A Florida woman is suing debt collectors claiming they caused her husband’s death.  She claims illegal debt collection tactics, such as high frequency calling and calling neighbors, caused so much emotional stress that her husband, who had a heart condition, died as a result.

Her husband had suffered a heart attack and had been airlifted to a hospital. One message left on the couples phone allegedly stated

“”Why don’t you have that helicopter pick you up and bring that payment to the office?”.[1] Read the rest of this entry »

In addition to seeking “actual pecuniary loss” on behalf of statutory beneficiaries Washington has three survival statutes under which a deceased’s injury claim may be brought.  Washington has three wrongful death survival statutes, a general survival statute and two that relate to personal injury claims. Read the rest of this entry »

Wrongful death claims are claims brought on behalf of beneficiaries of the deceased as defined by statute against the negligent defendant whose actions proximately caused the death.  Depending on the facts and circumstances other claims might be brought under the survival statutes.  Both types of claims are often referred to as “wrongful death” claims for convenience. Read the rest of this entry »