Date: 14 October 2011
Author: Sharon Allison

The death of a family member is usually an emotional and potentially difficult time.  If the death occurs in unusual or unexplained circumstances, this can make it more stressful.  Lawyers at Ashton KCJ believe that many members of the public are not aware that they can appoint solicitors to represent them at an inquest and help get answers as to how their loved one died.

Sharon Allison explains: “An Inquest can be extremely daunting for family members and all too often if they don’t have professional representation their questions go unanswered.  A Coroner’s duty is to investigate the circumstances of someone’s death, not to apportion blame.  However, an Inquest is often a valuable opportunity to put forward recommendations which might help prevent someone else dying in similar circumstances in the future.  If there is any possibility that someone else is in any way to blame for the person’s death then it is also an opportunity to obtain evidence and question witnesses which may be crucial to any compensation claim that is brought later on”.

This week, Sharon represented the family of Tim Ward, a student who tragically took his own life on a railway line near Cambridge while he was a patient at Fulbourn Hospital. Read more here.

If you would like individual advice about representation at an Inquest please contact Sharon Allison for medical-related deaths or Hannah Rutterford for other types of fatality.