Evansville Wrongful Death Attorney
Helping Families After a Preventable Death
What Is a Wrongful Death Claim?
- Commercial truck collisions
- Car accidents
- Motorcycle crashes
- Pedestrian accidents
- Dangerous or defective products
- Unsafe property conditions
- Other negligent conduct
$2.46 Million Wrongful Death Recovery
Siesky Law has obtained a $2.46 million recovery in a wrongful death case.
The result reflects the firm’s experience investigating and pursuing substantial claims involving the loss of a person’s life.
Every case is different. The value and outcome of a wrongful death claim depend upon its individual facts, applicable law, available evidence, insurance coverage, responsible parties, damages, and many other factors.
Past wrongful death accident attorney results do not guarantee or predict the outcome of another case.
A Wrongful Death Case Is About More Than What Happened
Determining how a fatal accident occurred is only one part of a wrongful death case.
The other part is understanding who was lost.
A person’s value to a family cannot be reduced to a formula.
Depending upon the applicable law and circumstances, a wrongful death case may require careful evaluation of issues involving:
- Lost income and financial support
- Lost benefits
- Medical expenses
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Loss of services
- Loss of care and guidance
- Loss of companionship
- The relationship between the deceased person and surviving family members
- Other damages permitted by applicable law
Developing these damages requires understanding a wrongful death accident attorney understanding the person not simply collecting financial records.
Investigating a Fatal Accident
When a collision or other incident results in death, evidence can begin disappearing almost immediately.
Vehicles are repaired or destroyed.
Electronic information can be overwritten.
Video can be deleted.
Witnesses’ memories can fade.
Businesses continue operating and records may eventually be discarded pursuant to normal retention policies.
Depending upon the circumstances, Siesky Law may investigate evidence including:
- Police and crash reports
- Photographs and video
- Witness statements
- Vehicle inspections
- Electronic vehicle data
- Cellular telephone records
- Surveillance footage
- Commercial records
- Employment records
- Medical and autopsy records
- Expert accident reconstruction
- Corporate policies and procedures
- Insurance information
In appropriate cases, preservation letters and other legal measures can be used to protect important evidence.
Fatal Commercial Truck Accidents
Wrongful death cases involving semi-trucks and other commercial vehicles can be particularly complex.
Responsibility may extend beyond the commercial driver.
Potential parties can include:
- Motor carriers
- Truck or trailer owners
- Maintenance companies
- Freight brokers
- Shippers
- Loading companies
- Leasing companies
- Other businesses involved in the transportation operation
Commercial vehicles can also generate evidence unavailable in an ordinary passenger-car accident, including:
- Electronic Logging Device data
- Engine Control Module or “black box” data
- Onboard camera recordings
- GPS and telematics information
- Driver qualification files
- Hours-of-service records
- Inspection and maintenance records
- Dispatch communications
- Bills of lading
- Federal motor-carrier safety information
Lane Siesky has experience handling commercial vehicle cases and is a member of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys.
Siesky Law has also obtained a $1.81 million recovery arising from a commercial semi-truck collision.
Fatal Car, Motorcycle and Pedestrian Accidents
Siesky Law also represents families following fatal motor vehicle accidents.
These cases can involve questions about speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving, failure to yield, unsafe roadway conduct, commercial drivers, defective vehicles, or other contributing factors.
When liability is disputed, evidence such as electronic vehicle data, cellphone information, video, physical evidence, witness testimony, and accident reconstruction may become important.
The objective is to determine why the collision happened—not simply what the initial crash report says happened.
Identifying Every Responsible Party
One of the most important parts of investigating a significant wrongful death case is determining whether responsibility extends beyond the most obvious defendant.
A fatal commercial vehicle crash, for example, might involve a driver and one or more companies.
A defective-product case could potentially involve a manufacturer or other businesses in the distribution chain.
Other cases may involve corporate defendants, employers, property owners, contractors, or additional parties.
Identifying all legally responsible parties can be particularly important when the loss and resulting damages are substantial.
Understanding Insurance Coverage
Significant wrongful death cases may involve multiple insurance policies and layers of coverage.
The investigation may include determining whether there are:
- Automobile liability policies
- Commercial liability policies
- Umbrella or excess policies
- Employer coverage
- Motor-carrier policies
- Other potentially applicable insurance
Available insurance does not determine whether someone is legally responsible, but identifying applicable coverage can be an important part of pursuing a substantial claim.
