Los Angeles County has just been hit with a $2.7 Million wrongful death verdict following the 2016 police killing of Miguel Hernandez in Canyon Country. The killing occurred back in 2016 when a Canyon Country police officer mistakenly identified Hernandez as the suspect in a road rage incident from the previous day. What the defense argued as self defense, the Court ultimately saw as a wrongful death and has awarded the family of Hernandez a substantial sum of money as a result.

HometownStation reports on the details of the fatal encounter, “The deputy failed to call for backup or take time to assess the situation and instead put himself in danger when he approached the vehicle.” Hernandez died from the gunshot wound he received from the deputy.

What goes into this almost $3 Million wrongful death verdict? A lot. Wrongful death lawsuits like this one try to capture the entirety of the loss and evaluate the situation as a whole. Here, the Hernandez family has lost a major source of their financial stability and the verdict reflects the impact this loss will have on the family. Additionally, this settlement amount compensates the family for the medical bills they have to pay for the time between his injury and death, the funeral and burial costs and other bills stemming from this deadly encounter. On a more personal note, wrongful death verdicts take into account the tremendous emotional loss a family suffers following an avoidable death.

One extremely important think to note about Los Angeles wrongful death police killing cases– TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE. In a typical personal injury or wrongful death case you have two years to get a case filed, but when it involves a city or government you have a mere 6 months to file before you lose the opportunity to sue altogether. For many families suffering from a serious loss like this, the money that comes from these suits is not just comforting but absolutely essential. If you are in a situation where you were seriously injured or lost a loved one as a result of city property or employees, pick up the phone and call Walch Law right now. We are here to help you every step of the way– text, phone email, in-person we are available in the format that you are most comfortable with. Get in touch with us today.