The death of a loved one in a car accident is a shocking event. Unlike a fatal illness, a fatal auto accident is unexpected. You cannot prepare for someone’s death when they were perfectly healthy when they got into their vehicle. One moment your parent, spouse or child is alive and well. Then within a few minutes or hours, they are gone.
The causes of deadly car accidents
As devastating as this can be for families, it can be even worse when the death would not have happened if a driver had not acted dangerously or irresponsibly. Common motorist behavior that leads to deadly wrecks include:
- Distracted driving
- Speeding, running red lights and other traffic violations
- Drunk and drugged driving
- Fatigued driving
- An inexperienced or elderly driver
There is nothing anybody can do to bring back your loved one. But there is something you can do to get justice for yourself and the deceased.
What can a wrongful death suit accomplish?
A wrongful death lawsuit can force the driver who killed your family member to pay damages. In Georgia, you can seek compensation for several types of harm the driver caused, such as:
- Lost future earnings
- Medical and funeral expenses
- Lost prospect of inheritance
- Loss of support and services
- Loss of parental guidance
The amount of compensation you deserve could depend on your loved one’s age, education, income and job prospects at the time of their death. While every life ended by wrongful death has value, the estate of a person in their 30s could potentially be entitled to more compensation than someone in their 70s. But the process of determining the financial, or pecuniary, loss caused by a death is a complicated process that requires reviewing a lot of details of the deceased’s life.
No lawsuit can change the past. But for many families, wrongful death litigation helps them feel that justice has been served — especially if the person who killed their loved one was not charged with a crime, or only got a light sentence.