{"id":42743,"date":"2022-01-13T17:26:10","date_gmt":"2022-01-13T21:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ciccarelli.com\/philadelphia-injury-lawyers\/?p=42743"},"modified":"2022-01-13T17:26:10","modified_gmt":"2022-01-13T21:26:10","slug":"how-to-file-a-wrongful-death-claim-in-pennsylvania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ciccarelli.com\/philadelphia-injury-lawyers\/how-to-file-a-wrongful-death-claim-in-pennsylvania\/","title":{"rendered":"How to File a Wrongful Death Claim in Pennsylvania"},"content":{"rendered":"

Losing a loved one is incredibly challenging. If an individual loses their life due to the negligent actions of another individual or entity, then the personal representative of their estate may be able to file a wrongful death claim on behalf of the deceased’s surviving family members. Here, we want to look more closely at how individuals can file a wrongful death claim in Pennsylvania.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Does This Fall to a Personal Representative?<\/span><\/h2>\n

When we examine Pennsylvania law, it is crucial to point out that the personal representative, often called the executor, of the deceased individual’s estate is responsible for filing the wrongful death claim in civil court (<\/span>42 Pa. Stat. and Cons. Stat. \u00a7 8301 (2021)<\/span><\/a>. This is different from how many other states operate where the deceased’s surviving family members are primarily responsible for filing the claim.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, if the personal representative does not file the wrongful death claim within six months from the date of death, any of the deceased individual’s beneficiaries are allowed to file a claim on behalf of all of the other beneficiaries.<\/span><\/p>\n

In these situations, beneficiaries typically include the surviving spouse, children, parents, or any other person financially reliant on the deceased at the time of death.<\/span><\/p>\n

Time Limit for Filing a Pennsylvania Wrongful Death Claim<\/span><\/h2>\n

In Pennsylvania, the personal representative or beneficiaries must be cognizant of the time frame required to file these claims. The wrongful death statute of limitations in PA is two years from the date of death. If a case is not filed within this two-year time frame, the court will very likely dismiss the case, leading to the beneficiaries becoming unable to recover the compensation they are entitled to.<\/span><\/p>\n

You Need to Work With an Attorney<\/span><\/h2>\n

Wrongful death claims in Pennsylvania must be filed in civil court, but this is not an easy process. This is particularly true for individuals who do not have much legal experience. Often, individuals are left going up against well-funded at-fault parties and their insurance carriers.<\/span><\/p>\n

When determining whether or not and how to file a wrongful death claim in Pennsylvania, we encourage you to reach out to an attorney as soon as possible. A skilled <\/span>Philadelphia wrongful death lawyer<\/span><\/a> can handle every aspect of these claims on behalf of the estate and the beneficiaries. They will conduct a full investigation into the wrongful death incident, gather the evidence needed to prove liability, and handle all communication with other parties involved, including the defendant(s).<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a complex process, and an attorney will keep the estate and the beneficiaries in the loop every step of the way. A significant benefit to working with an attorney is that they will typically take these cases on a contingency fee basis. This means that the estate will not have to pay any upfront or out-of-pocket costs related to the wrongful death claim. Additionally, the attorney will not collect any legal fees until after the estate successfully recovers compensation through an insurance settlement or a wrongful death jury settlement.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Losing a loved one is incredibly challenging. If an individual loses their life due to the negligent actions of another individual or entity, then the personal representative of their estate may be able to file a wrongful death claim on behalf of the deceased’s surviving family members. Here, we want to look more closely at how individuals can file a\u2026 READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":"","_content_optimizer_report_url":"","_content_optimizer_report_added":"","_content_optimizer_keyword_hide_used":false,"_content_optimizer_keyword_hide_above_average":false,"_content_optimizer_entities_hide_used":false,"_content_optimizer_entities_hide_above_average":false,"_content_optimizer_headings_hide_used":false,"_content_optimizer_questions_hide_used":false,"_content_optimizer_tab_active":"","_content_optimizer_report_url_ce":"","_content_optimizer_report_added_ce":"","_content_optimizer_keyword_hide_used_ce":false,"_content_optimizer_keyword_hide_above_average_ce":false,"_content_optimizer_entities_hide_used_ce":false,"_content_optimizer_entities_hide_above_average_ce":false,"_content_optimizer_headings_hide_used_ce":false,"_content_optimizer_questions_hide_used_ce":false,"_content_optimizer_tab_active_ce":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":{"sm_multiple":false,"sm_custom_multimenu":null,"sm_custom_title":"","sm_disable_sidebar":false},"yoast_head":"\nHow to File a Wrongful Death Claim in Pennsylvania<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you need to file a wrongful death claim in Philadelphia, contact the Ciccarelli Law Offices. 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