Denver Wrongful Death Lawyer - Manning Law
Compassionate Support From Denver Wrongful Death Lawyers

Denver Wrongful Death Attorney

Losing a family member, friend, or loved one is hard enough to handle without all the additional complications that ensue from a situation of wrongful death. Don’t allow yourself to be vulnerable to exploitation from organizations who are more concerned with their bottom line than your family’s pain and suffering. Partner with an experienced Denver wrongful death attorney from Manning Law to make sure that your family is taken care of.

Denver Wrongful Death Resources

Why Choose Manning Law for a Denver Wrongful Death Case?

  • At Manning Law, our personal injury attorneys in Denver have decades of combined legal experience handling complex injury and wrongful death claims throughout Colorado.
  • We have a 99% success rate, meaning that we are able to recover the compensation that our clients are entitled to after major injury claims or the loss of a loved one.
  • The team of attorneys at our law firm handle Denver wrongful death cases on a contingency fee basis. This means that family members will not have to worry about paying any legal fees until after we recover the compensation they need.

How Do You Deal with the Wrongful Death of a Loved One?

If a loved one suffers from wrongful death due to the fault of someone else, it can be hard to think past the haze of grief that hangs over the situation. After all, money doesn’t change what happened. That said, compensation from a wrongful death claim can help survivors dealing with unexpected bills and other financial liabilities that develop as the result of a terrible situation. Seeking compensation with legal help from an experienced wrongful death attorney in Denver can ensure you have a successful wrongful death case.

Our Denver Wrongful Death Attorneys Provide Compassionate Support

It’s never easy to go through the motions after a loved one has suffered from a wrongful death case that results from a car accident or other related situations. Our Denver car accident attorneys have experience handling these types of cases and supporting victim’s families.

Unfortunately, responsibilities (especially of a financial nature) will be thrust in your direction before you’ve really had the opportunity to make sense of what happened.

Whether timely or not, when someone dies, a number of stakeholders suddenly come forward with claims on the deceased’s assets. One could almost call it predatory, as a grieving family is ill-equipped to deal with these eager debt collectors on top of coming to terms with their loss.

If someone close to you has died as the result of wrongful death, give yourself time to grieve. But after making sure the rest of your family knows what happened, let your next call be to the experienced team of Denver wrongful death attorneys at our law firm. Rest assured that we will do our part to defend the interests of the estate, while you take the time you need to get through this.

Who Can File a Denver Wrongful Death Claim?

When our Denver wrongful death lawyers examine the wrongful death law in Colorado, we can see that there are various individuals who can file wrongful death claims, but who can file depends on how much time has passed since the death of the deceased.

  • In the first year following a person’s death, only the surviving spouse is allowed to file a wrongful death claim. The surviving spouse may elect in writing to allow the children of the deceased person to file the wrongful death claim, or the spouse may join with the deceased in their claim. In this time frame, if the deceased was unmarried, then the deceased person’s children or designated beneficiary can file a wrongful death lawsuit.
  • In the second year following a person’s death, there are various parties who are allowed to bring the wrongful death lawsuit:
    • Spouse of the deceased
    • Children of the deceased
    • Spouse and children combined
    • Designated beneficiary and the children of the deceased

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Do I Have a Valid Case?

In simple terms, if your loved one would have had grounds to file a personal injury claim against one or more parties for causing his or her injury had it not proved fatal, your family most likely has a wrongful death claim after his or her passing. The most common grounds for a wrongful death case is negligence. Negligence is the failure to take proper care in doing something. Four elements must exist to prove negligence in a wrongful death case:

  1. Duty. The defendant owed the deceased person a duty of care, or an obligation to act in a careful, reasonable and responsible manner.
  2. Breach. The defendant violated or fell short of the expectation of reasonable care. This could mean an intentional wrongdoing or an act of negligence.
  3. Causation. The defendant’s breach of the duty of care was the proximate cause of the victim’s fatal injury or illness.
  4. Damages. The defendant’s mistake or wrongful act resulted in damages to survivors, such as lost income and companionship.

It is also possible to base a wrongful death case on another legal doctrine, such as intentional tort or breach of warranty. Find out if your family has grounds to file a claim for wrongful death in Denver by consulting with an attorney at Manning Law. We can offer honest and personalized legal advice after hearing your story during a free initial case consultation.

What Is Colorado’s Definition of Wrongful Death?

According to Colorado Revised Statutes, Section 13-21-202, when the death of a person is caused by someone else’s wrongful act, neglect or default and the deceased person would have been entitled to recover damages in a personal injury action had death not ensued, the liable party will still be liable notwithstanding the death of the party injured. 

