Compensable Damages in a Wrongful Death Case

 Posted on November 16, 2021 in Personal Injury

Few things in life are nearly as painful as losing a loved one. No matter what the circumstances, the loss of a close family member has a devastating impact on your life. When your loved one was killed because someone else acted tortiously, the pain of the loss can be magnified. No settlement will bring back your family member or fully repair the damage that has been done, but a financial award can reduce the harm your family will face. Courts do the best they can to total the monetary losses associated with a wrongful death and to compensate the decedent’s family as fully as possible. An attorney can help you determine what financial hardships you may be eligible to receive compensation for.

What Will a Wrongful Death Award Pay For?

There are a lot of costs associated with a death in the family. Besides the funeral and medical expenses, you are likely going to be impacted by the loss of your relative’s income and support. In a wrongful death action, you could be compensated for:

• End-of-life costs - Costs associated with holding a funeral and burial or cremation, as well as charges for any medical treatment your family member may have received before passing away are compensable in a wrongful death action. Any pain and suffering your relative was forced to endure before death can also be accounted for.
• Lost income - If your loved one was the primary breadwinner or you relied on their earnings, you may be able to recover monies to make up for lost income.
• Emotional distress - Your own pain and suffering over losing your family member in this way is probably significant and you may need counseling to treat your emotional injuries. If you were near your relative when the fatal injury happened and suffered serious mental trauma as a result, the amount of emotional damages you can receive may be higher.
• Parental guidance - The guidance and moral support a child receives from their parent is impossible to assign a monetary value to because no number would be sufficient. However, when a child wrongfully loses a parent, courts will try to make the child whole again in the only way it can.
• Punitive damages - In some cases, the court will feel that the defendant’s conduct was so egregious that he should be punished for it on top of paying reasonable compensation to your family.

Adding up the damages can be overwhelming. An attorney will be able to help you calculate the amount you should ask for in court.

Talk to a Cook County Wrongful Death Attorney

Gruzmark Law, Ltd. is dedicated to recovering compensation for the families of victims who lost their lives as a result of another’s tortious conduct. Our compassionate Northbrook wrongful death lawyers will aggressively fight for you and your family to receive an award that puts you in the same financial position you would have been if your loved one was still here. Call 847-729-7660 to set up a free consultation.

Source: https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=2059&ChapterID=57