
New York Wrongful Death Law Modernization: The Impact of the Grieving Families Act
Losing a loved one is an unbearable tragedy. Itβs a pain that cuts deep, leaving an emptiness no words can truly fill. When that loss

Losing a loved one is an unbearable tragedy. Itβs a pain that cuts deep, leaving an emptiness no words can truly fill. When that loss

Wrongful death law in New York allows certain family members of a deceased individual to pursue compensation when their loved oneβs death results from another party’s wrongful act, neglect, or failure to act. This legal action serves two main purposes: to hold the responsible party accountable and to alleviate the financial and emotional burdens on surviving family members. If you have lost a loved one due to anotherβs negligence, you should get legal representation from a leading New York City wrongful death lawyer to get justice and compensation.

Children and the elderly are highly vulnerable populations when it comes to suffering from the negligence of another person. Even the slightest disregard can cause them substantial injury, or worse, death. There is no pain worse than losing a loved one due to the inattention or lack of care of someone else. This is why the legal system has created βwrongful death claims.β

After the suicide of Mona Haddad, 26, her mother, Esther Haddad, blamed her psychiatrists, husband and wife Owen Muir and Carlene Macmillan, for her death. She alleged that her daughter’s psychiatrists had driven her to suicide by not treating her appropriately and not paying attention to the red flags. The 2016 lawsuit claimed that the Brooklyn Minds couple practitioners were sharing inappropriate details of their personal lives with Mona Haddad while ignoring her suicide threats, according to the NY Post.

Accidents that result in fatal outcomes can be devastating for those who survive the deceased person. Not only do they have to go through the emotional trauma of losing a loved one, but they also have to deal with immense financial difficulties. Unfortunately, there are numerous occasions when a fatal accident is caused due to the negligent actions of someone other than the deceased.

The incidence of auto accidents in New York has increased over the years due to growing traffic on the roads. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association shows that a majority of these automobile crashes arise from avoidable causes. Human errors such as speeding or driving under the influence of alcohol or distracted driving are unfortunately responsible for a very large number of serious car accidents.

The death of a loved one is always an overwhelmingly painful experience. However, it can become even more difficult to deal with the loss if the death has been caused due to the wrongdoing or negligence of another person. In such situations, it is possible for the victimβs family to file a wrongful death case to recover damages from the party who was responsible for causing the death.

A Bronx man was left paralyzed following spinal surgery at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia University Irving Medical Center) in 2002. Fourteen-year-old Edward Beloyianis visited the hospital for an operation to treat his scoliosis, a medical condition whereby the spine takes the shape of an S-like curve. The surgery left Beloyianis paralyzed for life. He died eight years after the surgery, according to the NY Times. His parents filed a medical malpractice lawsuit and the jury awarded $10,900,000 as compensation for their sonβs death.
According to the medical malpractice attorney representing the Beloyianisβ family, the spinal surgery at the Manhattan hospital had left the victim paralyzed from the waist down. Investigations found that the surgical screws were misplaced and were pressing against the spinal cord- the primary reason for the paralysis.

A mother of two children died at the Lincoln Hospital in Bronx, NYC, after a minor procedure, following which the deceasedβs family filed a medical malpractice lawsuit. Rosemary Abreu went to the hospital on Sep. 20, 2019, to remove a cyst from her thigh. While the procedure of cyst removal is simple, Abreu didnβt come out alive.
According to the NY Daily News, the 27-year-old mother suffered a cardiac arrest in the middle of the surgery, fell into a coma, and died shortly after. Her family has filed a $50 million medical malpractice lawsuit.
Abreu was a paraprofessional at the Department of Education and a mother of two girls: nine-year-old Katelyn and two-year-old Luna.

For the death of a 50-year-old woman from Pennsylvania after undergoing surgery for her spinal cord, the awarded compensation amounting to $10 million was deemed as void. This decision was after the court determined that the amount does not match settlements granted to other medical malpractice lawsuits for similar incidents.