Losing a loved one is always a difficult time and anyone who has experienced it knows the pain it can cause. Whether their passing was long expected or came as a surprise, it can be so hard to accept and to move on with our lives. When a loved one dies due to someone else’s action, however, the pain can be even more raw as the injustice and senselessness of it is impossible to forget. If you have lost someone special to you and there is someone else to blame, there are steps you can take to get justice for your loved one and closure for yourself.
To help everyone out there who is suffering here is how to emotionally and financially cope with a loved one’s wrongful death.
1. Try to Forgive
The first thing you need to do when you lose a loved one is to try to forgive the person or people who are responsible. This can be so difficult, especially when the feelings are so raw, but holding a grudge or having hate in your heart can bring so much negativity into your life. Nobody is saying that you have to forgive straight away, or that you should just forget what happened and not seek justice, but in order to move on with your own life and not let what happened to eat away at you, forgiveness is so important.
2. Speak to a Therapist or a Counselor
The grieving process is different for everybody and so it can be hard to speak to your loved ones about your feelings when they are also experiencing their own grief. A professional therapist or a grief counselor can be an impartial ear and offer you guidance and advice which can be crucial following a loss. They can help you to deal with the various stages of grief and support you as you take the steps to move on with your life.
3. Speak to a Wrongful Death Attorney
As well as your own mental and emotional well-being, it is important that you take the steps to ensure that whoever is responsible is held to account for what happened. In every state, there are specialized attorneys who will be able to help you get the justice and compensation you deserve but different states have different laws. In Texas, for example, adult children are permitted to seek compensation for their parents’ wrongful death but in other states, this is prohibited once the child has reached the age of eighteen.
One firm of wrongful death lawyers in San Antonio TX explained that local attorneys can explain the laws applicable to your state so you know how to move forward. Whether your loved one died as the result of an accident or due to someone else’s negligence, an experienced attorney will be able to tell you if you have a legitimate case and how much it may be worth. This money could be very helpful in paying for a funeral and for supporting any family members left behind.
4. Claim their Life Insurance
As well as money from compensation, another source of funding for the funeral and other expenses may come from the departed’s life insurance. If you are named as an inheritor on their policy, then make sure that you speak to the life insurance company to see how much is owed to you. If there is any dispute with what is owed, speak to an attorney to settle the issue so that you can get what you are entitled to in order to move forward with your life.
5. Organize a Beautiful Funeral
Once you have sorted out the finances, the best way to honor your loved one’s memory is to organize a beautiful funeral. They may have already left instructions in their will about whether they want to be buried or cremated, which casket or urn to get, and what kind of music or readings they want. If not, speak to those closest to them and try to give them a perfect memorial service. Even though a wrongful death is a horribly sad occasion, try to make the funeral a celebration of their life and the happy memories which their friends and family members will have forever. Think about the favorite songs and poems, and ask those closest to them to make a speech at the service.
Moving on after the death of any loved one can be so difficult but when it is someone who was taken away due to another person’s actions, it can be even harder. It is so important that you take the steps to heal yourself emotionally and to try to live as your loved one would have wanted. Speak to an experienced wrongful death lawyer and they will help to bring justice and closure which will help you to move on.
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