Shawn Cunningham and Frank Powers in front of their law office building

Wrongfully Injured?

Medical Malpractice and Catastrophic Injury Attorneys

*Certified Specialist in Serious Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation

Wrongful Death Attorneys In Phoenix

Last updated on April 4, 2025

At Harris, Powers & Cunningham PLLC, our commitment to justice is reflected in the credentials of our legal team. Attorney Frank Powers is certified by the State Bar of Arizona Board of Legal Specialization as a Certified Specialist in Injury and Wrongful Death Litigation.

This distinction is awarded to a select group of attorneys who have demonstrated extensive knowledge, experience and dedication to achieving results in complex wrongful death cases. Certification as a specialist signifies a higher level of proficiency in handling wrongful death claims.

Negligent or wrongful conduct that leads to another person’s death can be a basis for a wrongful death action in Arizona. In fact, there are statutes that govern claims allowing lawsuits to be brought by a surviving spouse, children or parents of a decedent, or the decedent’s estate. Damages that may be recovered for wrongful death or fatal accident claims may include:

  • Compensation for medical and funeral expenses: Families should not have to bear the financial burden of medical bills and burial costs due to someone else’s negligence.
  • Loss of future earnings and financial support: If the deceased was a primary earner, their projected lifetime income and financial contributions to the family may be factored into the compensation.
  • Loss of love and support: The emotional and psychological toll of losing a loved one is immeasurable. Compensation can help address the impact on surviving family members.
  • Punitive damages: In cases involving gross negligence or reckless conduct, the court may award punitive damages to deter similar behavior in the future.

Attempting to navigate a wrongful death claim without proper representation can result in significantly reduced compensation. Insurance companies deploy numerous tactics to minimize payouts to grieving families.

We can handle the legal battle while you focus on healing from your loss. Our firm is dedicated to helping ensure that victims’ families receive the compensation they deserve. Contact us for a free consultation.

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Causes Of Wrongful Death

We represent families in wrongful death claims arising from:

  • Car accidents: Motor vehicle collisions, including those involving trucks, motorcycles and pedestrians, can lead to fatal injuries. Many of these accidents result from reckless driving, distracted driving or intoxicated drivers.
  • Workplace accidents: Fatal injuries can occur on construction sites, industrial workplaces and other hazardous job environments. Employers and third-party contractors may be held accountable for unsafe conditions.
  • Medical malpractice: Errors by doctors, nurses and other health care providers can lead to fatal consequences. This includes surgical mistakes, misdiagnoses, medication errors and birth-related injuries.
  • Mass casualties: Incidents such as mass shootings, airplane crashes, train derailments and explosions can lead to multiple wrongful death claims.

Regardless of the cause, identifying and holding responsible parties accountable is a complex legal process that requires experienced representation. Worry not because our lawyers conduct thorough investigations, coordinate with multiple claimants and pursue justice against all liable parties.

Helping Families Seek Justice When A Loved One Is Killed

If your husband, wife, mother, father, son or daughter was wrongfully killed in an accident, you need a dedicated law firm in your corner — you need Harris, Powers & Cunningham PLLC. Regardless of whether your loved one’s death is related to a motor vehicle collision, a terrible accident or even medical negligence, one of our experienced wrongful death attorneys will carefully explain your rights and legal options.

A loved one’s passing is never easy, so let us deal with the legal issues. Losing a loved one suddenly and unexpectedly as a result of someone’s wrongful conduct can change your life forever. Nothing can prepare a family for the news of a death under such circumstances. No one can truly know the confusion, frustration and pain someone experiences when a fatal accident happens.

Our fatal accident attorneys‘ mission is to help families who have wrongfully lost loved ones, find out why and how the death from a fatal accident actually happened, provide information and support for grieving families, and obtain a just result against the wrongdoer in a wrongful death case. Our partner, Frank Powers, is a board certified specialist in wrongful death claims.

Schedule Your Free Consultation Today

Our wrongful death lawyers have successfully represented many families suffering from the wrongful death of a loved one. If you have lost a loved one in a fatal accident or as the result of negligent medical care, our attorneys can represent your interests against the parties at fault and their insurance companies to recover damages on your behalf. Contact one of our lawyers today by calling us at 602-910-6779. You can also reach out to us online.

Medical Malpractice Wrongful Death

As a society, we put more faith in the medical community than just about any other group of professionals. We look to them to provide the care that we need in the most critical of times. That said, according to the American Association for Justice, less than 9 percent of doctors who make multiple malpractice payments are ever subject to medical board discipline.

Because of this, it is all the more important that they are held accountable when they injure someone due to negligence, but particularly if someone is killed due to their mistakes.

If a loved one has been killed due to negligent care, we are here for you.

Wrongful Death By Doctor, Hospital, or Other Medical Professional

Having obtained millions for clients in more than 30 years of medical malpractice practice, we are prepared to aggressively advocate for you if a loved one has been killed due to:

  • Surgical errors and complications
  • Emergency room errors
  • Birth injury (injury to a child or mother during birth)
  • Birth-related brain injury
  • Anesthesia complications
  • Intensive care unit (ICU) errors
  • Cardiology and cardiac surgery errors
  • Failure to diagnose
  • Improper treatment of a diagnosed illness
  • Failure to monitor a patient
  • Using or prescribing the wrong drug
  • Wrong side surgery
  • Unnecessary surgical procedure
  • Retained foreign objects

We will do everything to hold those responsible accountable and to obtain compensation for:

  • Medical services
  • Memorial and burial expenses
  • Injury to the deceased
  • Family suffering
  • Punitive damages
  • Pecuniary damages

Free Consultation For Your Family

To talk with our lawyers about wrongful death please call our Phoenix law firm at 602-910-6779 or contact us online.