The sudden loss of a loved one after a preventable tragedy brings profound grief along with serious financial strain. Funeral expenses, medical costs, and lost household income can disrupt a family’s stability within days. If you have suffered such a loss, support from a Lancaster wrongful death lawyer can help protect your rights and secure critical evidence before insurance carriers begin building a defense. Vehicle collisions, unsafe premises, defective products, workplace incidents, farming accidents, or other avoidable events can all lead to wrongful death legal claims. The goal of this kind of claim is to hold responsible parties accountable for the loss they have caused. Early legal action allows your family to preserve key records and testimony and support your quest for justice and compensation after the loss of a loved one.
During such a difficult time, families benefit from legal counsel prepared for serious litigation and committed advocacy. Greene Broillet & Wheeler represents clients in Lancaster and across California in complex wrongful death cases, building each claim with detailed analysis and trial readiness from the start.
A wrongful death claim demands more than filing paperwork. These cases often involve detailed accident reconstruction, corporate record review, and financial analysis projecting decades of lost support. Families need counsel prepared for intensive litigation and capable of clearly presenting complex evidence to a jury. For more than 50 years, Greene Broillet & Wheeler has represented individuals and families across California in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases, earning recognition from U.S. News Best Law Firms, Best Lawyers in America, and Super Lawyers.
Our team approaches each wrongful death case with deliberate strategy and disciplined preparation. Substantial firm resources support every claim, including collaboration with medical professionals, accident reconstruction analysts, economists, and life care planners. These professionals help calculate long-term financial losses, projected earnings, and the measurable impact of losing a spouse, parent, or child. Clients work directly with trial lawyers and a coordinated litigation team prepared to manage complex wrongful death actions from investigation through verdict or settlement.
We have a history of significant outcomes in fatal collision and wrongful death litigation:
Past results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Results depend on the specific facts of each case. However, these outcomes reflect a long-standing commitment to individuals and families harmed by negligent conduct. A Lancaster wrongful death lawyer from our team prepares every case with focused investigation, strategic planning, and trial readiness designed to pursue full accountability.
Wrongful death claims arise when negligent or wrongful conduct leads to loss of life. In Lancaster, families frequently pursue litigation after preventable incidents disrupt their lives and futures. Some of the most common circumstances Greene Broillet & Wheeler handles in wrongful death litigation include:
Although each case presents unique facts, every wrongful death claim requires careful analysis of duty, breach, causation, and damages. Our Lancaster wrongful death lawyers review collision reports, medical findings, employment records, maintenance logs, and internal safety policies to identify responsible parties. A thorough investigation seeks to identify negligent conduct leading to fatal injury. This investigation strengthens the foundation for pursuing full financial accountability.
Every wrongful death case arising from negligence centers on whether another party’s careless or reckless conduct caused a fatal injury. Under California law in a negligence case, a claim must establish four elements: duty of care, breach of that duty, causation, and damages. In practical terms, this means showing a legal responsibility existed, proving a failure to meet that responsibility, and connecting that failure directly to the loss suffered by surviving family members.
Meeting this burden requires careful investigation and strategic case development. Accident reconstruction may clarify how a collision occurred. Diligent review of medical records can link injuries to the cause of death. Financial analysis helps calculate lost income and long-term support. In complex incidents, liability may extend beyond one person, like where vehicle maintenance records may lead to the discovery of lax maintenance that created dangerous conditions.
Our Lancaster wrongful death lawyers will examine each potential source of fault and move quickly to preserve critical evidence, including vehicle data, surveillance footage, and maintenance records, before information disappears.
After a fatal accident, families often ask who may bring a wrongful death claim. California law limits this right to specific surviving relatives based on their legal relationship to the deceased. Those who commonly have standing include:
When multiple relatives or blended family relationships exist, determining eligibility requires careful legal review. A Lancaster wrongful death lawyer evaluates family structure and dependency status early in the process to ensure proper filing and protect the rights of all qualified claimants.
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When negligence results in loss of life, California civil law allows surviving family members to pursue compensation for the harm suffered. A wrongful death claim focuses on the financial and personal impact experienced by those left behind. Although no award can replace a loved one, recovery can help protect long-term stability.
