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Written by Adrianos Facchetti, Esq. · Last updated: November 2026If someone else’s negligence took your loved one in Glendale, California law lets your family sue for the financial and personal losses that death caused. You generally have two years from the date of death to file. If the City of Glendale or another public agency was involved, you have only six months to file a government claim first.
As a Glendale personal injury lawyer since 2006, Adrianos Facchetti has helped families across Glendale hold negligent drivers, trucking companies and property owners accountable. With more than 1,000 injury cases handled, we know how insurers value these claims, and how to push back.
You pay nothing unless we win. Call (626) 793-8607, answered 24/7. Hablamos español. Falamos português.
What Is a Wrongful Death Claim in California?
A wrongful death claim is a civil lawsuit that surviving family members bring when a person dies because of someone else’s “wrongful act or neglect.” It is separate from any criminal case. A family can win a civil case even if no one is charged with a crime.
The claim compensates the family for what they lost: financial support, funeral costs, and the love and companionship of the person who died.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in California?
Under California Code of Civil Procedure § 377.60, these people can file:
- ●The surviving spouse or registered domestic partner
- ●Children, and the children of a deceased child
- ●If there are no surviving children or grandchildren, the people who would inherit under California’s intestacy rules, often parents or siblings
- ●If they were financially dependent on the person who died: a putative spouse, stepchildren and parents
- ●A minor who lived in the household for the 180 days before the death and received at least half of their support from the person who died
Usually all eligible heirs join one lawsuit. We confirm who must be included before anything is filed.
How Long Do You Have to File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in California?
In most California cases, you have two years from the date of death to file (CCP § 335.1). Miss it, and the court will almost always dismiss the case.
The deadline is much shorter when a public agency may be at fault. You must file a written government claim within six months (Gov. Code § 911.2). That applies to the City of Glendale, Los Angeles County, Metro and Caltrans.
Medical malpractice deaths follow separate, shorter rules. Call early so no deadline passes while your family is grieving.
Lost a loved one in Glendale?
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What a Glendale Wrongful Death Lawyer Does for Your Family
The first weeks after a death are when evidence disappears and insurers start building their defense. Here is what we take off your shoulders.
Investigate the Crash or Incident
We get the Glendale Police Department or California Highway Patrol report, the coroner’s findings, traffic and dashcam video, and witness statements before they are lost.
Prove Who Was at Fault
We work with accident reconstruction experts to show exactly how the crash happened and who caused it, including employers, vehicle owners and government agencies.
Find Every Insurance Policy
Many fatal crashes involve more coverage than the at-fault driver’s basic policy: commercial, employer, umbrella, rideshare or your own uninsured motorist coverage.
Calculate Your Family’s Full Losses
We use wage records and economists to value lost financial support and household services, and we show the personal loss through the people who knew your loved one best.
Negotiate With the Insurance Companies
All calls go through us. We present a documented demand and push back on early, low offers.
Take the Case to Court if Needed
If the insurer won’t pay fairly, we file in Los Angeles County Superior Court, which has a courthouse in Glendale at 600 E. Broadway, and prepare the case for trial.
Meet Every Deadline
We file government claims and the lawsuit on time and coordinate what the estate needs for the survival claim, so a technical mistake never costs your family its case.
!
Don’t give a recorded statement to any insurance company, even your own, before you talk to a lawyer.Adjusters can use your words to blame your loved one and lower the claim.
What Compensation Can Your Family Recover?
California splits a fatal-injury case into two claims. The wrongful death claim pays the family. A separate survival action pays the estate of the person who died.
Wrongful Death Damages (Paid to the Family)
- ●Funeral and burial expenses
- ●The financial support your loved one would have provided over their expected lifetime
- ●The value of household services they would have provided, such as childcare and home care
- ●Loss of love, companionship, comfort, care, protection, affection and moral support
California does not let juries award money for grief or sorrow itself. It values the relationship your family lost.
Survival Action Damages (Paid to the Estate)
- ●Medical bills incurred before death, such as emergency care at Adventist Health Glendale, Glendale Memorial Hospital or USC Verdugo Hills Hospital
- ●Wages lost between the injury and death
- ●Punitive damages, in limited cases (see below)
What changed in 2026: a temporary law (SB 447) let estates recover the decedent’s pain and suffering in survival actions filed from 2022 through 2025. It expired on December 31, 2025. Survival actions filed from January 1, 2026 generally recover economic losses only. That makes the family’s wrongful death claim, and a careful valuation of it, more important than ever.
Are Punitive Damages Available in a California Wrongful Death Case?
Generally, no, at least not in the wrongful death claim itself. California does not allow punitive damages in a wrongful death action, with a narrow exception when the defendant was convicted of a felony homicide.
Punitive damages can be sought in the survival action if there is clear and convincing evidence of malice, oppression or fraud. A drunk driver with prior DUIs or a company that knowingly hid a deadly defect are typical examples.
How Much Is a Wrongful Death Lawsuit Worth in California?
There is no average. The value depends on facts specific to your family. The biggest factors are:
- ●The age, health and earning power of the person who died
- ●How many dependents relied on them, and their ages
- ●The closeness of each family member’s relationship with them
- ●Medical and funeral costs
- ●How clear the other side’s fault is
- ●How much insurance is available
- ●Whether the person who died was partly at fault (California reduces the award by their share of fault, but does not bar recovery)
Our results in serious injury cases show how hard we push insurers:
| Result | Case type |
|---|---|
| $5,000,000 | Auto vs. truck crash |
| $2,750,000 | Motorcycle vs. auto (more than 27 times the policy limits) |
| $1,250,000 | Pedestrian hit in a crosswalk (policy limits recovered) |
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. See all case results.
