Local office in Fresno, CA1401 Fulton St, Suite 905Directions

Lost a loved one in Fresno?Talk to a lawyer for free.

In California the family's claim has its own rules and its own deadline: generally two years from the death, or six months if a public agency may be responsible. When your family is ready, we can walk you through it.

  • No fee unless we winWe only get paid when you get paid.
  • Zero upfront costYour consultation is free, with no obligation.
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  • Available 24/7We can meet your family at home.
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Call our Fresno office(559) 238-022324/7 line: (800) 985-9565

No attorney's fees unless we recover compensation. Clients may be responsible for case costs. Read the disclaimer

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Throughout the whole process, they answered all my questions thoroughly, checked in with me, and were so kind.
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Results that speak.Millions won for our clients.

We've won over $500 million in verdicts and settlements for our clients.

Recognized for excellence

Avvo Rating: Excellent, Top Rated Personal InjuryTop Rated by Super Lawyers
  • $6.25MPersonal injuryA confidential personal injury settlement.
  • $5MAuto accidentFor a husband and wife after the husband suffered a brachial plexus injury.
  • $1.5MAuto accidentA win for a client injured in an auto accident.
  • $1.3MWrongful deathFor the family of a person killed through someone else's negligence.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, and each case is different.

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Here to protect your family's interests, not the insurance company's

Insurance companies have a team.You should have one too.

In California the claim belongs to the family: the spouse or registered domestic partner and the children, and in some cases parents or others who depended on the person who died. After a fatal accident on Highway 99, Highway 41 or Blackstone Avenue, or any other death someone else caused, the other side's insurer may call within days. Insurers value claims to control cost, so an early offer may not reflect what your family has lost, and it's fine to say you'll call back after you've talked to a lawyer.

Before you sign anything, ask yourself:

  1. Did someone else's carelessness cause the death: a driver, a company or a property owner?
  2. Was a public agency involved, like the City of Fresno, Fresno County, FAX or Caltrans?
  3. Would the settlement account for the support, care and companionship your family has lost, not just the bills?

From one of our car accident cases

The insurer's best offer$410,000

What we won for our client$4.4M

A car accident that left our client with a neck injury. Most people would have taken the offer. We won more than ten times as much.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, and each case is different.

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Our office in Fresno

Local wrongful death lawyers,right here in Fresno.

Not every firm that advertises in Fresno has an office here. We do.

Our office is downtown on Fulton Street, down the street from Fresno County Vital Statistics, where certified copies of death certificates are issued. Come in, or we'll come to you anywhere in Fresno and Madera Counties.

Nearby officesModestoBakersfieldStockton

Why choose Valero Law Group?

We champion every family,with patience and care.

After a loss, we take on the legal work with the same skill, attention and determination we bring to every client.

We gather the records, deal with the insurance companies and explain each step in plain words, so your family can focus on each other.

They made me feel like a priority, and they put my needs first as a client.

IsabelValero Law Group client

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Real reviews fromour clients.

  • Samuel M. smiling in the Valero Law Group office with his $881,000 settlement check
    Samuel M.$881,000
  • Victoria M. smiling in front of the Valero Law Group logo wall with her $625,000 settlement check
    Victoria M.$625,000
  • Karina C. smiling in the Valero Law Group office with her $625,000 settlement check
    Karina C.$625,000
  • Angela M. smiling and pointing to her $625,000 settlement check
    Angela M.$625,000
  • Destiny H. smiling with her $500,000 settlement check
    Destiny H.$500,000
  • Javier P. smiling in the Valero Law Group office with his $375,000 settlement check
    Javier P.$375,000
I want to thank Valero Law Group's Fresno team and attorneys for helping my husband obtain the best outcome possible on his case. We did not expect as great a result as we got.
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They guided me every step of the way and treated me like family.
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Really helpful in my case and has been working patiently with me.
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What a family can recover aftera wrongful death in California.

Whoever caused the death, whether a driver, a company, a property owner or a public agency, can be held responsible for what the family has lost, as California's jury instructions describe it. A separate claim belongs to the estate.

The family's claim

What the family has lost

  • The financial support the person would have given the family
  • Gifts or benefits the family would have expected
  • Funeral and burial costs
  • The value of the household services they would have provided
  • The loss of their love, companionship, comfort, care and moral support

The estate's claim

What the person lost before death

  • Medical bills from the injury until the death
  • Earnings lost between the injury and the death
  • Damage to their property, such as a car
  • In some cases, penalties or punitive damages they could have claimed
  • 2 yearsTo file a wrongful death lawsuitCalifornia generally gives a family two years from the death to file (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1).
  • 6 monthsIf a public agency was involvedIf a City of Fresno, Fresno County or state vehicle, road or worker played a part, including a FAX bus, a written claim is generally due within six months of the death (Gov. Code §911.2), before any lawsuit.
  • 180 daysA minor in the home can have a claimA child who lived in the home for the 180 days before the death, and depended on the person who died for at least half of their support, can have a claim even without being a legal heir (CCP §377.60(c)).

After a death in Fresno,what comes next.

The coroner's report, death certificates, who brings the claim and the deadlines, explained.

