Making Sure the Law Is On Your Side

Your local police department likely helps to save lives every week, but there may be circumstances in which you believe that the department's actions led to the death of a loved one. The situation can be overt — for example, a police officer fatally shooting one of the members of your family. However, there can be many other scenarios in which you believe that the police department had a role in the death of the victim. It can be worthwhile to book a meeting with a wrongful death attorney if you believe that your late loved one was a victim of one of these scenarios.

Slow 911 Response

You may feel as though the local police department's slow response to a 911 call played a role in the death of your loved one. For example, if your loved one called 911 to report a break-in at their home, and was killed before the police arrived, you and your attorney will want to obtain records of the incident. It's a concern if a quick arrival by a responding officer could have likely saved your loved one's life. For example, if they were killed about 10 minutes after calling 911, and a police officer should've theoretically arrived at the house in less than 10 minutes, you might hold the police partially accountable.

No 911 Response

It's also a problem if the police never arrived in the wake of a victim calling 911. While you have to accept that not every emergency call can lead to a police officer being on the scene in mere minutes, you might be upset that there's no record of the police ever arriving to help your loved one in need. There are many reasons that the police may not respond to a 911 call, but you might not feel that the reason you've been given is adequate. In this scenario, a wrongful death case could make sense.

Inadequate 911 Response

In some scenarios, the police may arrive at the victim's house, check the situation, and then depart. A subsequent investigation could reveal that this response wasn't adequate. For example, perhaps the police failed to notice the intruder in your loved one's home, assured the victim that the scene was safe, and then left — only for the intruder to emerge a short time later and take your family member's life.

If you think you have a case, contact a wrongful death lawyer to learn more.