The family of a well-known St. Louis musician who plunged to his death in 2013 after falling down an elevator shaft has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
Robert (Bob) Reuter, 61, a beloved member of a local rock band and weekly radio host, fell to his death while moving into a building. It was reportedly dark inside the freight elevator and when Bob stepped in, assuming the elevator was there, he fell 18 feet to his death.
Virginia K., the victim’s sister and sole beneficary, filed the wrongful death lawsuit this past week in St. Louis Circuit Court, alleging the elevator was defective and that the defendants were negligent in failing to prevent Bob’s death.
According to investigative reports, state inspectors allegedly closed and padlocked the 95-year old, poorly functioning elevator in the condemned building six months prior to Bob’s fatal accident, making it illegal to operate without permission from the Missouri Department of Public Safety. However, just weeks later, the elevator was up and running.
Defendants in the wrongful death lawsuit include Taylor on Washington LLC, City Photo Group, Inc., Cathy Strobel, Jack K. Strobel, Robert Jeffrey Edwards, and Otis Elevator Company.
Wrongful Death Claims
Wrongful death claims involve all types of fatal accidents, from simple car accidents to complicated medical malpractice or product liability cases. Persons, companies, and governmental agencies can be legally at fault for acting either negligently (failing to act as a reasonable person would have acted) or intentionally causing a death.
A wrongful death lawsuit is usually filed by a representative of the deceased victim’s estate, on behalf of survivors who had a relationship with the victim. Exactly who those survivors can be varies from state to state.
Each wrongful death case is unique, and there are different considerations and calculations involved in each lawsuit. However, several types of damages are standard in wrongful death cases. They include:
- The decedent’s pre-death pain and suffering
- Medical costs that the deceased victim incurred as a result of the injury prior to death
- Funeral and burial costs
- Loss of the deceased person’s expected income
- Loss of any inheritance as a result of the death
- Value of the services that the deceased would have provided
- Loss of care, guidance, and nurturing that the deceased would have provided
- Loss of love and companionship, and
- Loss of consortium (loss of intimacy with a spouse)
If a loved one has died after an accident or injury caused by another’s negligence or misconduct, you may be entitled to bring a legal action for wrongful death against those responsible.
Obtain a Free Wrongful Death Case Evaluation
If your loved one died from a personal injury caused by the negligence or intentional misconduct of another party, you may be able to pursue compensation for your loss, including but not limited to: medical or funeral expenses, loss of financial support, pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and punitive damages.
The following types of wrongful death cases are common examples of what a family member can sue for:
- Car Accidents
- Bicycle or Pedestrian Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Boating Accidents
- Medical Malpractice
- Medication Errors
- Workplace Accidents
- Drowning Accidents
- Nursing Home Neglect/Abuse
- Slip and Fall Accidents
- Defective Products
- Other Personal Injury Claims that Caused the Death
The post Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed Over Musician’s Elevator Fall appeared first on Top Class Actions.
Motorcycle accident grand rapids MI I am impressed. I don't think Ive met anyone who knows as much about this subject as you do. You are truly well informed and very intelligent. You wrote something that people could understand and made the subject intriguing for everyone. Really, great blog you have got here.
ReplyDelete