Non-Economic Damages in DC Wrongful Death Actions

Damages are a form of compensation for someone who experiences loss or injury because of negligence or a deliberate act. Damages can be placed in two categories, economic and non-economic. Economic damages are medical costs, funeral and burial expenses, medical bills, loss of earnings, and the economic capacity of the deceased. Non-economic damages are the pain and suffering of the beneficiaries including grief, the loss of love and affection, loss of companionship, loss of society, and loss of consortium. If you have lost a loved one due to a negligent death, seek the services of a determined wrongful death attorney that could help you achieve justice for your loved one. Let a compassionate lawyer with experience pursuing non-economic damages in DC wrongful death actions advocate for you.

Who Can File for Damages in Wrongful Death Cases?

Under Maryland law, the primary beneficiaries are the people who can recover for a wrongful death action. They are usually the spouse, parent, or child of the deceased person. There can be other beneficiaries. When the deceased did not have a spouse, parents, or children, another person might qualify if they are related by blood or marriage to the deceased.

Common Types of Damages in Wrongful Death Actions

In a wrongful death action, the plaintiff may seek economic and non-economic damages for significant and severe mental and physical anguish, pain and suffering, inconvenience, physical impairment, and funeral expenses.

Non-economic damages in DC wrongful death actions include the loss of love and affection, loss of companionship, loss of enjoyment, and pain and suffering. A sum of money is given to diminish the harm to the family of the deceased.

Economic Damages

Economic damages can be calculated and verified through documents or records. They usually include medical bills and expenses from the past into the future, loss of past and future earnings, lost earning capacity, loss of real and personal property, costs of repair or replacement, and lost business opportunities. Economic damages are a way to frame a settlement with the insurance company.

Factors That Impact How Loss of Future Income is Calculated

Loss of future income is prepared by an expert who specializes in determining the loss of future income. Factors used in estimating the loss are age, education, salary, and the potential for upper mobility in their position. The expert calculates a yearly income for the rest of the working life of the deceased. That could be a substantial amount once all the factors are combined to estimate the loss of future income. The attorney may also help with the loss of income calculations, but this is truly the work of an expert.

The most interesting insight into the loss of future income is how much is lost by the wrongful death of the loved one. The estimation demonstrates how the person planned to make their way in the world and contribute to society, and how they were an amazing person. The insight into the loss of the person’s future is stark and sobering and brings to light what was lost by their untimely death.

Non-Economic Damages

Grief results in recoverable damages under the non-economic damages the portion of wrongful death action that is the mental and physical anguish of the beneficiaries from the death of their loved one. An experienced wrongful death attorney will know how to quantify the beneficiaries grief to enable maximum recovery for the beneficiaries.

The loss of love and affection is just one of the non-economic damages in DC wrongful death actions. It is difficult to calculate a monetary amount for this type of loss other than expressing the love and affection that the beneficiaries had to the deceased.

Calculating Loss of a Loved One and Loss of Companionship

When quantifying the loss of a loved one, a person can look at the loss of income the deceased brought into the family as well as the loss of consortium with their spouse. There may be a loss of mentoring, parental responsibilities, and other family duties.

The loss of companionship is a dynamic computation based on the size of family and the involvement the deceased had with their family. The children are a significant factor because the person most likely had an important role in their children’s lives and was guiding them during their growth. The children might not be the only ones affected by the loss of their parent. The person may have been supporting and caring for their elders or other family members. All of these relationships factor in the loss of companion calculation.

Benefit of a DC Wrongful Death Attorney

Experienced wrongful death attorneys have a history of calculating non-economic damages in DC wrongful death actions and understand the value that should be placed on them. The value is realized in a trial or during settlement negotiations with an experienced defense counsel who knows that these non-economic damages are important.

Like the loss of income, the damage may seem like intangible, but it represents the critical impact of the death of a loved one to the family. Loss of companionship needs to be recovered for the family because the person’s death is a real loss. While it may be unclear initially, an experienced wrongful death attorney and an expert will determine the value of the loss of companionship. If you have lost a loved one due to negligence, work with a compassionate wrongful death lawyer that could collaborate with reliable experts to pursue justice for you and your loved one.

DC Wrongful Death Damages