Contra Costa County · Wrongful Death
Wrongful death lawyers serving Pleasant Hill families
The law asks grieving families to meet deadlines, answer insurers, and gather records at the worst possible time. Our job is to take all of that off your hands — and move only as fast as you want us to.
A wrongful death claim exists because California law recognizes that a death caused by negligence is not only a private grief. It is also the loss of a household's support, a partner's companionship, a parent's guidance — and the law refuses to treat those losses as worth nothing. Bringing such a claim is a decision no family should feel rushed into; protecting the option to bring it, however, is time-sensitive.
Oguz Injury Lawyers LLP is based in downtown Walnut Creek, one town from Pleasant Hill, and we have represented families across central Contra Costa County. First conversations are free, unhurried, and carry no obligation — by phone, by video, or in person, in English, Spanish, Turkish, or Mandarin Chinese.
When we take a case, our first work is quiet and urgent: preserving evidence, obtaining the official investigation records, identifying every responsible party and policy, and protecting each deadline — including the short one that applies whenever a public entity may be involved. There is no fee unless we recover for your family.
The practical path for a Pleasant Hill case
If a Pleasant Hill wrongful death case must be filed as a lawsuit, it goes to the Contra Costa County Superior Court in nearby Martinez — the venue for civil cases from every corner of the county. We prepare each case as though it will be tried there, because a fully prepared file is also what produces fair settlements, and most of these cases do settle.
The official record depends on where and how the death occurred. A fatal collision on Pleasant Hill's own streets — Contra Costa Boulevard, Taylor Boulevard, Pleasant Hill Road — is investigated by the Pleasant Hill Police Department; one on I-680 is handled by the California Highway Patrol. The county coroner's office conducts its own examination. These reports answer some questions and leave others open, which is why we frequently pair them with our own investigation — witnesses, physical evidence, camera footage — before it fades.
The circumstances behind these cases vary: collisions along the city's busy retail corridors and the freeway, pedestrian deaths at crossings, deaths on unsafe premises, and workplace incidents where a claim against a negligent third party can exist alongside workers' compensation. Each origin changes who the defendants are and which insurance applies — questions we sort out in the first weeks, so your family does not have to.
California wrongful death law, plainly stated
- The deadline for a wrongful death claim in California is generally two years from the date of death, under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1.
- If a public entity bears responsibility — a government vehicle, a dangerous public road or property — a government claim generally must be presented within six months. This shorter deadline surprises grieving families constantly, and missing it can end the claim.
- Eligible claimants are defined by law: generally the surviving spouse or domestic partner and children first, then those entitled to the estate through intestate succession if there is no surviving spouse or issue.
- Pure comparative negligence applies: if the person who died was partly at fault, the family's recovery is reduced proportionally — not eliminated.
- A criminal prosecution, if any, is separate from the civil claim. The family's wrongful death case proceeds independently, under a different standard of proof, whatever the criminal outcome.
Frequently asked questions
Is there really a six-month deadline in some cases?
Yes. If a public entity may share responsibility — a government vehicle, or a dangerous condition of a public road or intersection — California generally requires a formal claim to be presented to that entity within six months. Missing it can end that part of the case before it begins. It is one of the first things we check, and checking costs your family nothing.
Who can bring a wrongful death claim under California law?
The statute puts the surviving spouse or registered domestic partner and the children first. If there are none, the right passes to those who would inherit under intestate succession — often parents or siblings — and certain financially dependent household members may also qualify. Blended families, separations, and stepchildren raise genuine questions; they deserve individual answers rather than assumptions.
If a criminal case is filed against the person responsible, should we wait for it?
No — and you should not have to. The civil claim is independent, proceeds under a different standard of proof, and can succeed regardless of the criminal outcome. The civil deadlines also keep running while a prosecution unfolds, so protecting the claim early matters even if your family's attention is understandably elsewhere.
What will this cost us?
Nothing unless there is a recovery. We work on contingency: we advance the case costs, our fee comes only out of the result, and if there is no recovery you owe nothing. The first conversation is free and does not commit your family to anything.
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