A wrongful act can refer to recklessness or a wanton disregard for the lives of others. It can also refer to malicious acts, intent to harm, and crimes such as manslaughter or homicide. Neglect refers to the failure to act with the same degree of care that a reasonable and prudent party would have in the same or similar circumstances. Default is an omission, or the failure to do something that reasonably should have been done.

Civil vs. Criminal Actions for a Death

It is not necessary to prove that someone committed a crime or intended to injure or kill your loved one to recover wrongful death damages in Colorado. The burden of proof in a wrongful death case is different than in a criminal case. In a civil wrongful death suit, the burden of proof is a “preponderance of the evidence,” which is less than the criminal burden of “proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”

It is also not necessary to demonstrate the defendant’s intent to commit a crime in a civil claim. A person or party does not have to have intended to hurt or kill your loved one for your family to qualify for financial compensation through a wrongful death claim. It is enough to show that a party was careless or negligent, and that this is what caused your family member’s final injury or illness.

Common Incidents Leading to Wrongful Death Claims in Denver

Wrongful death cases can be filed after many different types of fatal accidents and incidents in Denver. At Manning Law, our attorneys are equipped to handle cases involving any deadly accident, including: 

No matter what circumstances surround your loved one’s death, if you suspect someone else is at fault, contact us to find out if you have grounds to bring a wrongful death claim. We can investigate your family member’s death to determine causation and liability.

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Time Limit for Filing a Wrongful Death Claim in Colorado

It is critical for family members in these situations to file a wrongful death lawsuit as quickly as possible if they suspect the wrongdoing of others for the loss of life. According to Colorado law, the wrongful death statute of limitations is two years from the date of the deceased’s death. However, if a person lost their life as a result of a hit-and-run vehicle accident, the statute of limitations is extended to four years from the date of death.

If family members fail to file a lawsuit within these required statutes of limitation, they will be unable to recover any compensation for their losses. A skilled wrongful death lawyer in Denver from our law firm will be able to help families file wrongful death cases on time so they can recover the compensation and closure they need.

Areas We Serve

At Manning Law, our law firm represents clients who have lost a family member or loved one in a tragic accident or injury in areas all across Denver, Colorado including:

Capitol Hill | LoDo (Lower Downtown) | RiNo (River North) | Washington Park | Five Points | Uptown | University Hills | Baker | Congress Park | Park Hill | City ParkCherry Creek | Highland | Sloan’s Lake | Platt Park | Sunnyside | University Park | Stapleton | West Highland | Berkeley | Curtis Park | Cheesman Park | Montclair | Cole | Whittier | Belcaro | Hilltop | Cherry Creek North | Globeville | Athmar Park | Virginia Village

Types of Compensation Available for Wrongful Death

There may be various types of compensation available to surviving family members in the aftermath of losing a loved one caused by the negligence of another. Wrongful death “damages” can be either economic or non-economic.

Economic damages will be paid to the deceased’s surviving children or family members to cover the financial losses associated with the unexpected wrongful death. Surviving family members can recover damages including, but is not limited to, the following:

  • Funeral and burial expenses
  • Any benefits last as a result of the death, including life insurance
  • Wages or other types of compensation the deceased would have earned had they lived

Non-economic damages are more immeasurable because they do not necessarily come with any bills or receipts, but these damages are intended to provide compensation for the intangible losses suffered by the survivors. Some of the most common non-economic damages in these cases include the following:

  • Coverage of emotional distress and grief
  • Pain and suffering
  • Loss of the deceased’s companionship, care, guidance, and comfort

Client Testimonials

“Attorney Robert Manning and his team are absolutely, hands down, one of the best teams in the Denver-Metro area. I was in a serious collision with multiple injuries and him and his entire team made sure to take care of everything. I received calls asking about my recovery on many occasions from Robert himself and was well guided through the entire process by everyone. I had complete trust in him and his team and would recommend this team to anyone that would need their services.”

– Danielle B.

“Attorney Manning and his staff were extremely helpful and informative during this entire process. He made sure the insurance company company paid out a fair compensation. I would strongly recommend and will refer all my friends and family if they need his services.”

– John P.

“I’ve worked with Mr. Manning on several cases for myself as well as referring many of my clients. Everyone I’ve sent his way has been very impressed with his knowledge of the law and the process, his availability through the process, and his professionalism in everything he does. It is with supreme confidence that I refer Mr. Manning out to my clients, friends and family. If you are looking for a trustworthy attorney who will be available and communicative, Mr. Manning is your guy.”

– Richard S.

Manning Law’s Denver Wrongful Death Attorneys Are Just a Call Away

When you’re ready, we’d love to help. You need a partner to protect your best interests, explain your legal options, and help recover damages. Our team of wrongful death attorneys in Denver are more than up to the task. You can contact an experienced Denver wrongful death attorney at our law firm for a free consultation by clicking here or calling us at (720) 515-3191.