Grief is a very overwhelming emotion that can leave it hard to function in daily life. Losing someone you love is never easy, but when that death is sudden and unexpected, it can be particularly difficult for you to process your loss and regain your emotional foothold.
People often spend so much time turning inward after a tragic death in their family that they may fail to really consider the external and practical implications of the death as much as they do the social and emotional consequences. Losing someone from your immediate family will absolutely leave a hole in your heart, but it will also have a ripple effect on many other areas of your life, particularly your financial stability.
Although some people think of personal injury lawsuits as frivolous, they are often a source of justice and closure for those harmed by others. As someone who has lost a loved one, a wrongful death lawsuit brought against the person whose actions or inaction contributed to your loss could be a way for you to get justice for both your deceased loved one and you as their dependent family member.
Washington State allows grieving dependents to seek reasonable compensation
Under Washington state law, children and spouses of someone who dies, as well as registered domestic partners and even stepchildren, have the right to file a wrongful death claim against the person or business responsible for their loss. In the event that there aren’t children or spouses, parents or even siblings may be able to bring legal action against the person who caused the death.
You have the right to seek reasonable compensation, which could include the current financial losses your family has suffered, as well as likely future losses. Those losses may include the wages your loved one would have earned, the inheritance they would leave behind for children, the unpaid labor they perform around the house, and even the social and emotional support they provided to you in life.
While it may seem crass at first to try to put a price tag on the life of your loved one, the real purpose of doing so is to demonstrate the financial impact of someone else’s wrongful act or negligence. When someone fails to behave in a responsible manner and causes a tragic death as a result, that individual may have financial and legal liability for the impact of their actions.