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  • The coroner's report
    In Fresno County the Sheriff is also the Coroner. The Sheriff-Coroner's Office investigates sudden, violent and unexplained deaths. A family member can request its report through the office's online records request portal, with the person's name and date of death and your relationship. The report includes the deputy coroner's investigation, the autopsy report if one was done, and toxicology. It costs $84.55, photos aren't included, and the office asks families to allow at least 8 weeks. It isn't open to the public; questions go to (559) 600-3400.
  • Death certificates
    The funeral home usually orders the first copies. More certified copies cost $26 each from Fresno County Vital Statistics, 1221 Fulton Street, Room 128, or by mail or online. Authorized copies go to close family, including a parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse or domestic partner, and to an attorney representing the estate.
  • If it was a traffic collision
    On Highway 99, 41, 180 or 168, even inside city limits, the CHP's Fresno office usually takes the report, and the CHP explains how to request it. On city streets it's usually Fresno Police, whose reports are free at the Records lobby at headquarters on Mariposa Street. We can request the report for your family.
  • Keep what may become evidence
    Hold on to their phone, papers and belongings, any photos of the scene, and the names and numbers of anyone who saw what happened. If a nearby business or home camera may have recorded it, we can ask the owner to keep the footage.
  • Who can bring the claim
    In California the claim belongs to certain family members: the spouse or registered domestic partner, the children, and the children of a child who has died. If there are no children or grandchildren, the people who would inherit under California law can bring it, which can include parents. Some people who depended on the person can too.
  • Public agencies have shorter deadlines
    A wrongful death lawsuit generally must be filed within two years of the death. If the City of Fresno (including a FAX bus), Fresno County or a state highway was involved, a written claim is generally due within six months, before any lawsuit.
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Al Barro Foundation: supporting over 400 orphans in Mexico

From the community, for the community.

Hablamos español.

We're a Hispanic-focused firm with native Spanish-speaking attorneys. We understand your family's needs, walk you through every step in your language, and fight to get you every dollar you deserve.

Organizations we support

Sponsor of the 2024 Share the Road Scholarship

Our community outreach
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  • EUNIME por Tijuana, A.C.
…they speak excellent Spanish, know how to help, and look out for their clients' best interests.
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Organizations we support

Sponsor of the 2024 Share the Road Scholarship

Our community outreach
  • Al Barro Foundation
  • EUNIME por Tijuana, A.C.

Common questionsfrom families in Fresno.

Who can file a wrongful death claim in California?
The spouse or registered domestic partner, the children, and the children of a child who has died. If there are no children or grandchildren, the people who would inherit under California law, which can include parents. Some people who were financially dependent on the person can also bring a claim, such as stepchildren or parents, and so can a child who lived in the home for the 180 days before the death and depended on the person for at least half of their support (CCP §377.60). Each family member has their own claim, but California ordinarily has them brought together in one lawsuit, and the court divides any award among them (§377.61).
How long does our family have?
Generally two years from the death to file a lawsuit. If a public agency may be responsible, such as the City of Fresno, Fresno County, FAX or Caltrans, a written claim is generally due within six months, and if it's rejected, a lawsuit usually has to follow within six months of the notice. In some cases a lawyer can ask for permission to file a claim late, within one year (Gov. Code §911.4). It's worth talking to a lawyer early, even if your family isn't ready to decide anything.
What can a family recover?
California allows damages that are “just” under all the circumstances (CCP §377.61): the financial support the person would have given, gifts or benefits the family would have expected, funeral and burial costs, the value of their household services, and the loss of their love, companionship, comfort, care, assistance, protection, affection, society and moral support, and, for a child, a parent's training and guidance (CACI 3921). A person doesn't have to have earned a paycheck for the loss to count. California measures the loss of the relationship; it doesn't put a separate price on grief itself.
Our child died. Can we bring a claim?
When a minor child dies, the parents can bring a claim, and it can include funeral and burial costs, the value of any support and household services the child would have given, and the loss of the child's love, companionship, comfort, care, assistance, protection, affection, society and moral support (CACI 3922). If an adult child leaves a spouse or children, the claim generally belongs to them, though parents who depended on the child can also bring one (CCP §377.60). If a school district or another public agency may be responsible, the six-month claim rule applies, so it helps to talk to a lawyer early.
What is the estate's “survival” claim?
It's a separate claim that belongs to the person's estate, for losses they had before they died, such as medical bills and lost earnings (CCP §377.30). The estate's personal representative brings it, or, if no probate case is open, a family member who is the successor in interest can, by signing a sworn declaration (§377.32). For survival claims filed on or after January 1, 2026, California law doesn't allow damages for the person's own pain and suffering before death; claims filed from 2022 through 2025 could include them (§377.34).
The driver was drunk or drove off. Is there other help for our family?
Possibly. If the death was caused by a crime, including a hit-and-run driver or a driver under the influence, the California Victim Compensation Board may help the family with funeral and burial costs, counseling and lost support, when insurance doesn't cover them. The Fresno County Sheriff-Coroner lists the James Rowland Crime Victim Assistance Center at (559) 600-2822. For what California law says after these accidents, see our pages on drunk driving accidents and hit-and-run accidents.
Do you have an office in Fresno?
Yes. Our office is at 1401 Fulton St, Suite 905, Fresno, CA 93721, downtown. Come in if you like, or we'll come to you at home. Call (800) 985-9565 any time, 24/7.
What does a wrongful death lawyer cost?
Nothing upfront. Your consultation is free, and no attorney's fees are owed unless we recover compensation for you. You may be responsible for case-related costs and expenses; we'll explain them before you sign.
Attorney Kyle Valero
Kyle ValeroAttorney, Valero Law Group

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Have a question about a potential case?Talk to a Fresno wrongful death lawyer today.

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