What Damages Can Plaintiffs Collect For Wrongful Death?

After someone dies due to someone else’s negligence, his or her family may have to contend with extreme financial hardship while also coping with a devastating loss. A legal action for wrongful death may provide a way for families to manage the immediate economic impact of someone’s unexpected passing.

Compensation may also help families navigate the permanent financial reality of life without the family member one who they lost. Here are some factors that may be part of a settlement or award for damages in a wrongful death claim.

Medical expenses

Emergency treatment prior to a person’s death is generally recoverable. This includes expenses that health insurance covered, but carriers may seek restitution for payment that they made to medical providers.

Final expenses

Damages for wrongful death could include the cost of a funeral as well as burial or cremation. Even if the person who died had insurance or savings for final expenses, it may still be possible to recover these costs.

Lost income

Someone’s passing may deprive his or her family of vital financial support. It may be possible to recover what a deceased loved one would have earned over the remainder of his or her life.

Lost companionship

Of course, nothing can fully compensate a family for a lost loved one. However, families may receive damages for the absence and grief that they have to endure.

Ultimately, damages in wrongful death cases may depend on many factors. Individuals’ circumstances prior to their death and the event that caused it may both bear heavily on the amount that a family recovers.