Have You Experienced the Wrongful Death of a Family Member, Friend or Loved One?

In Alabama, wrongful death occurs when someone is killed as a result of the negligence,
misconduct, or intentional act of another person or corporation.

The experienced attorneys at Samford & Denson, LLP handle various types of cases where a family member, friend or loved one has been wrongfully killed. The types of wrongful death cases include, but are not limited to the following:

- Death caused by serious accident
- Death caused by motor vehicle or automobile collision
- Death caused by tractor-trailer collision
- Death caused by defective product
- Death caused by a criminal act. 

In Alabama, the Alabama Wrongful Death Act governs all wrongful death cases. This law restricts the damages recoverable in a wrongful death case to punitive damages only. Compensatory damages are not allowed. What does this mean? The wrongful death jury instruction given by Alabama judges describes it best:

In a suit brought for a wrongful act, omission, or negligence causing death the damages recoverable are punitive and not compensatory. Damages in this type of action are entirely punitive, imposed for the preservation of human life and as a deterrent to others to prevent similar wrongs. The amount of damages should be directly related to the amount of wrongdoing on the part of the defendant(s). In assessing damages you are not to consider the value of the life of the decedent, for damages in this type of action are not recoverable to compensate the family of the deceased from a monetary standpoint on account of his or her death, nor to compensate the plaintiff for any financial or pecuniary loss sustained by them or the family of the deceased on account of his or her death.

If a family member, friend or loved one, has suffered a wrongful death, please contact one of our attorneys immediately. For over 110 years, the attorneys at Samford & Denson have been providing client focused, expert legal services to family members, friends, and loved ones of those who suffered a wrongful death in Auburn, Opelika, and throughout Alabama.