The wrongful death of a loved one can be an overwhelmingly devastating experience for surviving family members. While dealing with the emotional devastation of unexpectedly losing a loved one, surviving family members may also be left facing unexpected financial challenges, including the potential loss of income and unexpected costs such as medical expenses, funeral expenses and others.
To cope with the change associated with the loss of a loved one, the family may need to hire additional help around the house or work more hours or additional jobs to make up for the income lost and meet the needs of the family, pay for medical bills and other costs associated with the loss. When a loved one has been wrongfully killed, surviving family members may be able to recover damages including loss of support and services, lost prospect of inheritance and pain and suffering damages.
Wrongful death refers to circumstances when a loved one has been killed by the negligence of another party, such as in a car or truck accident or in other circumstances. A wrongful death claim may be brought for the benefit of surviving family members to help them with the struggles and challenges they are likely to face along the road ahead following the loss of a loved one. The wrongful death claim may also be able to hold the negligent party responsible for causing the loss accountable for their negligent and careless actions.
Wrongful death claims and wrongful death damages and legal protections can help families struggling with one of the harshest circumstances in life. It is important for family members of victims wrongfully killed to be familiar with the legal help that may be available to them.