Wrongful Deaths

The death of a loved one can be a tragic, emotional, and complex time in a person’s life. We have a long history of representing clients who have lost a family member to an accidental or wrongful death. We act to vigorously protect our clients’ interests, explain which aspects of their loss are recognized by law, and help guide them through the inevitable emotional and practical challenges that arise.

Wrongful Deaths

A wrongful death occurs when someone – whether a person or organization—causes the death of a person or persons intentionally, or even negligently. Wrongful deaths can occur in many contexts, including but not limited to professional negligence by a doctor or health care provider, civil assaults, defective products, and slip and fall incidents. For deaths caused by a motor vehicle accident, there is no longer any right to pursue wrongful death claim after May 1, 2021, in B.C.

In B.C., the Family Compensation Act sets out how children, including stepchildren, spouses, parents and in certain circumstances, grandparents, are empowered to bring a lawsuit against a wrongdoer for economic losses arising from the death of their loved one. Unfortunately, claims for grief and/or emotional loss are not recoverable. Under this legislation, the aggrieved family unit must choose a single representative to advance the lawsuit, even where there are multiple people who may be entitled to compensation. In addition, families have only two years to start the wrongful death claim, after which they are statute barred from claiming compensation for the wrongful death.

At Rice Harbut Elliott, we take seriously our role in protecting our clients from the legal process and guiding them through the inevitable emotional and practical challenges that arise in this setting. We have a long history of success in prosecuting complex, multi-party wrongful death claims. Call Rice Harbut Elliott for a free consultation to discuss your potential wrongful death claim.