The personal and financial cost of a loved one’s sudden and preventable death can impact every member of their family in different ways. Thankfully, taking legal action against a person or company whose negligence led to the loss of a loved one is possible, and this legal action may ease the financial burden you experience during a difficult time.
What monetary compensation might families receive?
In Pennsylvania, the surviving loved ones of a person who passed on may be able to file what is known as a survival action. This claim allows them to receive damages related to the fatal injury before the death of their loved one. The damages the court could award in a survival action include:
- Medical expenses, including the cost of ambulance services, hospital stays and treatment for the injury
- Lost wages that the person who passed away would otherwise have earned between their injury and their death
- Damages in recognition of the pain and suffering that the injury caused
- The cost of a funeral and estate administration
Surviving loved ones may also be able to file a wrongful death action in recognition of the suffering they experience after the preventable loss of a loved one. These may include damages to offset:
- The income and job-related benefits that will no longer support the family of the person who passed away
- The loss of love and companionship to their spouse
- The loss of parental guidance and support to their child
- The emotional distress experienced by the family
- Funeral and estate administration costs
Family members may pursue one or both claims to hold negligent parties responsible and to ease their transition into life without their loved one.