When individuals in Georgia die in ways that occur due to the allegedly negligent behavior of others, their families have the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit. This legal action, usually filed by a spouse, parent or adult child of the deceased, seeks damages that cover a variety of losses.
Such is the case of one Georgia family who believes their grown daughter died as the direct result of the actions taken by several sheriff’s office police officials in 2022.
Woman fell from a moving patrol car
The incident occurred last July when authorities responded to a 911 call regarding a mental health emergency. The deceased experienced a serious crisis regarding her mental health, and her family told authorities she suffered from schizophrenia. Police arrested the woman and placed her in the back of a patrol car and failed to secure her seatbelt or close the door, securely, causing her to fall out of the car and strike her head on the pavement. The family reports the car was already in motion at the time of her fall.
The victim died days later
The family of the victim claims that the woman did not die immediately from the brain injuries she received during the fall, but succumbed less than a week later in a Georgia hospital. The family claims the responding officers acted negligently by handcuffing the woman and failing to close the car door securely, causing her to fall.
Families in Georgia who file wrongful death suits like this case may potentially recover damages to cover the deceased lost wages, loss of companionship and funerary expenses.