There is an instance where a person who was initially thought to have died of natural causes or injuries was found out to have actually died of negligence or intentional acts of someone else. In this case, can the deceased person’s surviving family members or anyone close to the person file a lawsuit to claim the damages on behalf of the deceased?
The answer here is yes – you can file what is called the wrongful death suit. If you are planning to file a similar lawsuit in behalf of a deceased family member, close friend, or loved one, you need to know what to do and what damages you can get from the suit.
When is the Wrongful Death Suit Applicable?
It is not enough that you just discovered the real cause of death of a family member or a loved one long after it happened. For your case to be counted as a wrongful death suit, the death which was thought to be of natural causes or personal injuries, turned out to be caused by an act or negligence of someone else.
The death had to occur from certain situations, such as when the victim was intentionally killed. Such death cannot be counted as a result of natural causes, of course. Another instance is when the person dies as a result of medical malpractice, like when the doctor or any medical practitioner fails to provide the right level of care to the person. In addition to that, you can also file a lawsuit on wrongful death when the person died from an accident, but as a result of negligence.
What Can You Get From a Wrongful Death Lawsuit?
Once you have filed a lawsuit on the grounds of wrongful death, was able to meet thee requirements, and was eventually able to win the lawsuit, what damages you can get as a compensation on behalf of the deceased?
It is not hard to collect the damages from the lawsuit, as long as you were able to meet all the requirements, and you were able to prove that the person’s death is indeed classified as a wrongful one.
Some of the damages that can be collected as compensation include the survival claims, medical treatment costs, funeral and burial costs, and the amount of loss from the deceased person’s expected income.