A few years ago, I had the opportunity to witness firsthand the importance of relationships that were recognized by law and ones that weren’t. I was representing a client who was seriously injured when he was in a collision caused by a semi truck. His ability to work was dramatically impacted by his shoulder injury. Even so, at least he was alive and could still enjoy time with his family, because he wasn’t the only one injured in this tragic collision. When the semi truck rear-ended a small pickup as they were driving down a two-lane highway in Burbank, Washington,
A Brief History
In common law countries such as the United States and Canada, pursuing a claim for wrongful death, or a fatality caused by the negligence or otherwise wrongful act of another, was not possible. This was the case because the deceased had no legal rights under
