It’s probably the worst-case scenario for a serious car crash. Your loved one suffers significant injuries that put them in the hospital, and your family waits, prays and hopes for their recovery. After days or even weeks of medical efforts to save them, your loved ones succumbs to their injuries and dies.
Suddenly, your family has to worry about all of those medical bills, as well as the stress and expense of planning a funeral. If there is any comfort to be had in this difficult situation, it might stem from the fact that Washington law allows the surviving family members to pursue wrongful death claims when someone causes a fatal crash.
You have the right to seek compensation for yourself and your loved one
Wrongful death lawsuits for many people focus on the recovery of expenses incurred because of someone’s death and lost future support and income from the deceased. People can seek the monetary replacement of funeral costs and future wages to help reduce the impact of their loss.
However, it’s important for family members of someone who didn’t die immediately after a crash to understand that the deceased person’s right to make a claim against the responsible party for their injuries, medical costs and suffering all pass on to their descendants when they die. The right to bring action against the responsible driver for the impact on your loved one’s life survives even though your loved one did not.
Your family can seek compensation for their medical bills, as well as for the pain and suffering they endured in the interim between the crash and their death.