Proving the Life Behind the Claim
A wrongful death case should tell the story of the person who died.
Who depended upon them?
What role did they play within their family?
What did they contribute financially?
What guidance did they provide their children?
What plans did they have?
What did everyday family life look like before the death?
Those details can matter.
Depending upon the circumstances, Siesky Law may work with family members, friends, employers, economists, vocational experts, medical professionals, and other witnesses or experts to document the consequences of the loss.
Wrongful Death Cases Involving Children
The death of a child presents legal and emotional issues unlike almost any other case.
Indiana law contains specific provisions governing wrongful death claims involving children, including rules concerning who may bring the action and the damages that may be recoverable.
Families deserve a careful explanation of those rules and thoughtful representation throughout the process.
Wrongful Death of an Adult
Claims involving the death of an adult can vary considerably depending upon the person’s circumstances.
Issues such as marriage, dependent children, dependent relatives, income, age, and other family relationships may affect the damages available under Indiana law.
Because wrongful death statutes are highly specific, the individual family structure should be analyzed early in the case.
Indiana and Kentucky Wrongful Death Cases
Evansville’s location means serious accidents in the region do not always occur within Indiana.
A collision may happen across the Ohio River in Kentucky, on an interstate involving an out-of-state commercial carrier, or involve parties from multiple states.
Which state’s law applies can materially affect a wrongful death case.
Siesky Law evaluates jurisdiction, applicable law, responsible parties, and available claims based upon the specific circumstances rather than assuming Indiana law controls every case involving an Indiana family.
Experience Matters in Significant Cases
Wrongful death cases involving substantial damages can require significant litigation resources.
Lane’s experience includes:
- More than 25 years practicing law
- Wrongful death litigation
- Multiple seven-figure personal injury recoveries
- Commercial truck accident cases
- Complex personal injury litigation
- Jury and bench trials
- Federal and state court litigation
- Mediation and arbitration
- Appellate matters
- Earlier experience representing insurance interests
Lane’s former insurance-defense experience also provides perspective into how insurers investigate, evaluate, and defend significant claims.
Today, his practice is focused on representing injured people and families.
Why Families Choose Siesky Law
Siesky Law is intentionally different from a high-volume personal injury practice.
A family dealing with the death of someone they love should not feel like another file moving through a system.
Lane remains personally involved in the firm’s significant cases and works with the firm’s attorneys and staff to investigate what happened, develop the evidence, and pursue the claim.
Clients should understand what is happening with their case and be able to communicate with the people responsible for representing them.
That philosophy is reflected in the firm’s motto:
We Are Here to Help.
Wrongful Death Cases Throughout Southern Indiana
Siesky Law is based in Evansville and represents families throughout Southern Indiana.
The firm evaluates fatal accidents occurring throughout the region, including incidents on major transportation corridors such as:
- Interstate 69
- Interstate 64
- U.S. 41
- U.S. 231
- Lloyd Expressway
- Other roads and highways throughout Southern Indiana
The firm can also evaluate appropriate wrongful death matters outside the immediate Evansville area.
What Should a Family Do After a Fatal Accident?
There is no legal task more important than taking care of the immediate needs of the family.
But when someone else’s conduct may have caused the death, it can also be important to preserve evidence and understand the family’s legal rights.
Before signing releases, providing extensive statements to an opposing insurance company, or resolving claims, the family may want to understand the potential consequences.
In serious cases, early legal investigation can also help preserve evidence that might otherwise disappear.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire Siesky Law?
Siesky Law offers an initial consultation to families who may have a wrongful death claim.
Wrongful death cases are generally handled on a contingency-fee basis. Attorney fees are not owed unless a recovery is obtained, subject to the terms of the representation agreement.
Talk With an Evansville Wrongful Death Attorney
If your family has lost someone because of another person or company’s negligence, Siesky Law can listen to what happened, evaluate the circumstances, and explain the legal options available to your family.
There is no obligation to hire the firm simply because you speak with us.
Siesky Law Firm, PC
Evansville, Indiana
We Are Here to Help.
Every case is different. Prior results do not guarantee or predict the outcome of any future case.Wrongful death accident attorney
