Every year, over 2.5 million people die in the United States. Out of these, 169,936 are unintentional deaths. The astonishingly excessive numbers in no way indicate that the wrongful death of a loved one is in any way easy to grasp. The mourning never ends, the grieving never ends, and the ever-lasting echoes of “what ifs?” never end. The death of any loved one is enough to bring your entire world crashing down. It’s difficult to move on, but not impossible.
Perhaps we can help you with that.
The Seven Stages
Just like Shakespeare’s seven ages of man, there are seven stages to grief: and you must let all the stages come to you naturally.
- The first stage is shock; you’re too trumped to think clearly.
- The second stage is denial where you can’t and won’t accept your loved one is truly gone.
- The third stage is guilt wherein you feel in some way responsible for the death.
- The fourth stage is anger; you’ll try to find someone to blame for the death of your loved one. You may even blame yourself—for not being there.
- Then depression and reflection set in as the fifth stage, where you begin reanalyzing the events of their death.
- The sixth stage, similarly, is more stable, with you going over the details and working out what exactly happened, and if it could’ve been prevented in any way. Acceptance is the final stage—and it’s the most difficult.
Grieving Over a Wrongful Death
Of course, the seven stages become far more convoluted when you’re experiencing the wrongful, untimely death of a loved one. You have all this anger pent up, and you know exactly who to blame.
It’s important to note here that you should not let your feelings get the best of you—although we understand how difficult exactly that must be in this case. The temptation of walking up to the person responsible for it all and beating them black and blue might seem like an appealing idea—but don’t do it.
Instead, go about it the legal way. Seek representation from a lawyer who has experience with wrongful death lawsuits. You can hurt this person in more ways than you think—but violence on your part is not the answer. An eye for an eye will make the world blind. Besides, a good lawyer will ensure that they’re taken duly to task and that an example is set for all future episodes of a similar nature.
If you’re in Chico, California, and are facing the wrongful death of a loved one in a traffic incident or otherwise, we at Marquez Law Offices can help you.
Remember the Good Times
We know it’s hard. There’s nothing quite like losing a loved one, no pain that could equal this horror. And this too shouldn’t pass—not until your attorney helps you and your dear departed one get justice. Keep remembering the good times, the happy times you spent with them—it will help you with the coping and it will give you strength.
