more speed than a person strolling down a sidewalk or crossing a street. In addition, clothing typically does not protect against the massive kinetic forces involved in a vehicular impact. A pedestrian doesn’t enjoy the protection of airbags, seatbelts, or other mechanisms a person in a vehicle does, meaning that death is often a regular occurrence in pedestrian accidents.

Defective Products

In theory, a product that is used as directed should pose no issue for the user. However, in reality, sometimes a defect in a design or a problem during the manufacturing process can create a product that poses a threat—sometimes even a lethal one—to someone even when using a product as instructed. Breast implants rupturing internally, for example, lead to the death of some women who used them.

Workplace Accidents

Not all jobs are equal when it comes to physical safety. For example, while repetitive strain injury is more common in office-related jobs that use many computers, some jobs, such as in the construction industry, have the potential for lethal accidents. Falling from a skyscraper under construction, being hit by a tool that fell from a similar height, or being hit by a construction vehicle because the driver was unaware someone was there when backing up are all
examples of accidents that can lead to death.

Truck Accidents

In the same way that a person has a little chance of minor injuries when hit by a vehicle, almost any vehicle—and the passengers inside—will do poorly in a collision with a truck. A professional freight hauling semi-truck has greater mass than anything else on the road, even more so when carrying a full load of cargo. This can lead to potentially fatal accidents.

Traffic Accidents

The number one cause of wrongful death in Florida, however, is vehicular traffic accidents in general. One of the oldest and still most common forms of wrongful death is traffic fatalities caused by drunk driving. Driving while drunk is illegal, and this is one of the rare occasions when a traffic violation is considered a criminal act with possible jail time.

If you or someone you know has been affected by a wrongful death, talk to a wrongful death attorney about how your lost loved one can get justice.