Whenever a person dies before their time – either due to the negligence of another person, the misconduct of a third party or even something like murder – the situation is referred to in a court of law as a wrongful death. These types of cases, which can only be brought into a court of law by a personal representative of the estate of the deceased, have a long and storied history in the United States – particularly in San Bernardino and the surrounding areas.
Wrongful Death Cases in San Bernardino and Beyond: An Overview
Wrongful death liability in general actually dates all the way back to the Fatal Accidents Act of 1846, also commonly referred to as “Lord Campbell’s Act.” Established as an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, it was the first such document of its kind to establish that relatives of people killed by the wrongdoing (either intentionally or unintentionally) of others were able to recover damages as a result. It was quickly established by many other countries around the world, including the United States. It has largely been the law of the land ever since.
Perhaps the most famous wrongful death case in the history of the country happened in 1994, when O.J. Simpson was tried (and ultimately found not guilty) for the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.
San Bernardino in particular has been in the news recently due to a particularly high profile wrongful death case. In November of 2016, a federal judge set a trial date for a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that a member of the San Bernardino County sheriff’s department fatally shot and killed a man who was both unarmed and mentally ill at a motel in 2015 without reason to do so. The trial for that case is still a long way off – it will begin on March 6 of next year – but you can expect to see many more headlines about its activities between now and then.
Harshbarger Law
Sadly, wrongful death cases in San Bernardino and the surrounding areas are nothing new. They’ve happened before and they will happen again – but that doesn’t mean that this is one road you have to travel alone. If you or a loved one has been affected by a wrongful death case, or if you’d like to sit down and discuss your situation with someone in more detail, please don’t delay – contact the experts at Harshbarger Law today. Our number one focus is and will always be our clients.