Broward County Wrongful Death Lawyers
Losing a family member because of someone else’s choices brings grief, shock, and a long list of practical problems all at once. Hospital bills, funeral costs, and lost income start to stack up while you haven’t even had time to process what happened.
When negligence takes the life of someone you love, you do not have to figure out Florida wrongful death law and fight for justice on your own. The wrongful death attorneys at Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel guide families in Broward County through this process, explain options in plain language, and fight for justice and compensation. Call (954) 495-2715 to find out if you have a case, you pay nothing unless we recover compensation.
Florida Wrongful Death Law Overview
Florida’s wrongful death law allows a case when a death stems from negligence, a careless act, or similar conduct that would have supported an injury case if your family member had survived. In that situation, the estate and the survivors hold the right to pursue the case.
Estate and Family Roles in a Wrongful Death Case
In a Florida wrongful death case, a probate judge appoints a personal representative for the estate so one person holds legal authority to move the case forward. Personal representative appears as the named party in the lawsuit, signs key legal papers, and works with our wrongful death attorneys, while money recovered goes to eligible family members and, when the statute allows, to the estate. Estate assets can still pass under a trust or beneficiary designations, and the wrongful death case focuses on responsibility for the death and related compensation.
Surviving family members do not file separate wrongful death lawsuits. All wrongful death rights run through one estate case, and survivors who qualify under Florida’s statute receive notice and may share in any recovery, which keeps the legal efforts unified instead of scattered across multiple cases.
Family Members Who May Recover Compensation
Florida’s wrongful death statute identifies which family members may receive money through a wrongful death case, and the eligible group depends on the family situation of the person who died and could include any of the following:
- A surviving spouse
- Children, including certain adult children
- Parents in specific situations
- Blood relatives or adopted siblings who depended on the deceased for support or services
Not every survivor has the same rights. For example, minor children and adult children may face different rules, and parents of an adult child see different limits than parents of a minor. Our wrongful death attorneys walk through your family structure and explain which categories fit your situation so expectations stay grounded.
Damages in a Broward County Wrongful Death Case
Damages (compensation), in a wrongful death case in Florida fall into two broad groups: losses suffered by survivors and losses suffered by the estate. Each group covers different harm and follows specific rules.
Damages for Survivors
Survivors may pursue:
- Loss of support and services the decedent provided through income and household work
- Loss of companionship, protection, and guidance the decedent provided in family life
- Mental pain and suffering for certain close family members, depending on the relationships in place
- Funeral and medical expenses a survivor personally paid
Support looks different in every family. In some homes, the decedent earned the primary paycheck, whereas in others, the decedent may have handled childcare, transportation, or care for an older parent. Our wrongful death attorneys gather records and family details that show how those roles now fall on remaining family members, then connect that change to categories allowed under the statute.
Damages for the Estate
The estate may pursue:
- Lost earnings between the injury and the date of death
- Medical and funeral bills paid by the estate
- Future net accumulations that likely would have gone into the estate if the decedent had lived and continued to work or save
Money that flows into the estate later passes through probate under the will or under Florida’s intestacy rules when no will exists. The separate path affects how you address debts and support for minor children, and it also controls how the law treats any beneficiaries who do not appear as survivors in the statute.
Cause of Death and Case Strategy
Cause of death directs key parts of a wrongful death case, because it identifies the people or companies our attorneys pursue and the experts and records that carry the most weight. Our wrongful death attorneys study how the death happened, then build a plan that fits that setting instead of treating every case the same.
- Motor Vehicle Crashes – Our attorneys collect crash reports, scene photos, and data from vehicles, then look for speeding, distraction, impairment, or freight and delivery pressures that explain why the driver created a deadly risk.
- Pedestrian and Bicycle Deaths – Strategy draws on roadway design, lighting, crosswalk placement, and prior safety complaints, and our team pushes back against claims that the person on foot or on a bike carried all the blame.
- Falls on Unsafe Property – Our attorneys search for maintenance logs, cleaning records, repair requests, and prior injury reports to show that the hazard stayed in place long enough that the owner should have fixed it.
- Workplace and Construction Deaths – Strategy may call for OSHA records, subcontractor agreements, safety manuals, and equipment inspections, and our lawyers work to clarify responsibility between employers, site owners, and product manufacturers.
- Medical Negligence Deaths – Our wrongful death attorneys retain medical experts, review charts and imaging, and track guideline departures or delays that turned a treatable condition into a fatal one.
- Violent Acts on Property – Evidence work may include police records, prior call logs, lighting and camera records, and written security policies that show what the owner knew about risk and what the owner chose to do or not do.
Cause of death changes which facts receive the most attention and how our attorneys present your case to an insurer or, when needed, to a Broward County jury.
