Accidents that result in the death of a loved one are always terribly heartbreaking - but what separates an innocent but tragic accident from a wrongful death case in Virginia?

Wrongful death lawsuits originate from a wide variety of causes, but one common theme ties them all together: if it were not due to the negligence of another person or company, the death would not have occurred or would have been prevented. In simple accidents, a person could have simply been in the wrong place or the wrong time, or the person could have taken an unwise risk. In the case of a wrongful death incident, your loved one died due to the negligence, recklessness, or disregard for safety of another person.

Here are some common examples of wrongful death cases:

• Car accidents, truck wrecks, motorcycle crashes, and other traffic accidents. This is the most common category of wrongful death claims. If your loved one was killed in a car accident due to the reckless driving or negligence of another person on the road, you may have a wrongful death case. Wrongful death claims have also been filed against drivers when their passengers have been killed. In other wrongful death cases, families have sued the manufacturer of the vehicle or the company in charge of maintaining the roads.
• Medical malpractice cases, surgical errors, and medication errors. We often put our lives in the hands of our doctors and nurses, but sometimes these health professionals fail us in terrible ways. A wrong diagnosis, misdiagnosis, surgical error, or medication error could be deadly. Defective medical devices could also lead to the wrongful death of a loved one.
• Defective products. Although we assume that the products we buy in stores are safe for use and have been federally approved, hundreds of defective products are recalled each year - sometimes after the product has already caused loss of life. From children's toys to home cleaning products to foods to furniture, products made by companies with a disregard to safety could affect your family forever.