The average wrongful death settlement doesn’t have a fixed number. These settlements are made up of several different damages, including funeral costs, pain and suffering, and loss of financial support. A West Palm Beach wrongful death lawyer will consider the suffering and losses your family has experienced and determine how much compensation to pursue.
While no amount of money can reverse this tragedy, compensation can give you and your family the support you need to make it through this painful time. Let’s take a closer look at how much your wrongful death settlement might be worth and how a lawyer can help you seek justice.
Funeral and Burial Costs
When considering what the average wrongful death settlement is worth, it’s important to discuss funeral and burial costs. One of the most immediate expenses you’ll face after a wrongful death is the cost of laying your loved one to rest. Most families never planned for these expenses to arrive so suddenly, and the bills can pile up quickly.
Florida law allows surviving family members to recover funeral and burial costs as part of a wrongful death settlement so that the financial burden doesn’t fall on you. A lawyer can use your bills and other financial records to pursue the correct amount for this expense.
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Medical Expenses Before Death
In many wrongful death cases, the person who died received medical care between the incident that caused their injuries and the moment they passed away. Those medical bills don’t disappear with them; they fall on the shoulders of surviving family members.
The law allows you to recover the full cost of that final care as part of a wrongful death settlement. Remember to save any emergency room bills, receipts, or medical records you receive. Hand them over to your attorney, and they’ll use them to get the compensation you deserve.
Your attorney will pursue the compensation you need to cover these expenses and answer any questions you have about how much the average wrongful death settlement is worth.
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Mental Anguish and Loss of Companionship
Not every loss after a wrongful death comes with a receipt. The pain of losing a spouse, parent, or child is just as real as any medical bill, and Florida law recognizes that. Non-economic damages are meant to compensate surviving family members for the deeply personal, intangible harm that no amount of money can truly replace.
Depending on your relationship to the person who died, these damages may cover the mental pain and suffering you’ve endured, the loss of your loved one’s companionship, guidance, and protection, and the loss of comfort and intimacy in a marriage. These damages can make up a substantial amount of the average wrongful death settlement.
They can also account for a child’s loss of parental care and instruction. These losses are harder to put a number on than medical bills or lost wages, but a skilled lawyer will know how to pursue an outcome that reflects the true depth of what your family has lost.
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Lost Income and Financial Support
When the person you lost was a provider for your family, their death doesn’t just leave an emotional void; it also leaves a financial one. Mortgage payments, tuition, retirement savings, and everyday expenses don’t pause for grief. Fortunately, the average wrongful death settlement accounts for these losses.
The compensation you receive from a successful claim may cover the loss of the wages your loved one was earning at the time of their death, the future income they would have earned over the rest of their working life, and the value of benefits like health insurance and pensions.
In some cases, compensation can also cover the loss of any inheritance your family would have received. An attorney can work with financial experts to calculate the full lifetime value of what your loved one would have provided and work to get a settlement that reflects all your losses.
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How a Lawyer Can Help You Maximize the Worth of Your Wrongful Death Settlement
Calculating how much a wrongful death settlement is worth is not something families should take on alone. Insurance companies count on the fact that grieving families often don’t know what their case is really worth. This leads them to offer settlements that don’t come close to addressing all the financial losses and pain involved.
A skilled wrongful death lawyer will take the following steps to ensure you and your loved ones get the damages and justice you deserve:
- Investigate the cause of death and gather important evidence
- Identify every party that can be held responsible
- Work with financial, medical, and economic experts to calculate how much your settlement should be worth
- Handle all communication with insurance companies
- Negotiate aggressively for a fair settlement
- Protect you from bad-faith insurance tactics designed to minimize what you receive
- Take your case to trial if the insurance company won’t pay what you’re owed
Schedule a Free Consultation and Get Started on Your Case
A settlement can’t bring your loved one back, but it can protect your family’s future and hold the responsible party accountable. At GOLDLAW, we have more than 200 years of combined legal experience and have won more than $1 billion for injury victims.
We provide the resources, legal strategy, and compassionate counsel you need to make it through this challenging time. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and learn more about your legal options. We’ll explain what the average wrongful death settlement is worth and answer any other questions you have.
