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Wrongful death suit?

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My dad was recently randomly shot while driving home. The guy shot him twice in the head
and stole his car.

How much can you sue for in this situation? what is the cheapest way to figure out if the guy has any money?
 


commentator

Senior Member
I would say the easiest way to determine if this guy has any money that would make it worth suing him is see if he has a good attorney he's hired for himself or uses a public defender.
 

PayrollHRGuy

Senior Member
I'm very sorry about your father. But, generally, people that randomly shoot people and steal their cars don't have a lot of cash or property. And likley never will because they will spend the majority or hopefully the rest of their life in prison.
 
Thanks, it is tough to deal with.

Yes, I am not overly hopeful but I figure its worth a shot. The guy had no criminal history and claims he was blackout drunk,
doesnt remember the whole event. He ran into another car a short while later when he was fleeing and that driver is dead as well. He injured
two other people in the incident.
 

quincy

Senior Member
Thanks, it is tough to deal with.

Yes, I am not overly hopeful but I figure its worth a shot. The guy had no criminal history and claims he was blackout drunk,
doesnt remember the whole event. He ran into another car a short while later when he was fleeing and that driver is dead as well. He injured
two other people in the incident.
What is the name of your state?
 

quincy

Senior Member
it happened in seattle washington
Thank you for providing your state name. I am so sorry for your loss.

I live and work in the Detroit area where random shootings of innocent people are (unfortunately) not uncommon.

Your family should consult with a personal injury lawyer in your area. You can file a lawsuit as a relative of the deceased. The amount of compensation will depend on several factors that will need to be personally analyzed. One factor will be the age of your father and one factor will be his income at the time of his death and his projected future earnings had he survived. Medical expenses and funeral costs should be included in any damages demanded.

I agree with PayrollHRGuy that financial recovery may be difficult.

Again, I am sorry for your loss. Senseless random killings are hard to deal with emotionally so I hope you and your family members are seeking out mental health support.

Good luck.
 

not2cleverRed

Obvious Observer
Thanks, it is tough to deal with.

Yes, I am not overly hopeful but I figure its worth a shot. The guy had no criminal history and claims he was blackout drunk,
doesnt remember the whole event. He ran into another car a short while later when he was fleeing and that driver is dead as well. He injured
two other people in the incident.
How horrible!

I am sorry for the loss to your family and the families of the other victims.

While it may be an exercise in futility to get paid, your family can always sue based on the financial cost of your father's untimely demise.

What might help you emotionally is to work on preventing the man from doing this again. Because there are deaths involved, you would want more than just a rehabilitative program, for example. How much responsibility is this man taking for his actions? Is there any remorse on his part? Or he remorseless, along the lines of "I don't remember, it must have been a mistake, so why are you angry at me"? I am only asking, because if there is no money to be had, if he at least were remorseful, one thing that might help (emotionally) would if he took responsibility for his actions, and used it as a teachable moment for others.
 
He is claiming he doesnt remember the whole shooting, so no remorse at this point. The police have charged him with up to 110 years in jail or so but, of course, you never know what he might actually end up with.
 

quincy

Senior Member
He is claiming he doesnt remember the whole shooting, so no remorse at this point. The police have charged him with up to 110 years in jail or so but, of course, you never know what he might actually end up with.
Hopefully he will wind up with the 110 years.

Your attorney can advise you on the legal actions you can take and on crime victim resources and restitution. Nothing, however, helps much with the healing process. It stands to be long, hard, and never really complete, regardless of what criminal punishment the person who killed your dad receives in court.

My sympathy to you and your family.
 

not2cleverRed

Obvious Observer
He is claiming he doesnt remember the whole shooting, so no remorse at this point. The police have charged him with up to 110 years in jail or so but, of course, you never know what he might actually end up with.
:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Sorry if I am overreacting, but this is a sign of generally poor character.

A young relative of mine was arrested for drunk driving as a college student. He too had no memory. However, when he was told what happened, he was shocked, and thankful that the casualties were only parked cars - "I could have killed someone!" he told his parents. It was a wake up call, and he voluntarily reached out to others on campus to work on an anti-underage drinking/drunk driving campaign - he didn't need a judge to do this, but it did favorably impress the judge when it came time for sentencing.

Since this jerk actually killed people - cars and guns, and feels no shock, remorse, or general self loathing for his actions, I get where you're coming from.

If it's the story I think... yikes.

Depending on why he is no longer employed by the big software employer in Seattle and the online recipe company, there may or may not be money. Depending on whether other family members were aware of his instability, and whether they acted reasonably, I suppose someone could try to argue that they might be partially liable. He's only been married 2 or 3 years, so his inebriated state must seem normal to his wife.

Nothing is going to bring your Dad back.

The killer is a self-centered drunk who has described himself to police as a recovering alcoholic. There is no chance of remorse any time soon. This was no accident. He did not accidentally shoot people any more than he accidentally got drunk.

It might be more useful and fulfilling to celebrate your father's life, and work with other organizations that fight against alcoholism.
 

not2cleverRed

Obvious Observer
Yes, its a pretty sucky situation all the way around ...
Yes, it's pretty sucky. A man gets randomly shot by a "recovering alcoholic" who is blotto to the point of blacking out, and all one of his kids can think of is, how to sue.

How about, how to prevent the murderer from murdering ever again? Or, how to help the wounded?

Just start a GoFundMe page to go to your Dad's funeral.
 

quincy

Senior Member
Oh, and your Dad's widow is the one who should have standing for a lawsuit, not you.
Designated beneficiaries and/or the estate of the deceased have standing. A personal representative should be appointed.

Following is a link that you might find helpful, from an organization based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Network of Victim Assistance (NOVA):
https://www.novabucks.org/otherinformation/homicide/
 
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