Losing a loved one is hard for everyone, but it can also be hard to watch a loved one deal with the wrongful death of someone they were close to. It is very common for a person to not know how to react or how to help them. Keep reading to find out seven steps you can take to help them. Part of this may be contacting a personal injury attorney to find out what their legal options are to get the sense of closure they need.
- Make Sure Their Basic Needs Are Met
- Lower the Chance of Them Coming to Harm
- Help Them Write Down What Happened
- Make Sure Their Responsibilities Are Met
- Ask if They Are Taking Care of Your Pre-Existing Conditions
- Take Part in Events Related to the Death
- Offer to Call a Personal Injury Attorney on Their Behalf
First and foremost, make sure that their basic needs are met. They need to eat, stay hydrated, stay warm or cool (depending on the weather), be safe in their housing, and get enough sleep. They should avoid alcohol if possible. Other steps can help them improve but if their basic needs aren’t first met, then nothing else you do can help them.
If they are experiencing deep shock, they may not have a lot of awareness of their surroundings. Many of the feelings may come and go. It is best to have someone drive, cook, and complete other tasks that could cause harm if they are not able to properly focus or stay aware of their surroundings.
It is often the case that a person who has experienced trauma continues to replay the incident over and over again in their head. Writing down what they remember from the accident can help them turn off that constant loop of remembering, and it can be helpful to help build a personal injury case as well.
Questions to ask include: Are your work responsibilities taken care of? Do you have your caretaking commitments under control? Are your pets taken care of? Look for places they can delegate work to so that they can focus on what has to be done and on getting better.
If you are focusing exclusively on taking care of your current injuries, it is easy to forget that you need to take care of other conditions you had beforehand. For example, if they have a history of depression, alcohol addiction, or a chronic illness, take care of those issues too.
You want to show up not just when chores need to be done but when your loved one needs to feel cared for and supported.
If someone else was responsible for their death, your loved one might have the right to file a personal injury claim. This could help them get the closure they need and help improve their financial future. You can contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 for a free consultation and to learn more about how to help you loved one through this part of the process.
