Losing a loved one is heartbreaking as it is, but imagine their death was because of someone else’s fault. Knowing that the death could have been avoided multiplies the pain and suffering tenfold. While the loss is irreparable, the law can help you get financial compensation and other damages to ease your suffering. All you have to do is hire a Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath -Boca Raton wrongful death lawyer to fight your case.
In this article, we’ll explain all the damages a lawyer can help you gain in a wrongful death case.
What is a Wrongful Death Case?
A wrongful death case is filed when a victim loses their life in an incident caused by someone else’s negligence. A great example of this is getting hit by a drunk driver or dying because of medical practice. In fact, medical malpractice is ranked the third most common cause of death in the U.S.
In such cases, the victim’s surviving family can file a case against the culprit on the victim’s behalf. With the help of a wrongful death lawyer, they can get compensation for the victims and their own suffering.
Damages in Wrongful Death Cases
Before you file a wrongful death case, it’s important to know exactly what damages you can recover. Though your wrongful death attorney will explain this in detail, here are some common ones you can expect:
Medical Bills
Most of the time, wrongful deaths don’t happen exactly at the scene and time of injury. Instead, the victim is taken to the hospital in the hope of survival. The treatment may require expensive surgery, resources, and maybe even keeping the patient on life support.
Whether the patient survives or not, you shouldn’t have to pay these bills. That’s why by filing a wrongful death case, your attorney will help you recover all these expenses.
Burial and Funeral Expenses
A wrongful death case can also help you recover expenses for the deceased’s funeral and burial. The total amount you’ll receive will depend on the arrangements made. It will cover everything, e.g., the coffin, funeral home service, transport, preparation of the body, etc.
You can even go for other options like cremation or a green burial. The amount you will get will be adjusted accordingly and take in account all of the unique expenditures.
Loss of Income
When someone dies, the financial situation of their household can significantly go downhill. The results can especially be disastrous if the deceased is the sole breadwinner. Luckily, the surviving family can get adequate compensation for this.
The compensation will cover the income the family would have had in the future had the victim not died. The calculated amount will take into account everything from the deceased’s age to their projected career graph. You’ll also be able to recover the income you lost while the victim was being treated in the hospital.
Loss of Consortium
When a person dies, the surviving family is deprived of the relation and affection they shared with the deceased. Considering that the loss is irreparable and lifelong, the court will compensate you financially for this.
While it will not replace the loss, the compensation will help ease your suffering. It will also allow you to afford therapy to help you with the grief. People who can recover these damages are usually the deceased’s spouse, parents, or children.
Pain and Suffering
Before the victims died, they may have gone through intense pain and suffering. That could be while they were consciously getting treated or while they were on life support. After their wrongful death, their family has the right to get compensation for that on their behalf.
The compensation will account for all the physical and emotional trauma the victim went through. It will be calculated from the time the accident happened to the person’s unfortunate death.
Punitive Damages
Besides the above compensations that are given to help the victim’s family, you can also get punitive damages. This is a type of damage that involves the culprit getting punished for death by the law. The punishment is usually given as an example of what the consequences of carelessness can be. It aims to deter such incidents from happening in the future and alert organizations to reevaluate their safety measures.
Do note that for this damage, the court thoroughly investigates the defendant. The defendant is held liable for these damages only if evidence found proves their gross negligence or intentional misconduct.
Conclusion
A death of a loved one can do irreversible damage to your life, especially if the death was wrongful. That’s why it’s important to get the justice you deserve by filing a wrongful death case. This will not only help you emotionally but also help you get compensation to ease your financial suffering.
So, if you’ve lost someone to a wrongful death, contact a wrongful death attorney today. They’ll represent your case in court and explain all your options for recovering different types of damages.
