Join Kern Living host Ryan Nelson as he chats with Alina Dermendjian, an attorney with B&D Law, about wrongful death lawsuits.
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - What's up Kern County?
00:10 It's Ryan Nelson and you are watching Kern Living.
00:13 On today's episode, we're sitting with our friend Alina
00:15 from BND Law and we're talking about a topic
00:17 that you may have some questions about.
00:19 So Alina, how are you today?
00:20 - I'm doing well, how are you Ryan?
00:22 - I'm doing well, but I am coming on behalf of some people
00:25 that have questions about wrongful death.
00:27 How can someone make a claim for this in California?
00:30 - Blood relatives are generally bringing claims
00:34 in order of priority under what's called
00:36 California's intestate succession laws.
00:39 So typically it's the surviving spouse,
00:41 followed by any children that they might have.
00:45 If there's no children, then it goes to
00:47 the biological parents of the decedent, so on and so forth.
00:52 - So what type of damages are recoverable
00:54 in these type of cases?
00:56 - Great question.
00:57 So look, no amount of money, unfortunately,
01:00 is ever gonna be enough to compensate
01:02 for the loss of a loved one,
01:04 but it's crucial to hold the at-fault party
01:07 responsible for their actions.
01:09 So the typical damages we see in these types of claims
01:12 are burial expenses, funeral expenses,
01:15 any sort of loss of companionship claim and support,
01:20 any sort of support that that individual
01:22 would have given to the surviving spouse
01:25 or any of the heirs can be quantified,
01:28 and those are the damages that we would make a request for.
01:31 - Okay, so if the decedent is placed at fault
01:34 in the police report, can a family member
01:36 still bring in a wrongful death claim?
01:38 - Yes, California is a comparative liability state,
01:41 which means so long as there's some percentage of fault
01:44 that can be attributed on the other party,
01:47 then the decedent can recover.
01:50 It's always crucial in these types of situations,
01:52 especially if the decedent is placed at fault
01:55 in a police report, that you give us a call.
01:58 We'll do a free consultation,
01:59 and we'll see if we can help you out
02:01 or we'll guide you in the right direction.
02:03 - Okay, and you said a free call.
02:04 Now, how can everyone in Kern County
02:05 get in contact with you?
02:07 - Sure, you can give us a call at our 661-200-0555
02:11 phone number, visit us on our website, bdinjury.com,
02:16 or you can message us on our various social media channels
02:19 on Instagram, TikTok, as well as Facebook.
02:22 (gentle music)