Actor Bill Paxton died at the young age of 61 in 2017 following some medical complications his widow and two children believe could have been avoided and caused Paxton’s death. Paxton’s wife of 30 years Louise along with their two children, James and Lydia have now filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the surgeon and Cedars-Sinai hospital alleging negligence on the part of each.

PR Newswire reports on the case, “Bill Paxton and his family trusted the physicians and staff at this medical facility and instead Cedars-Sinai betrayed their trust…the surgeons actions resulted in this tragic and preventable death.” Essentially what the Paxton family is arguing is that the treating surgeon performed an improper and ultimately deadly procedure and the hospital did nothing to stop it/did not provide proper medical oversight.

Wrongful death cases in a lot of different forms from car accidents (very common here in Los Angeles), hospital and medical malpractice and defective products, to name a few. The common theme is any type of California wrongful death case is this simple assertion: that there has been a death that could have been avoided but for the actions or inactions of a person or thing. Wrongful death cases are complicated because they usually involve at least two sides of a story and a lot of additional complicating factors. For instance, in the case of Bill Paxton there was already something wrong with him when he went into the hospital which will likely be the starting argument for the defendants in this case.

If you have lost a loved one and think you might have a California wrongful death case on your hands, here’s a couple important things to keep in mind:

• Time is of the essence: You may have as little as 6 months (if it is a government agency)to file your case so do not delay! The statute of limitations on most California wrongful death cases is two years and if you miss this important deadline you miss the opportunity to collect much-needed funds!
• No lawyer fees upfront: At Walch Law, we don’t charge you a penny until we get you paid. Losing a loved one is not just tragic, it can be incredibly financially draining…funeral and burial costs alone can easily reach $10,000. Hiring a wrongful death lawyer is not supposed to add to this financial drain which is why we take all of our Los Angeles wrongful death and personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis.

At Walch Law, we are here to help. Give us a call today or fill out our contact us form to get started.