Parkland Victims and Families Are Done Waiting for Justice

22 lawsuits were recently filed on behalf of the Parkland school shooting victims and their family members. Previous lawsuits have been filed by other plaintiffs, but the families and victims who filed the recent round of lawsuits had been waiting to settle their cases with the Broward School District and Broward Sheriff’s Office. They eventually lost confidence that the district and sheriff’s office were going to settle the matters and decided to file lawsuits. Fort Lauderdale wrongful death lawyers understand that the unexpected death of a loved one is devastating and life changing and when that death is caused by someone else’s wrongful conduct, they should be held accountable.

Plaintiffs’ claims

The plaintiffs filed their claims against the school district, sheriff’s office, the school resource officer, the campus security monitor, and others, alleging that their negligence resulted in the shooting victims’ personal injuries and deaths. Their claims are briefly summarized below:

• The school district knew that the school shooter was dangerous, but failed to take necessary precautions to protect their children.
• The sheriff’s office could have stopped the shooting, but failed to do so.
• The school resource officer remained outside of the school while the shooting took place instead of entering the school to neutralize the gunman and protect the children.
• The campus security monitor saw the shooter get out of an Uber with a large bag, but failed to notify anyone or call for a lockdown.
• The behavioral health clinic that had previously treated the gunman is also a named defendant.

Defendants’ negligence

While none of the defendants mentioned above actually pulled the trigger that injured and killed the victims, the plaintiffs allege that those defendants all owed a duty of care to the mass shooting victims. Further, the plaintiffs allege that the defendants breached their duty of care with negligent and wrongful conduct and because of those breaches, innocent victims were injured and killed.

Florida wrongful death claims

Under Florida law, certain surviving family members may recover under a wrongful death claim when their loved one’s death was caused by someone else’s wrongful or negligent conduct. Financial recovery for surviving family members is intended to compensate them for losses they sustained due to losing their loved one. These losses can be wide ranging including, but not limited to loss of the decedent’s support and services, loss of companionship and guidance, medical and funeral expenses, and mental and emotional pain and suffering. Wrongful death claims can be complicated and they are subject to filing deadlines. For these reasons, only attorneys with wrongful death claim experience should be entrusted to handle these cases.

If you have lost a loved one due to someone else’s fault, contact a Fort Lauderdale wrongful death attorney at Vladimir Tsirkin & Associates, P.A. to schedule a consultation. We know that financial compensation will not bring back your loved one, but it may help to create a secure financial future for you and your family and it will also hold the responsible parties accountable for their actions that led to your loved one’s death.