These address measurable financial losses, including:
Expects project lifetime earnings and the economic support the deceased would have provided.
These focus on personal losses suffered by surviving family members, including:
This category reflects the human toll beyond financial calculations.
The time to file a wrongful death lawsuit does not remain open indefinitely. Under California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, families generally have two years from the date of death to initiate legal action based on another party’s negligent or wrongful conduct.
In limited situations, the applicable timeframe may differ depending on the specific facts and circumstances involved in the case. Because courts apply these statutory limits very strictly, missing the deadline can prevent recovery. Early legal guidance helps ensure all timing requirements receive careful attention.
Families facing unexpected loss deserve clear answers and decisive action. A Lancaster wrongful death lawyer from Greene Broillet & Wheeler can evaluate your claim, explain available options, and begin an investigation. Our team guides families through each stage of the legal process with focused preparation and accountability. Call 866-634-4525 today for a free consultation and discuss how to move forward.
Areas We Serve
Riverside, Oxnard, Santa Monica, San Bernardino, Huntington beach
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Browne Greene is a legendary California trial lawyer and senior partner whose career has set national standards for plaintiff advocacy. He has tried and won more million-dollar jury verdicts than any attorney in California history, including numerous seven- and eight-figure results across personal injury, product liability, medical malpractice, and wrongful death cases. Consistently recognized among The Best Lawyers in America since 1987, Browne is a former Trial Lawyer of the Year and a long-standing Super Lawyer, widely respected for his leadership, courtroom excellence, and lifelong service to the legal profession.
Named in Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms,” Greene Broillet & Wheeler, LLP ranks as Tier 1 Personal Injury Litigation- Plaintiffs in Los Angeles.
Many firm members have been honored by the Consumer Attorneys of California, including Browne Greene, Christine Spagnoli, and Bruce Broillet, recipients of the Marvin E. Lewis Award. In addition, attorneys Bruce Broillet, Scott Carr, Molly McKibben, and Tobin Lanzetta has been honored with the Consumer Attorney of the Year Award.
All of our attorneys are proud to be active members of the Los Angeles County Bar Association or LACBA.
Our attorneys were featured in TopVerdict for having one of the Top 10 Wrongful Death Verdicts in California in 2019, with $15 million won for the plaintiff in Keck v. Bel-Air Bay Club.
Partners Geoff Wells and Ivan Puchalt were both named among the 2025 Consumer Attorney Visionaries by LA Times Studios.
Several partners are active members in the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, with attorneys Browne Greene, Bruce Broillet, and Christine Spagnoli named “Trial Lawyer of the Year.”
Firm partners Christine D. Spagnoli and Molly McKibben have both been honored by the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles and are active members.
After winning $2.6 million for the plaintiff’s side in a head-on collision case, our victory was named in the Top 50 Personal Injury Verdicts in California in 2019 by TopVerdict.
Several of our partners are members in the American Board of Trial Advocates, a national invite-only association consisting of the most experienced trial lawyers.
Our team includes several Fellows and Associates with the invite-only International Society of Barristers in recognition of their trial advocacy.
Greene Broillet & Wheeler, LLP, was featured by TopVerdict in the Top 100 Settlements across all practice areas in California for 2019.
Bruce A. Broillet and Christine D. Spagnoli are Fellows with the invite-only International Academy of Trial Lawyers, a group of elite trial lawyers from over 30 countries.
Recipients of this recognition are held up to the same standards as for The Best Lawyers in America, but only legal professionals in the first ten years of their careers qualify. Four attorneys at GBW have been recognized with this award in 2021.
Founding partners Browne Greene and Bruce A. Broillet are both members of the exclusive invite-only Inner Circle of Advocates, as two of the top 100 plaintiff trial lawyers in America.
Our firm has more attorneys on the Super Lawyers® and Rising Stars lists than any other law firm in Southern California, with 15 members selected.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partiner, Tim J. Wheeler who has more than 20 years of legal experience as a personal injury attorney.
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