Types of Wrongful Death Cases

The death of a loved one is a heart-wrenching event. However, it becomes even more traumatic and painful to cope with if the death occurs wrongfully due to another person’s negligence.

In such a scenario, all you want is justice.

This is where we come into the picture. At The Law Office of Jason E. Taylor, P.C., we have a team of experienced, knowledgeable, and compassionate North Carolina and South Carolina wrongful death attorneys. We will help you fight for justice and compensation to cope with the financial challenges that come after losing a loved one.

We understand that no financial compensation can make up for the loss incurred. Still, it can help you move forward in life with financial stability, especially if the deceased was the sole breadwinner with dependent children.

Moreover, this compensation can also help you pay for:

  • Medical expenses if the deceased was hospitalized before the death
  • Funeral and burial expenses

At The Law Office of Jason E. Taylor, P.C., we offer a no-obligation consultation and legal assistance on a contingency basis. With us, you don’t have to worry about legal expenses.

Our wrongful death lawyer will review your case to determine if you appear to have a wrongful death claim. If so, we will advise you and help you prove that the defendant had a duty of care, which was breached by either refusing or failing to act with reasonable care, which resulted in the decedent’s death.

Below are the most common types of accidents that make valid wrongful death claims. Take a look:

Car Accidents

Car accidents are one of the most common types of fatal accidents that result in wrongful death claims. According to the National Safety Council, in 2018, traffic fatalities soared to an estimated total of 40,000. The sad reality is that most of the accidents occurred because of the negligence of at least one driver through acts like speeding, distracted driving, tailgating, and driving under the influence.

If any of these acts led to the death of your loved one in a car accident, then the negligent driver may be held responsible. However, if the death occurred in a car crash because of road conditions, the state may be held liable for the accrued damages.

Medical Malpractice

Although we are hopeful that doctors and other medical staff never make errors because they are experts at what they do, let’s not forget that they are human and make mistakes. However, when a mistake occurs during surgery or because of misdiagnosis, medication errors, delayed or incorrect treatment, it can prove to be fatal—costing a life. Such medical cases qualify for malpractice claims in North and South Carolina.

Defective Products

Companies across the US are required to test their products for safety before introducing them to the market. They must carry proper and rigorous safety and quality tests in conformance with the industry regulations to ensure that the products are safe for public use and not defective. This is because a defective product is inherently dangerous.

Nonetheless, suppose a company introduces a defective or unsafe consumer-ready product that leads to someone getting injured or killed after using it. In that case, that company is at fault and may be held responsible for the victim’s death.

Defective products can range from toxic food and containers, drugs, vehicle parts, and toys for children. So, whatever the defective product may be, the manufacturer may be liable for any deaths associated with the usage of such a product.

Workplace Accidents

In 2018, approximately 5,250 fatalities occurred in the American workplace. This is a 2% increase from the 5,147 fatal workplace injuries that were recorded in 2017. Among the most common workplace accidents that result in employee death are:

  • Electrocution
  • Struck by a heavy object
  • Falls, slips, and trips
  • Being caught between or in structures, machinery, and materials
  • Violence
  • Transportation incidents

Though jobs with high risk such as manual labor and construction work have more work-related deaths, it is possible in any occupation. Wrongful death can occur even in an office or while driving to or from work, or because of work.

For example, suppose a truck driver dies in a road accident while transporting goods from one location to another because of defective tires or extended work hours. In that case, the company may be held liable. Likewise, if an employee who has worked 12 hours plus overtime shifts dies in a car crash on the way back home due to exhaustion, this will qualify as a wrongful death claim.

Premises Liability Accidents

Property owners in and across North Carolina and South Carolina have a legal responsibility to keep their properties safe and free from potential hazards that can cause injuries to people or result in deaths. Therefore, if your loved one died in a premise liability accident such as due to a slip and fall or being struck by or against an object on a premise where it shouldn’t have been, then you may be able to file a wrongful death claim and seek justice for the death of your loved one.

Red flower on tombstone at cemetery, wrongful death victim

Contact Us for Legal Assistance

Here it is important to note that this is not an exhaustive list of types of wrongful death cases. So, if your beloved has died due to an accident that occurred due to someone else’s negligence or error, then contact us. We will review your case and help you explore your legal rights.

As the deceased’s family, you may be entitled to monetary damages that can help lessen the financial burden you are likely to be under upon the sudden death of your loved one. At The Law Office of Jason E. Taylor, P.C., our team of North Carolina and South Carolina wrongful death attorneys will work in your best interest and go the extra mile to fight for the at-fault party to be held accountable.

