There is no claim that puts a life back. What a wrongful death case can do is hold the responsible party accountable and protect a family’s future when a death was caused by someone else’s carelessness. These are the hardest cases we handle, and we handle them the way the brand promises: we listen first, and we carry the legal weight so the family can focus on each other.
Mirador Law represents families across the East Bay after a fatal collision, fall, or act of negligence. Led by former San Francisco public defenders Megan Burns and Emily Dahm, the firm brings more than 40 years of combined experience, close to a hundred jury trials, and two of California’s Top 50 plaintiff verdicts for 2024.
Who can bring a claim, and what it covers
California law allows certain family members, generally a spouse or domestic partner, children, and in some cases others who depended on the person, to bring a wrongful death claim. A claim can address the financial support the family has lost, funeral and burial costs, and the loss of the love, companionship, and guidance the person provided. A related survival action can address what the person experienced before death. We explain how these fit together for your family.
Fault and deadlines
The general deadline to file a wrongful death lawsuit in California is two years from the date of death under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. If a public entity is responsible, the family generally has only six months to file an administrative claim under Government Code section 911.2. California’s pure comparative negligence rule means a recovery is reduced by the deceased person’s share of fault, if any, rather than barred.
A look at how these cases unfold
The following hypothetical examples illustrate how these cases can unfold. They are not based on any specific client and are provided for educational purposes only. A family loses a parent in a collision caused by a driver who ran a red light. The insurer is slow and the family is overwhelmed. The case is handled so the family is not the one chasing records and adjusters, and the claim accounts for both the financial support and the irreplaceable role the parent held.
Wrongful death lawyers by location: Pleasanton | Oakland | Fremont & Newark