Common Causes of Fatal Accidents in Glendale
Glendale sits where the I-5, SR-134 (Ventura Freeway), SR-2 (Glendale Freeway) and I-210 meet, and heavy traffic runs on Brand Boulevard, Glendale Avenue, Colorado Street and Glenoaks Boulevard. In 2021, the California Office of Traffic Safety ranked Glendale fifth among 60 similar-sized cities for pedestrian injuries and deaths. The City has since adopted a Vision Zero plan to eliminate traffic deaths.
Busy intersections such as Brand Boulevard and Broadway, Glendale Avenue and Colorado Street, and Central Avenue and Los Feliz Boulevard see heavy foot and car traffic near the Glendale Galleria and the Americana at Brand.
The fatal cases we handle most often involve:
- ●Car accidents caused by speeding, drunk or distracted driving
- ●Pedestrian accidents at crosswalks and intersections
- ●Bicycle accidents, including e-bike crashes
- ●Truck accidents and bus accidents
- ●Motorcycle accidents and unsafe lane changes
- ●Rideshare accidents involving Uber and Lyft
- ●Construction accidents caused by a negligent contractor or equipment maker
- ●Unsafe property conditions and negligent security (premises liability)
- ●Medical malpractice and nursing home abuse
- ●Defective products
What If the City of Glendale or Another Agency Caused the Death?
You can still recover, but the rules are stricter. A dangerous road design, a broken signal, a crash with a city vehicle or a public bus can all point to a public entity.
Before you can sue, you must file a written claim with the right agency within six months. The agency then has 45 days to respond. If it rejects the claim, you generally have six months from the rejection notice to file the lawsuit. We handle these claims from the first day so the deadline is never at risk.
What to Do After a Fatal Accident in Glendale
- 1Request the police report from the Glendale Police Department, or from CHP if the crash was on a freeway.
- 2Keep every bill and receipt: hospital, ambulance, funeral and burial.
- 3Save evidence: photos, texts, the vehicle, and names of witnesses.
- 4Don’t sign anything or give a recorded statement to an insurance company.
- 5Stay off social media about the accident.
- 6Call a wrongful death lawyer before the six-month and two-year deadlines start to bite.
Talk to a Glendale Wrongful Death Lawyer Now
Answered 24/7. Meet in person, by phone or by video. Hablamos español · Falamos português.
What Questions Will We Ask in Your Free Consultation?
Your first call is free and confidential, in person, by phone or by video. To understand your case, we will ask:
- ●How and where did the accident happen?
- ●Was a police report made, and by which agency?
- ●Who are the surviving family members?
- ●Did your loved one work, and did anyone depend on their income?
- ●What medical care did they receive before passing?
- ●Has any insurance company contacted you?
- ●Did a city vehicle, public road or government property play a role?
You don’t need all the answers. We find what’s missing.
How Much Does a Glendale Wrongful Death Lawyer Cost?
Nothing upfront. We work on a contingency fee: our fee is a percentage of what we recover, and you owe no attorney’s fee if we don’t win. We explain the percentage and how case costs are handled in writing before you sign anything.
Why Glendale Families Choose Adrianos Facchetti
- ●AV Preeminent: Martindale-Hubbell’s highest peer rating for ethics and legal skill
- ●Super Lawyers: Southern California Super Lawyers; Rising Star 2014 to 2016
- ●Proven at trial: in his first trial, the jury awarded his client 10 times the insurer’s last offer
- ●Trained at Pepperdine Law and UCLA; member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles
- ●Se habla español · Falamos português
Glendale Wrongful Death FAQs
What are the odds of winning a wrongful death lawsuit?
There is no fixed percentage; it depends on proof of fault and available insurance. Cases with a police report showing the other party’s fault, video or witnesses, and adequate insurance are strongest. Most valid claims settle before trial.
Is a wrongful death lawsuit worth it?
Often yes, when someone else’s negligence is clear. A claim can replace lost income, cover funeral costs and hold the responsible party accountable. A free consultation will tell you whether your case is strong enough to pursue.
Can we sue if our loved one was partly at fault?
Yes. California uses pure comparative fault, so the award is reduced by your loved one’s share of fault but not eliminated.
Can parents sue for the death of an adult child?
Sometimes. Parents can file if the child left no spouse, domestic partner or children (because parents then inherit), or if the parents depended on the child financially.
Does a criminal case affect our civil case?
No, they are separate. A criminal conviction can help prove fault, but you don’t need one to win. The civil standard of proof is lower.
How long does a wrongful death case take?
Many settle within one to two years. Cases that go to trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court can take longer.
Do we need to come to an office to hire you?
No. We can meet in person, by phone or by video, whichever is easiest for your family.
Talk to a Glendale Wrongful Death Lawyer Today
You shouldn’t have to fight an insurance company while you grieve. Let us carry the legal work so your family can focus on each other.
Here is what happens when you call:
- 1You reach us right away, day or night. Our line is answered 24/7.
- 2We listen and answer your questions in a free, confidential consultation, in person, by phone or by video.
- 3If we take your case, we start gathering evidence and tracking every deadline immediately.
You pay nothing upfront and no attorney’s fee unless we win. If the City of Glendale or another agency may be involved, the six-month claim deadline may already be running. The sooner we start, the stronger your family’s case.
Call (626) 793-8607 or send us a message to schedule your free case review with a Glendale wrongful death lawyer. Hablamos español. Falamos português.
