If a careless person killed your loved one, you can sue them to recover damages. If you’re wondering how much wrongful death damages you can collect, read on. Next, you should hire a wrongful death lawyer.
Our Atlanta wrongful death lawyers have successfully represented wrongful death victims’ families for decades. We’ll deliver the best customer service and the greatest result. Our prior victories and our 5-star client reviews validate that promise.
Call us today at (404) 939-9470. Also, you may fill-out our online contact form to schedule a free case review with an Atlanta wrongful death lawyer. If you’ve got questions, we’ve got the answers.
Wrongful Death Damages
We understand that you might feel it’s “not the right time” to discuss monetary damages. However, if you don’t take action, you may lose the opportunity to collect key evidence that you need to prove your claim. Additionally, eyewitnesses’ memories may fade. Also, if the deceased was your family’s primary earner, you may be unable to pay your bills.
Georgia wrongful death damages enable victims’ families to recover compensation for the “full value” of the victims’ lives. That claim has an economic component and a non-economic component.
The economic component covers all future income the deceased would have earned, but for their death, such as:
- Actual lost salary, wages, and benefits.
- Potential lost salary, wages and benefits. If the deceased wasn’t employed, the jury considers the deceased’s age, health, education, and prior work history.
- Expected future profits if the deceased was self-employed.
- Caregiver services if the deceased was a stay-at-home spouse.
- Funeral expenses.
The non-economic component covers the “intangible” losses, such as:
Surviving spouses, children, and parents may file wrongful death claims. However, close friends and non-family members cannot typically file a wrongful death claim. If you are the deceased’s spouse and you raised children together, the estate’s recovery is divided amongst you and your children. Georgia’s Wrongful Death Act only allows extended family members to receive compensation when the deceased dies without a spouse or children.
Wrongful Death Survival Actions
A wrongful death claimant can also file a survival action on behalf of the deceased. A survival claim is a personal injury claim that “survives” the deceased’s death. The goal of a survivor claim is to compensate the deceased, through their representative, for all the harms they suffered prior to death, such as:
- Medical and hospital bills
- Lost wages
- Lost future earning capacity
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
The survival claim compensation honors the deceased. However, it’s disbursed to the deceased’s representative. That representative can then distribute the proceeds based on the deceased’s will, or, by agreement of the surviving family members if the deceased died without a will.
Contact an Atlanta Wrongful Death Lawyer ASAP
There is a two-year window to file Georgia wrongful death claims. Georgia’s statute of limitations (SOL) encourages victims to act quickly before memories fade and evidence disappears. If you don’t file your wrongful death lawsuit before the SOL expires, the court may dismiss your case.
Two years might sound like a long time. But, it’s not. wrongful death investigations may take many months. It also often takes 3-6 months for your lawyer to acquire the deceased’s medical records. If medical causation is disputed, your lawyer may also have to hire an expert to review the case before filing it.
The SOL typically begins to run on the date of death. However, there are certain situations in which the clock doesn’t start running right away. For instance, the SOL is usually “tolled” while a criminal investigation is pending.
You should speak with an experienced Atlanta wrongful death lawyer ASAP. That way, your lawyer will have sufficient time to evaluate your claim and, if necessary, file and serve your lawsuit.
Graham Scofield Injury Lawyers Can Help You
Monetary compensation won’t fix all of the harm your family has suffered. However, it can ease some of your family’s sufferings. Also, money can relieve some of your family’s financial burdens.
At Graham Scofield Injury Lawyers, we’ve helped many families just like you. We work on a contingency fee basis. That means that you don’t pay us anything until we win your case. We’re here to help. Just give us a call.
Call us today at (404) 939-9470. Also, you may fill-out our online contact form to schedule a free case review with an Atlanta wrongful death lawyer.
