Friday, July 6, 2007

Computing the Value of a Loved One

A death in the family is unthinkable. However, all of us will pass away in time. It is however, more difficult if our loved one dies untimely because of the negligence and thoughtlessness of another person.

Wrongful death is when your loved one met an untimely demise due to the same circumstances that brings about personal injuries. Wrongful death can be caused by a car accident, premise liability, product liability, construction liability and medical malpractice among many others.

You can never bring back the life of your loved one. You cannot also definitely put a value or price tag on the life of your beloved. However, somebody has to pay for the death of your beloved as well as the consequences as a result of his or her untimely death.

Although the causes resulting to wrongful death are the same with causes which brings about personal injuries, pursuing damages are not the same. There are certain requirements in the laws that place these cases in a separate category.

The period in pursuing a wrongful death claim is different from other personal injury cases and the damages that need to be compensated are not ordinary. If you have a loved one lost due to a wrongful death the following are some of the claims for damages you are making:

1. Medical and funeral expenses;
2. Loss of the victim's anticipated earnings until the time of retirement or natural death;
3. Loss of benefits caused by the victim's wrongful death;
4. Pain and suffering experienced by the victim leading to the wrongful death;
5. Loss of care, protection and companionship to the survivors; and
6. Mental anguish suffered by the survivors

As you can see, the elements in pursuing wrongful death are very complex. Lawyers adept in pursuing cases of wrongful death are the ones you need to find in pursuing your suit.