Consider in the mid of night your phone rings and the door is knocked on by a police officer. Or the hospital personnel need to contact you immediately. Everything changes at these moments. It’s hard to make sense of what happened when your loved one is gone. Organizing the memorial service and notifying family members are probably not on your mind. But if negligence played a role in the death, contacting a Tuscaloosa Wrongful Death Attorney should happen sooner than you think.
When a family is grieving, it feels wrong to think about lawsuits. Their concern is that it will make them look money-hungry. It’s not like that in reality. The earlier you get a lawyer involved, the better your rights will be protected. A skilled wrongful death attorney in Tuscaloosa starts working on your behalf while you take time to mourn and be with family.
Don’t wait weeks or months
Legal issues should not be dealt with until people are emotionally ready. The problem is that it can backfire. Accident scenes are cleaned up of physical evidence. When we consider surveillance systems, old footages are overwritten probably after 30 or 60 days. People who witnessed what happened forget important details or find it impossible to locate them. Calling a lawyer within the first week or two gives them a chance to act fast. They can visit the accident location, photograph everything, and talk to people who saw what happened. They can request documents and records before they disappear or get “lost.” You don’t have to do any of this yourself—that’s their job.
Someone offers you money quickly
Insurance representatives sometimes show up surprisingly fast after a death. They express condolences and hand you paperwork with a check amount written on it. They explain it’s for immediate expenses and that you need to sign here and here. This is a red flag moment. These quick payments come with strings attached. You’ll likely sign away your right to ask for more money later, even if you discover the full cost of what happened is ten times higher. Before you accept any payment or put your signature on documents, have a lawyer review what you’re being offered.
The explanation doesn’t add up
Your brother was healthy and went in for routine surgery. Now he’s dead, and the hospital is giving vague explanations. A car struck your daughter while she was driving safely, but the police report seems to be incomplete. Nursing home staff say your father fell, but his injuries don’t match their claims. Bringing in legal help when you feel more questions are left unanswered by the official explanation is a good sign. They hire experts to analyse what happened and identify inconsistencies in people’s stories. They will be able to determine whether there was negligence or wrongdoing involved.
You’re running out of time without knowing it
Legal deadlines exist whether you’re aware of them or not. There is a two-year time limit in Alabama for filing a wrongful death lawsuit. The time you have sounds ample when you are going through a difficult time. It is often too late when families realize they missed their window. Cases involving complex issues require extensive preparation. Getting and reviewing medical records is important. Experts need time to analyse evidence. Depositions get scheduled months in advance. Starting early means your attorney can be thorough instead of rushed.
Taking action to achieve justice while honoring your family member is possible. The two things aren’t in conflict. Taking legal action is simply another part of dealing with an untimely death—one that shouldn’t be ignored or postponed.