Our goals are to help you get fairly compensated and to see justice served so that you can move forward in life with a sense of closure.

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Notice of Data Security Event
Updated March 28, 2025

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor is providing notice of an event that may affect certain individuals’ information. Although we have no indication of identity theft or fraud in relation to this event, we are providing information about the event, our response, and additional measures individuals can take to help protect their information, should they feel it appropriate to do so.

What Happened? On October 28, 2024, The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor identified suspicious activity related to our email system. We quickly took steps to investigate and determined that an unknown actor may have accessed certain emails within our email system between August 7 and November 7, 2024. We then conducted a comprehensive review of the potentially affected emails and attachments to determine what information was contained therein and to whom the information related, which was completed on February 25, 2025. Unfortunately, we were unable to verify the addresses of certain affected individuals, so we are providing this notice to ensure potentially affected individuals receive information about the event.

What Information Was Involved? The information affected may include individuals’ Social Security number, driver’s license and state ID information, financial account number, and health information.

What We Are Doing. We are notifying individuals about this matter and providing guidance about free resources that are available to assist with monitoring relevant accounts, credit reports, and how to place a fraud alert or security freeze on one’s credit file. Further, as with our typical security practices, we will continue to evaluate our policies, procedures, staff training, and technical security measures to reduce the likelihood of an event like this reoccurring.

What Individuals Can Do. We encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your account statements and monitoring your free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. We also recommend you review the below “Steps Individuals Can Take To Help Protect Personal Information”.

For More Information. If individuals have questions about this matter, we have a dedicated assistance line with agents ready to answer their questions. Please contact our toll-free dedicated assistance line at 1-800-939-4170, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. through 9 p.m., excluding holidays. You may also write to us at The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor, Attn: Compliance, P.O. Box 2688, Hickory, NC 28603.

Sincerely,

The Law Offices of Jason E. Taylor

STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

Monitor Your Accounts

Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Consumers may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of their credit report.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If consumers are the victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should consumers wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in a consumer’s name without consent. However, consumers should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in their credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application they make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, consumers cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on their credit report. To request a credit freeze, individuals may need to provide some or all of the following information:

1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Addresses for the prior two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, etc.); and
7. A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if they are a victim of identity theft.

Should consumers wish to place a credit freeze or fraud alert, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ https://www.experian.com/help/

https://www.transunion.com/credit-help
1-888-298-0045 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016
Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Additional Information

Consumers may further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps they can take to protect their personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or their state attorney general. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Consumers can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Consumers have the right to file a police report if they ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, consumers will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and the relevant state attorney general. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For District of Columbia residents, the District of Columbia Attorney General may be contacted at: 400 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; 1-202-442-9828; and oag.dc.gov.

For Maryland residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-410-576-6300 or 1-888-743-0023; and https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/.

For New Mexico residents, consumers have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in their credit file has been used against them, the right to know what is in their credit file, the right to ask for their credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting bureaus must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to consumers’ files is limited; consumers must give consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; consumers may limit “prescreened” offers of credit and insurance based on information in their credit report; and consumers may seek damages from violators. Consumers may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active-duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage consumers to review their rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20580.

For New York residents, the New York Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; or https://ag.ny.gov.

For North Carolina residents, the North Carolina Attorney General may be contacted at: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General may be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903; 1-401-274-4400; and www.riag.ri.gov. Under Rhode Island law, individuals have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this event.
STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT A MINOR DEPENDENT’S PERSONAL INFORMATION

Typically, credit reporting agencies do not have a credit report in a minor’s name. To find out if a minor has a credit report or to request a manual search for a minor’s Social Security number each credit bureau has its own process. To learn more about these processes or request these services, consumers may contact the credit bureaus by phone, writing, or online:
Equifax Experian TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/help/article-list/-/h/a/request-child-credit-report/
https://www.experian.com/help/minor-request.html
https://www.transunion.com/fraud-victim-resources/child-identity-theft

1-800-685-1111 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013 P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016

To request information about the existence of a credit file in a minor’s name, search for a minor’s Social Security number, place a security freeze or fraud alert on a minor’s credit report (if one exists), or request a copy of a minor’s credit report consumers may be required to provide the following information:
● A copy of their driver’s license or another government issued identification card, such as a state identification card, etc.;
● Proof of address, such as a copy of a bank statement, utility bill, insurance statement, etc.;
● A copy of the minor’s birth certificate;
● A copy of the minor’s Social Security card;
● The minor’s full name, including middle initial and generation, such as JR, SR, II, III, etc.;
● The minor’s date of birth; and
● The minor’s previous addresses for the past two years.

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