Home›Florida Wrongful Death Lawyer
Last reviewed: October 2026
Florida Wrongful Death Lawyers
No lawsuit brings back the person you lost. What Florida's Wrongful Death Act does is refuse to let the loss be free for those who caused it — securing your family's future, paying the debts negligence created, and holding the responsible parties publicly accountable. Shiner Law Group walks with Florida families through that process with compassion, patience, and no fee unless we win.
After an Unimaginable Loss: What Florida Law Provides
When negligence takes a life — on a highway, in a workplace, on unsafe property, in a hospital — Florida's Wrongful Death Act (§§ 768.16–768.26) gives the family a path: a civil claim brought by the estate's personal representative on behalf of the estate and the survivors the law defines — spouses, children, parents, and certain dependent relatives. It compensates what can be compensated: lost financial support and services, medical and funeral expenses, and the profound human losses — companionship, guidance, and mental pain and suffering as the Act provides.
We know families don't want to think about lawsuits while grieving. Two realities make timing matter anyway: most Florida wrongful death claims must be filed within two years of the death, and the evidence that proves how your loved one died — camera footage, vehicle data, witness memories, scene conditions — erodes in weeks, not years. Engaging counsel early lets the investigation proceed while your family focuses on each other.
Shiner Law Group has stood beside grieving families across Florida since 2002. We handle every wrongful death case personally, patiently, and with the gravity it deserves. Your family pays nothing unless we win.
No upfront cost, ever. Every case is handled on a strict contingency fee. Call 1-800-364-4444 for a free, confidential consultation, available 24/7 from offices across Florida.
How We Serve Grieving Families
You Don't Have to Carry This Alone.
One conversation — free, confidential, and without obligation — can tell your family where you stand and what deadlines apply. We're available whenever you're ready, 24/7.
Steps for Families — When You're Ready
There is no perfect way to do any of this. These steps simply protect your family's rights while you grieve.
Take Care of Your Family First
Lean on each other and the people who love you. The legal process can wait days - just not months.
Keep Documents As They Come
The death certificate, medical and funeral bills, any crash or incident report - a folder is enough for now.
Preserve What Exists
Don't repair or dispose of vehicles or property involved, and save photos, messages, and names of witnesses.
Refer Insurers to Counsel
Adjusters may call with sympathy and quick offers. You owe them nothing - especially not a recorded statement or signature.
Identify the Personal Representative
Florida wrongful death claims are brought by the estate's personal representative - often named in a will, otherwise appointed. We guide this process.
Talk With Us When You're Ready
1-800-364-4444. A free, confidential conversation about what happened, who is accountable, and what your family's options are. 24/7.
Florida's Wrongful Death Act: Who, What, and When
Three questions shape every Florida wrongful death claim.
Who Brings the Claim
The estate's personal representative files one action on behalf of the estate and all survivors. Survivors under the Act include the spouse, children, parents, and certain dependent relatives — with children's and parents' rights varying by the family's circumstances. Getting the survivor analysis right is foundational.
What Can Be Recovered
Survivors may recover lost support and services, loss of companionship and guidance, and mental pain and suffering as the Act provides; the estate recovers medical and funeral expenses and certain lost earnings. One note: in medical negligence deaths, Florida currently limits certain adult survivors' non-economic damages — a controversial rule under active debate that requires careful analysis.
When It Must Be Filed
Generally within two years of the death — shorter than many expect, with limited exceptions and additional traps (notice requirements for government defendants, presuit process in medical cases). Evidence preservation has no deadline at all: it simply disappears. Early counsel protects both.
How Wrongful Deaths Happen in Florida
Behind every category is the same truth: someone's choice — to speed, to overserve, to skip the inspection, to understaff the shift — ended a life.
Our investigation names that choice, proves it, and holds its maker accountable.
