Glossary of Wrongful Death Terms

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #

Click on the first letter of the word from the list above to go to the appropriate section of the glossary.

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Impairment or Intoxication: Those states that refer to Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) or Driving While Impaired (DWI) usually have definitions that are similar to being under the influence.

Implied Warranty of Merchantability: Warranty that guarantees that goods purchased by consumers are reasonably fit for their ordinary purpose.

Inadequate Warning: These cases refer to injuries, or even death, caused as a result of a product which was sold without a proper warning to the consumer. In North Carolina, an injured person must prove that the manufacture acted unreasonably in failing to provide such a warning, that the failure to provide such warning proximately caused the injury, and also one of the following: when the product without an adequate warning left control of the manufacturer, it created an unreasonably dangerous condition that the manufacturer knew, or should have known, posed a substantial risk of harm; or after the product left the manufacturer’s control, the manufacturer became aware of or should have known that the product posed a substantial risk of harm to a reasonably foreseeable user and failed to take reasonable steps to give adequate warning.  In wrongful death cases, a family member could attempt to provide this information/ evidence on behalf of the deceased person.

Injury: Detrimental changes to a victim's physical, mental or emotional state for which the victim should be entitled to reasonable compensation.

Investigator: Often, a lawsuit will require more extensive investigation. An experienced law firm can properly provide a private investigator for collection of additional evidence, such as witness statements, photographs of an accident site, or background research and/or location of potential defendants.