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Practice Areas Overview

Wrongful Death

Wrongful death occurs when a person dies or suffers fatal injuries due to another person's carelessness, negligence, or recklessness or because of violence. The amount of compensation granted to survivors is often economic, based upon the loss of the deceased's financial support. To prove this loss, testimony is gathered from the person's employer and specialists in their field to determine how much income the deceased would have produced in the future. Economists testify to the future income loss to the family.

On the other hand, there can be an economic loss even if the death is of a person who does not earn an income. Such persons may provide valuable services to the family. For example, homemakers who cook, clean and maintain the home provide valuable services. So do retired persons who undertake home repairs, baby sit or do the gardening.

The death of a child or teenager may also involve economic losses by reason of the probability that the deceased would have provided financial support for the family in the future.

However, the most important loss in all these cases is the personal loss to the family. The loss of a loved spouse, parent or child is a crippling blow to a family. The loss of that person's love, care, comfort and companionship as well as their advice and guidance are the most serious of losses for which compensation is required.

If your loved one has died in a fatal accident through another person's carelessness, negligence or recklessness, or due to violence:

As wrongful death attorneys, we at the law firm of Baum & Blake understand that every life has a value that goes far beyond economic losses. This is where the "art" of legal representation comes into play. We've had significant success in helping juries understand a family's loss on a personal and emotional level as well as on a financial level. While every case is different, our record of seven figure verdicts in such cases speaks to our success.

We invite you to review some select cases below and in our newsletter, the Baum & Blake Report.

Please contact an attorney Baum & Blake for a free initial consultation regarding your wrongful death case.

Representative Cases

Client: Husband of pregnant woman

Accident: Woman's car crushed when 40 tons of granite fell onto a freeway from a truck travelling on an overpass.

Injury: Death of mother and unborn child.

Challenge: Difficult to value case with minimal economic loss to client.

Creative Response: Developed evidence of the close familial bonds and the impact of the loss of a spouse and unborn child.

Outcome: Settlement for $3 million

San Francisco wrongful death lawyer: David Baum


Representative Cases

Client: Family of truck driver

Accident: Single vehicle truck accident

Injury: Multiple catastrophic injuries leading to death.

Challenge: The driver's speed was a cause of the accident and he had just begun his own trucking business, making substantially less than in his former employment.

Creative Response: Martin Blake was able to prove that the roadway was unsafe based on previous accidents and lack of warning signs.

Outcome: Trial verdict for $1.4 million

San Francisco truck accident attorney: Martin Blake