No peace of paper is quite as unsettling as a death certificate. It’s amazing how cold one small piece of paper can feel in your hands. The grief may overwhelm you every time you glance at those few short words written in black ink that signify in unemotional prose the death of a person you loved—and still love—dearly.
If a small part of you rips apart each time you have to hand over a copy of the death certificate to a seemingly unfeeling representative of yet another financial institution, you’re not alone. It’s a necessary evil following the death of a spouse in a car accident but one that’s never easy.
Basically, any government entity or agency giving away money will want a certified death certificate. You may need to provide a death certificate to gain access to each of the following:
- Any individual checking or savings account in your spouse’s name
- Some joint checking or savings accounts
- Credit cards listed in your spouse’s name
- Each life insurance policy
- Deed to the house
- Title to any vehicles that carried your spouse’s name
- Any claims of death benefits from a union
- Any stocks, bonds, IRA accounts, savings deposit boxes, or similar financial assets
- Tax returns
This is just a partial list. You will likely need anywhere between 10 and 20 certified copies of your spouse’s death certificate to complete all the necessary tasks.
If another person caused your spouse’s death, such as in a Maryland car accident, you may also want to retain a copy of the death certificate for a wrongful death lawsuit, which a Southern Maryland accident lawyer can help you file.
For more information on what all you need in order to file a wrongful death lawsuit in Maryland, contact the experienced Maryland car accident attorneys of Nickelsporn & Lundin toll-free at 1-800-875-9700.