Under NRS 11.190(4)(e), families generally have two years from the date of death to file a wrongful death lawsuit in Nevada. Missing that deadline almost always means losing the right to seek compensation, so acting promptly is important.
Losing a loved one because of someone else’s negligent or reckless conduct leaves families with grief, unanswered questions, and financial pressure they did not expect. While no amount of money can replace the person you lost, surviving family members have a legal path to hold responsible parties accountable and recover compensation for the losses they now face.
If your family lost a loved one due to another party’s negligence, call Hanratty Law Group at 702-821-1379 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation. Our team will sit down with you, answer your questions, and explain how Nevada law applies to your situation at no cost and with no obligation.
In Summerlin, fatal accidents occur along heavily traveled roads like Charleston Boulevard, Town Center Drive, and the western edge of CC 215, as well as in residential areas where pedestrian and cyclist traffic is common. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Northwest Area Command handles initial investigations for most fatal incidents in Summerlin, and the quality of that early documentation can significantly affect a wrongful death claim.
Under NRS 41.085, a wrongful death claim arises when a person dies due to another party’s wrongful act or neglect. The law allows surviving heirs and the estate to seek compensation for the losses that death has caused. Nevada’s wrongful death statute covers a wide range of incidents from traffic collisions and premises accidents to product failures and intentional violence.
Nevada law identifies specific people who have the legal standing to bring a wrongful death claim. Depending on your family’s circumstances, the following individuals may have the right to file:
Many different parties may be responsible when negligence or misconduct causes a death, and liability depends entirely on how the incident occurred and who contributed to it. In Summerlin wrongful death cases, responsible parties have included drivers who cause fatal crashes, trucking companies and commercial carriers, and property owners who fail to address dangerous conditions at residential developments or commercial properties.
This is not an exhaustive list. Identifying every liable party from the outset matters, because families can file claims against all available insurance policies.
Nevada allows surviving family members and the estate to recover both economic and non-economic damages. Every category of loss matters, and our team works to ensure nothing is overlooked when building your claim:
Nevada law also allows the estate to pursue a survival action separately from the wrongful death claim. Where the wrongful death claim compensates surviving heirs for their own losses, a survival action recovers for what the deceased experienced before death, including pain, suffering, and medical costs incurred in their final days.
No two wrongful death cases carry the same value. Your family’s losses are shaped by factors specific to your situation, and a fair assessment has to account for all of them:
These factors combine differently in every case, which is why speaking with a legal professional is the most reliable way to understand what your family may be entitled to recover.
Our team handles wrongful death matters in the Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County and collaborates with accident reconstruction specialists, forensic economists, and medical professionals when the case calls for it. Here is what that process looks like for your family:
Our team is familiar with how Clark County courts handle wrongful death matters and works to pursue every available source of recovery for Summerlin families.
Under NRS 11.190(4)(e), families generally have two years from the date of death to file a wrongful death lawsuit in Nevada. Missing that deadline almost always means losing the right to seek compensation, so acting promptly is important.
No. A wrongful death claim is a civil matter, separate from any criminal proceedings. Most of these cases arise from accidents, car crashes, falls, or product failures rather than criminal conduct. The standard in a civil case is negligence, not criminal intent, so a death does not need to be the result of a crime for your family to have a valid claim.
Surviving family members must show that the defendant owed a duty of care to the deceased, that they breached that duty, and that the breach directly caused the death. The claim must also demonstrate that measurable losses (financial, personal, or both) resulted from that death and now fall on the surviving heirs or estate.
Hanratty Law Group handles wrongful death cases on a contingency fee basis. Families pay nothing up front, and legal fees are only collected from the compensation we recover if we win. Litigation costs may also be deducted from your recovery at the end of the case. There are no upfront or out-of-pocket costs to get started.
Time matters in wrongful death cases. Evidence can disappear, witnesses’ memories fade, and waiting makes it harder to build the strong claim your family deserves. You do not have to handle this alone. We’ll review your family’s situation, explain your rights under Nevada law, and help you decide on the best path forward with no cost and no obligation to proceed.
Call our team at Hanratty Law Group at 702-821-1379 or reach out online to schedule a free consultation.