Wrongful Death

Under Arizona law, only specific surviving family members have a claim for wrongful death: a surviving spouse, surviving children, surviving parents or legal guardians, and the personal representative of the deceased person’s estate. Sadly, siblings and step-children are not permitted to receive compensation under Arizona’s wrongful death statute. Our East Valley Injury Law team has handled many wrongful death claims and have served families throughout the State of Arizona (including claims in Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Maricopa, Phoenix, the White Mountains, Tucson, Yuma, and almost every county in the state). Losing a loved one is devastating. We will handle your claim with the sensitivity and professionalism needed to help you emotionally while fighting for your rights with the insurance company. Also, we will make sure you understand all of your options so you can make the right decisions for your family’s future.

No amount of money can replace the loss of your family member. Sadly, we cannot ask a jury to “put themselves in your shoes” (this would cause a mistrial). However, the efforts we take to bless your family through the wrongful death process (whether the claim is settled pre-litigation, or during litigation and trial) can provide your family with the financial stability it needs to move through the difficult times ahead. We will seek compensation for funeral and burial expenses, the income and financial support your loved one would have provided, emotional trauma and grief, and the loss of the guidance and companionship of your beloved family member. Our East Valley Injury Law wrongful death lawyers bring more than 100 years of combined legal experience to every case, and we fight hard to protect your family’s rights and pursue every dollar you deserve.

In most cases, Arizona law gives surviving family members two years from the date of death to file a wrongful death claim. However, if the death involved a government entity, such as a poorly maintained state highway or public vehicle, you may be required to file a formal notice of claim within 180 days from the date of the event that caused the wrongful death. Missing either the statute of limitations or the notice of claim time frame will permanently end your right to seek justice for your loss. East Valley Injury Law is a personal injury and wrongful death law firm that handles cases throughout the State of Arizona. Our attorneys handle the complex legal deadlines and paperwork so you can focus on healing and being with your family.

You will most likely NOT have to go to trial when East Valley Injury Law handles your wrongful death claim. The majority of wrongful death cases our firm handles are resolved through settlement negotiations or mediation without ever setting foot in a courtroom. We approach every case as if it is going to trial, we conduct thorough investigation, and work with expert witnesses to build the strongest possible argument. Thus, the insurance carrier for the at-fault party will see the writing on the wall – that we will win big at trial – and they offer to settle the claim for an amount that makes sense to our clients. East Valley Injury Law is a personal injury law firm that takes an aggressive but professional approach to getting Arizona families fair compensation after a tragic loss. If the insurance company refuses to settle fairly, our litigation team prepares for and takes your case before a judge and jury (if necessary).

If the life of your family member is wrongfully taken due to a government entity failing to properly maintain a roadway, East Valley Injury Law will hold accountable the governmental entity responsible for maintaining that roadway. East Valley Injury Law has handled some of the state’s largest wrongful death and serious injury claims involving roadway maintenance. We recently secured a $19.9 million settlement involving a commercial carrier and the State of Arizona. This claim was brought on behalf of a family who lost two family members in a head-on collision that was, at least in part, caused by the failure of the government to properly maintain the roadway. In that case, as well as in other cases, we worked with road design experts, accident reconstruction experts, and human factors experts to establish liability and causation in these cases. 

East Valley Injury Law attorneys live and work in the East Valley (including Mesa, Gilbert, Queen Creek, San Tan Valley), but we handle cases throughout the State of Arizona. We take seriously our responsibility to hold negligent government agencies accountable for the harm they cause to Arizona families.