Traffic Crashes
Car, truck, motorcycle, pedestrian, and bicycle deaths on Florida's roads - the state's largest source of preventable loss
Workplace Fatalities
Construction falls, equipment deaths, and third-party claims beyond workers' comp death benefits
Unsafe Properties
Fatal falls, drownings, and violence on properties that skipped safety and security
Medical Negligence
Deaths from misdiagnosis, surgical error, and system failures - with special rules and deadlines
Defective Products
Vehicles, machinery, and products whose defects turned use into tragedy
Criminal Acts on Negligent Premises
Deaths where foreseeable violence met absent security - civil accountability alongside any prosecution
Survivors the Act Protects
- The surviving spouse
- Children of the deceased - with rights varying by age and family circumstances
- Parents - particularly of minor children, and as the Act provides
- Dependent blood relatives and adoptive siblings
- The estate itself, through the personal representative
- Every survivor analysis is fact-specific - we map your family's rights precisely
What Can You Recover?
Lost Support & Services
The financial support and household services your loved one provided - past and future
Companionship & Guidance
The spouse's loss of companionship; children's loss of parental guidance and instruction
Mental Pain & Suffering
The Act provides these damages to defined survivors - the law's acknowledgment of grief itself
Medical & Funeral Expenses
The costs negligence imposed in your loved one's final days and after
Lost Estate Value
Earnings and accumulations the estate lost - calculated by economists over a lifetime
Punitive Damages
Where gross negligence took a life - conduct Florida's 2026 Perlmutter decision made easier to put before a jury
How Insurers Approach Families After a Death — and How We Shield You
It feels unthinkable, but it's systematic: insurers work grieving families early, hoping to close claims before counsel arrives.
Quick, Low Offers
An early check before the full extent of your injuries and future care is known
Recorded Statements
Friendly calls that lock in your account and look for words to use against you
Shifting Blame
Arguments that you share fault - under Florida’s 50% rule, every point matters
Gaps in Treatment
Missed or delayed appointments recast as proof you were not really hurt
Delay
Slow responses and repeated document requests while bills and pressure build
Disputed Causation
Claims that your injuries came from something other than this accident
Social Media Review
Photos and posts taken out of context to minimize your injuries
Broad Releases
Settlement papers that end every claim - sign nothing before a lawyer reviews it
The most important thing to know: the defense starts building its case before you have spoken to an attorney. Shiner Law Group levels this from day one. Call 1-800-364-4444 before giving anyone a statement.
Shiner Law Group — $500M+ Recovered for Injured Floridians
That figure is the aggregate of recoveries across our Florida practice since 2002. Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee future outcomes — what matters is how your case is investigated, valued, and pressed.
across Florida
since our founding
4.9-star average
Why Injured Floridians Choose Shiner Law Group
Real Case Valuation
We calculate all damages — current and future, economic and non-economic — not just the obvious bills. No element of your claim is left on the table.
Leverage That Works
We counter delay tactics and lowball offers with evidence, expert analysis, and the credible threat of trial.
Statewide Presence
Offices across Florida — Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie, Wellington & Orlando — with home and hospital visits anywhere in the state.
No Win, No Fee
Zero upfront cost, no retainer, no consultation fee. Our fee comes from the recovery, so our incentive matches yours.
David Shiner has represented injury victims throughout Florida since 2002, and his firm has recovered more than $500 million for injured clients and their families. Every case is handled on a strict No Win, No Fee basis. Call 1-800-364-4444 for a free, confidential consultation.
Serving All of Florida From Offices Across the State
Home and hospital visits available anywhere in Florida. Call 1-800-364-4444, available 24/7.
Florida Wrongful Death Questions Answered
Who can file a wrongful death claim in Florida?+
How long do we have to file?+
What compensation can our family recover?+
Does a wrongful death claim interfere with a criminal case?+
How much does a wrongful death attorney cost?+
We're not sure we want to sue. Can we still talk to you?+
Submit a FREE Case Review
Tell us what happened. We will evaluate your claim and explain your options. Confidential, no obligation, available 24/7.
Submit Your Details
Tell us what happened, where it occurred, and your injuries.
Case Evaluation
Our attorneys review your case and identify all liable parties and coverage.
We Fight for You
We build your claim, handle the defense, and pursue maximum compensation.
Free Case Review
Confidential · No obligation · Available 24/7 · Se Habla Espanol
Lost a Loved One to Negligence in Florida?
Maximum Compensation. Zero Upfront Cost. 24/7 Availability.
Shiner Law Group has recovered more than $500 million for injured Floridians and their families. No Win, No Fee. Free consultation available right now, anywhere in Florida.