Building a Wrongful Death Case for Your Family
Family members see the emotional and financial strain every day, yet insurers and defense lawyers focus on statutes, policy language, and numbers. Wrongful death attorneys bridge that gap by turning what your family lives through into evidence that fits Florida law.
Fault Investigation
Work starts with a clear picture of how the death occurred and who bears responsibility. Depending on the case, steps can include:
- Obtaining police or incident reports, scene photos, and video
- Interviewing witnesses and locking in their statements
- Reviewing safety rules, internal policies, and industry standards
- Working with reconstruction professionals or other experts when needed
Fault investigation gives a detailed answer to two questions: what happened in the moments leading to the death and which person or entity had the duty to prevent it.
If the deceased was partially at fault for the accident that took their life, Florida’s modified comparative negligence rule in most wrongful death cases reduces any recovery by that percentage as long as the percentage of fault isn’t found to be more than 50%.
Proving the Impact on Your Family
Our wrongful death attorneys gather concrete proof of how the death changed daily life and long-term plans for survivors, including:
- Employment and tax records that show income and benefits
- Medical and funeral bills tied to the final injury or illness
- Information about childcare, elder care, and household tasks the person who died handled
- Accounts from survivors about guidance, support, and companionship now missing
Detailed records and clear narratives support the damage categories Florida law recognizes and help decisionmakers see your family as more than a name on a page.
Negotiation, Lawsuit, and Trial Preparation
Once fault and damages have support, attorneys prepare a demand that explains both. The demand packet usually combines a case summary, key records, and exhibits that tell the story in a way an adjuster can follow.
If settlement talks stall or the other side denies liability, the case can move into a civil lawsuit in Broward County. Trial preparation begins long before a courtroom date, through organized records, witness outlines, and exhibits that can move quickly into formal discovery and, when needed, trial.
Wrongful death lawyers at Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel have secured multiple seven-figure recoveries in death cases when coverage and proof justified those numbers, and that background informs how they evaluate your case and respond to low offers.
Insurance and Defense Issues After a Fatal Injury
Insurance carriers and defense lawyers treat wrongful death cases as high exposure files, so families can feel pressure soon after the death, and certain tactics tend to show up:
- Requests for recorded statements from spouses or adult children
- Questions framed to suggest pre-existing health problems or risky conduct by the decedent
- Attempts to speak separately with different family members and compare answers
- Settlement proposals that focus on immediate bills while pushing for broad releases
Our wrongful death team handles communication with insurers so grieving family members do not face repeated calls and letters, and personal representatives receive guidance on questions to answer, documents to share, and proposed agreements that need closer review before anyone signs.
Deadlines for Florida Wrongful Death Cases
The statute of limitations for wrongful death cases in Florida is generally two years. Separate notice and timing rules can apply when a government agency or medical provider defends the case.
Our Florida wrongful death attorneys review timing at the start and keep track of:
- Time periods for wrongful death under Florida law
- Shorter windows and written notice rules when a government agency may face liability
- Pre-suit and timing requirements when suspected medical negligence contributed to the death
Families who reach out soon after a death give their attorneys more room to investigate, gather records, and decide whether a formal lawsuit needs to be filed before a deadline passes.
Preparing for Your First Meeting With Our Team
No family walks in with everything sorted, and you do not need a perfect stack of records before contacting a wrongful death lawyer. Bringing what you have speeds progress and helps our attorneys give more precise guidance. Helpful items can include:
- Death certificate, if available
- Any probate paperwork about the personal representative
- Police reports, store or business reports, or basic case numbers
- Hospital records or discharge papers tied to the fatal injury or illness
- Funeral and burial bills
- Recent pay stubs, tax returns, or benefit summaries for the person who died
- Names and contact information for close family members
Our team can request missing records, organize what you provide, and build a timeline that shows both fault and loss. Careful preparation gives your family a clearer sense of where the case stands and what comes next.
Fees and Costs in Wrongful Death Cases
Wrongful death cases usually move forward on a contingency fee basis, so attorney fees come from a percentage of the recovery instead of hourly billing. Families need a straightforward explanation of how that setup works before they decide whether to hire our wrongful death attorneys.
Topics we usually cover in a first meeting:
- Percentage ranges that apply at different stages of a case
- Case costs our firm advances, including expert work, record charges, and litigation expenses
- How fees and costs work if the case does not lead to a recovery
Written fee agreements and time for questions help families focus on the case instead of worrying about unexpected charges later.
Let Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel Fight for Your Family
Grieving families in Broward County deserve wrongful death counsel that stays present, explains each step, and pushes hard for results grounded in Florida law and solid evidence. Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel take on that fight for you.
Call (954) 495-2715 or send a message to schedule a free consultation with a wrongful death attorney. If the firm accepts your case, you pay no attorney fees unless the case leads to a financial recovery for your family.
