What can I take to my first attorney meeting about a South Carolina fatal accident or wrongful death case?

If you’re asking this question, you need simplicity, and I’m going to give it to you. Bring every piece of paper or evidence that might relate to your loved one’s accident, the medical care for it, and untimely death. Below you’ll find a list of some things you can bring to help the attorney start an evaluation of the case, but first, a little information for you about how these cases work.

If you need any more guidance on this or anything else in your case, I'm here for you. Get your questions answered in a free, no pressure strategy session by a Spartanburg, SC wrongful death attorney. Call toll free at 888-230-1841 or fill out a Get Help Now form.

The Basics of Accidental Death Cases in South Carolina

This is called a wrongful death case. It gives certain family members the legal right to be compensated for the loss of a family member. The law gives rights to specific compensation in a settlement for a fatal case.

There are a host of reasons why you need an attorney for a wrongful death case, and you can read about the most important ones in this article.

Meeting with an attorney about a wrongful death case should be free. Most lawyers call this a consultation. At my firm, the meeting is a free strategy session because that’s what we’re going to do—start building your case from the ground up, painting a picture of what it will look like going forward.  I’ve worked awful hard to make sure these meetings are easy, comfortable, and informative for you. Because that’s who it’s about—you.

Remeber, you can always call our office at 888-230-1841 and request a free consultation to discuss your situation. And if you hire us, no, you won’t need any money to do it.

Now, on to what you can bring to help us get started on your case evaluation.

Things You Can Bring to Help the Attorney Get Started on Your Wrongful Death Case

The first thing to remember is, if you don’t have some or any of these documents, don’t worry. A good lawyer does a thorough investigation to help you gather these things, but below are documents and evidence that can really help jumpstart your case:

1. Your appointment by the Probate Court as personal representative of the estate. In a wrongful death case, the actual client is the personal representative of the estate. Before the case can be officially started, you need to get this from the probate court. If you don’t have it, we can help you get it.
2. Death certificate. This is an official document for any death in our state. We use it to help prove the actual cause of death is linked to the accident. This is especially important in medical malpractice and nursing home or assisted living facility cases. But even if the death certificate doesn’t list the accident as causing the death, you can still have a case. You owe it to yourself and your family to pursue it if you feel the death was caused by someone else’s carelessness or wrongdoing.
3. Other documents and evidence needed, depending on the type of case. Wrongful death cases get caused for a variety of reasons, whether it’s car, motorcycle or tractor-trailer trucking accidents, slip or trip and fall cases, medical malpractice, or nursing home/assisted living facility neglect. To help you figure out what we might need depending on those cases, here are articles on what you need depending on the case:

• Car, motorcycle, or semi-trailer wreck
• Slip or trip and fall, medical malpractice, or nursing home neglect

ONE PIECE OF EVIDENCE THAT’S ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT: Evidence of what your loved one earned at their job. This helps us prove all the potential lost income created by this tragic death.

You’ve Already Got a Lot of Things to Worry About—What It’s Like to Deal With a Lawyer Shouldn’t Be One of Them

Meeting with a lawyer is hard, even when you’re not overwhelmed by grief and the avalanche of responsibilities that comes with picking up the pieces of an unexpected death. If you’re hesitant to come to see us because you worry about how you’ll be treated, watch this brief video on how we helped a family who went through something like you.  

I also invite you to read unscripted, unedited reviews of actual clients on two websites we don’t own, on Avvo.com and Google+.

And if it’s still too early for you to think about coming to our office but you’ve still got questions you need answers to, no worries. You can just call toll-free at 888-230-1841 or fill out a Get Help Now form. But you've got to act before it's too late.