After an Illinois Wrongful Death, Expect to Experience the Five Stages of Grief

No matter what the cause, a wrongful death can intensify the grief that is natural when a loved one is lost. The survivors must not only cope with the loss, but also deal with the very intense emotions caused by the fact that the death was caused by someone else’s negligence.

Stages of the Grieving Process in a Wrongful Death

Most mental health professionals agree that grieving is a five-step process, and that everyone grieves differently. Some will take more or less time than others to move through a stage and some will experience the stages in a different order.

The exact mourning process varies for each person, and that’s absolutely okay. There is no time limit for when you should “get over” the death of a close friend or family member. Grieving changes you, and this normal and natural process will take its own time.

Loss affects different people in different ways. But the fact remains that when a loved one passes away, everyone, everywhere in the world, experiences the universal stages of mourning.

As Northern Illinois wrongful death attorneys, we see mourning too often. We hope that understanding your grief will, ultimately, help you to deal with it. To that end, here are the stages of the grieving process and how they might affect those who are dealing with a wrongful death:

• Denial. Most of the time, the first reaction to a wrongful death is denial. Because the emotions and shock of the loss, our brains protect us from the initial pain to help us cope. We block out the images, facts and words that remind us of the tragedy.
• Anger. Once the brain begins to allow the reality of the wrongful death to re-enter our lives, it is very natural to feel anger. We start to question the causes of the death and focus our strong emotions on the person or entity that took a loved one away. Combined with the anger is a real need to punish the “guilty.”
• Bargaining. This stage of grief represents a normal need to get control over the situation. Even though another caused the death, we might actually take some of the guilt on ourselves. You might obsess over things that did (or did not happen) just before the incident: If only I had not let him take the car. If only I had kept her home from work. If only I had gotten a second medical opinion. If only I had said “I love you” more often. The bargaining stage is an attempt to turn back the clock—to stop the death from happening in the first place.
• Depression. While depression can affect different people in different ways, at some point everyone must return to the present and deal with the overwhelming sadness that comes when the fact that the loved one will not return becomes clear. It is very important to know that this depression is very natural and a necessary step in healing.
• Acceptance. Even though the death was caused by someone’s negligence, this step in the process allows us to learn to live with it. Acceptance does not mean that everything is fine now; it simply means that we can begin to find a new way to live without our loved one.

When to Move On

Every person will experience the stages of grief differently and some may linger longer in one than others; some may even experience stages not listed here. The important thing to remember is that it is not easy for anyone.

At The Fisk & Monteleone Law Firm in Rockford, perhaps we deal with grief more often than many. Many of our most emotionally difficult cases involve a wrongful death.

And while we know that you may be experiencing overwhelming emotional loss, we also know that a certain point you will also begin to experience financial concerns, along with a desire to hold those at fault responsible. At this point, please contact us. We can help. Just call us toll free at 815-962–0044.

Our promise: we will treat you with compassion and respect in this time of loss.