When William and Janice Bright, both in their sixties, were celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary, their family certainly did not expect anything to go wrong. Unfortunately, something did go wrong and it cost the Bright’s their lives.
They were on the duck boat that sank in stormy waters, two of the 17 killed that day. You saw the story in every news cycle for a week and then it seemed to disappear. Now, the first lawsuit has been settled in the case and it was with the Brights’ children. Their three adult daughters say that four plaintiffs were negligent in the deaths of their parents:
- Ride the Ducks International LLC
- Ripley Entertainment Inc. (owner of Ride the Ducks)
- The boat’s captain
- The boat’s driver on land
This is one of several ongoing lawsuits brought on behalf of the families killed that day. The terms of the settlement are confidential, but the Bright family is glad to close this chapter of their lives.
At Mayer & Rosenberg, P.C., we want to help if you have lost a loved one due to another person’s negligence. If you need a Kansas City wrongful death lawyer, call us today.
How This Happens
There are many ways in which wrongful death cases arise. Today, we want to cover some of the more common types of cases we see but please know that this is not a complete list and you should always speak with an attorney about your particular case.
Wrongful death cases arise when someone is killed as a result of wrongful or careless (negligent) acts of another person, company, agency, etc. Like the case of the duck boat, there were multiple groups of people involved, which is why these cases can be so complicated.
- Vehicle accidents – there are over 30,000 fatal motor vehicle accidents annually in the US. In Missouri, we had 780 death in traffic accidents in the latest reporting year, many of which were caused by drunk or distracted drivers.
- Medical errors – you may not realize it, but medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the US. These happen due to the negligence of doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.
- Faulty products – if you regularly scan the government website that tracks current recalls, you will see that there are hundreds of potentially deadly products on the market. If a product is poorly designed or is labeled incorrectly, it can harm consumers.
- Workplace accidents – workplace accidents are common and can take the form of people using tools incorrectly, vehicle accidents, falls, and more. It is the responsibility of employers to do what they can to provide a safe working environment.
What Are Your Options
We know that you are going through an incredibly difficult time right now. At Mayer & Rosenberg, P.C., we want to work with you and your family to get the compensation you deserve. This can include:
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Lost wages and benefits/loss of future income
- Pain and suffering damages
- Punitive damages
When you need a Kansas City wrongful death attorney, you can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling 816-941-8949.