Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
What is My Wrongful Death Case Worth in Massachusetts? (Part A)
Losing someone you love is never easy. Losing them to a preventable accident caused by someone else’s negligence can make their death even more unbearable. If this is the case, you may be thinking about filing a Massachusetts wrongful death lawsuit to help with the financial strain your loved one’s absence has had on your family.
The first step you should take is to consult with an experienced Boston personal injury attorney that specializes in wrongful death lawsuits. It is important that the lawyer you choose has successfully handled wrongful death lawsuits in the past.
Direct Expenses in a Wrongful Death Claim
If your attorney can prove that another party caused the death of your loved one, a Massachusetts wrongful death lawsuit may be able to help you recover monetary compensation to help with some of the direct economic factors that occurred as a result of the accident. These economic factors may include:
- medical bills (for any treatment received prior to your loved one’s death)
- burial costs
- funeral expenses
Wrongful Death Compensation for Non-Economic Factors
In addition, a jury may award wrongful death compensation based on a variety of emotional and psychological effects you may have experienced as a result of your family member’s passing. While the dollar amounts awarded can be quite subjective, juries often issue damages pertaining to:
- Mental anguish
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of care
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of consortium
Wrongful Death Compensation for Future Earnings
Another common category of compensation from a wrongful death lawsuit are the lost future wages and benefits of the decedent. Both objective data and subjective criteria are factored into the determination of a total damage amount.
The simplest way to figure out future earnings would be to multiply the victim’s annual salary by the number of years they were expected to continue working. Sometimes, attorneys and insurance companies consult a worklife expectancy table to aid in this process. In practice, establishing future wages is more complicated, so an attorney might enlist the services of an economist to help the process along.
Continue to What is My Wrongful Death Case Worth in Massachusetts? (Part B) >>
