Two weeks ago a nurse, a mother of three, was killed by a drunk driver when she was on her way to work.
The crash took place on Long Island and has now resulted in the filing of a multi-million dollar wrongful death lawsuit against the person who caused the death.
Monica Peterman, 45, was driving her 2009 Mercedes to work when a car veered out of its lane on East Main Street and Route 111 in Smithtown on June 14 and struck the side door of her vehicle. The driver, a cardiologist from Setauket, was caught allegedly driving while under the influence of alcohol. He subsequently ran from the scene and was apprehended not long after, allegedly smelling of alcohol with little control over his speech and movement.
Peterman’s family is now seeking damages worth between $10 and $20 million against the doctor as well as against any bar he may have consumed alcohol at that evening.
Cases like this take place in New York and other American cities every day and not all families realize they may have the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the person who caused the accident.
The decedent’s family sustains a financial loss as well. This financial loss is calculated based upon how much income the deceased person was contributing to the family’s everyday financial needs. Now that the victims have retained an attorney, they are eligible to apply for lawsuit funding while awaiting the outcome of their case.
Clearly, no amount of money can adequately compensate the victims for their loss. But because a great deal of damages are at stake, the lawsuit could very well take years to resolve. Meanwhile, bills still need to be paid and the loss in monthly income could pose a real problem for the family.
Lawsuit funding, also known as settlement funding or settlement loans, are agreements to sell a portion of the future proceeds of a lawsuit in exchange for cash. The money can be used as the client deems fit and there is normally no upfront cost to apply.
Legal funding is available to anyone who has suffered a personal injury or for family who have suffered the loss of a family member and has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. There are many types of personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits including, medical malpractice, product defects, prescription errors, elevator accidents, motor vehicle accidents and pedestrian and cycle accidents.
Many victims and their families may find they have the right to file a lawsuit against the person who caused the accident. Often, though they may think they cannot afford the legal fees or they will have more to lose if the case is lost.
This is not the case, as most personal injury lawyers only get paid if the case is successful. Likewise, lawsuit funding contracts are not repaid unless the lawsuit reaches settlement or there is a trial verdict or other recovery. There are no limitations on the lawsuit cash advance as the money can be used for anything at all.
