The Most Common Causes Of Wrongful Death In Fort Myers
Brian O Sutter
Accident Lawyers
Wrongful death is the legal circumstance of holding another person or group accountable for someone’s death when that death is an accident, not a crime. Murder, of course, is a purposeful, criminal act and is punished as a crime by courts, with jail sentences for the guilty. However, there are other situations where a death occurs not because of deliberate malice but carelessness or inattentiveness that, while not a crime, should not have happened.When someone or some group is responsible for causing an accident that leads to death, this is called “wrongful death,” and the responsible parties can still answer to the law. However, now answering to the law is not an automatic response, as it is with murder. Family members must take conscious action of going to court, and instead of a jail sentence, financial compensation is the punishment.
In areas like Ft Meyers and Florida in general, some types of wrongful death are more common than in other parts of the country. Here’s the kind of wrongful death that Ft Meyer’s residents may end up struggling with in court.
Slip & Falls
While not many people regard falling as a dangerous event, the exact circumstances behind it can sometimes lead to death. For example, a child falling from a shopping mall’s second or third floor is unlikely to survive. Even a fall down a flight of stairs can lead to death for a senior citizen if they are in a frail physical state, to begin with. Slips and falls can occur in any type of property, from auto repair garages to residential homes to even offices.
What they all have in common, however, is that the slip and fall could have been prevented with proper care. Crooked stairs, for example, can easily be repaired, but if a property owner refuses to do this because of costs, then that same owner is financially responsible should their cost-cutting measure result in someone’s slip, fall, and death.
Boating Accidents
It should be no surprise that considering the Florida peninsula is surrounded by the ocean and warm year-round weather, people have water leisure craft to take advantage of. This means cities like Ft Meyers have a much higher ratio of people that own a boat than those living in a city in the American mid-west.
Because of this, there are many more boats on the water than in other parts of the United States, and with more boats, especially for recreational purposes, there is more chance of an accident. This becomes even more prevalent when alcohol is combined with recreational boating, resulting in the same kind of drunk-driving-induced accidents as can occur on land.
Amusement Parks
This type of wrongful death is very specific to Florida, although more commonly in the west, around the Orlando area. Florida’s weather and spacious land availability have made it a haven for amusement parks and tourism.
As a result, amusement parks abound, and the owners and operators of amusement parks struggle with the balance between investment in maintenance and maintaining profitability through cost-efficient operations. Sometimes cost-effectiveness wins out, leading to neglect of proper care and a lapse in safety standards. Last year’s tragic death of a teenager falling out of a ride at Orlando’s ICON Park is a sad and recent example.
Get Justice and Closure For Your Loss
If you, or someone you know in Ft Meyers, has lost a loved one due to someone else's negligence, such as a drunk driver or negligent property owner, then you may still be able to hold those responsible accountable for what they’ve done. Talk to an experienced wrongful death attorney about the negligence that caused your loved one’s loss of life, and find out how you can get justice for your loved one.