Wrongful death claims have shorter filing time period

If you look through our extensive list of Transocean blogs and library articles, you will see that many of them caution Deepwater Horizon victims and family members to research carefully when deciding whether or not to pursue legal action. Though many attorneys rushed to the Louisiana delta with pens and paper to greet dazed survivors as they returned to shore just hours after barely escaping with their lives, we have steadfastly continued to preach patience and reason in making what will be one of the most important legal decisions of your life.

It is important to understand, though, that because of statutes of limitations, there is a shelf life of allowable time to making this type of decision. This is particularly true when it comes to filing a wrongful death claim.

While the normal statute of limitations in maritime law is three years, the period for wrongful death filings is significantly shorter. Depending upon the state, it may be as short as six months or up to two years.

A wrongful death means the loss of a loved one due to the negligence or reckless action of another person or company. Compensation to the family is determined by factors including  pain and suffering that the victim experienced before he or she died, loss of financial support to the family and loss of companionship to the spouse.

Both statute of limitations rules and the means to calculate compensation are matters that are best handled by an experienced offshore law firm.