What are Typical Wrongful Death Settlement Amounts in Louisiana?

The typical wrongful death settlement amount in Louisiana can range from hundreds of thousands of dollars to more, but there is no standard amount.

Wrongful death claims allow family members to recover damages after their loved one lost their life as a result of negligence. Talk with a New Orleans wrongful death lawyer today.

Typical Settlement Amounts are Limitedly Accurate

The typical wrongful death settlement amount is anything but typical. That is because every incident is a bit different, due to numerous factors. A wrongful death claim may be brought when a person loses their life in a medical malpractice case, car accident, assault, defective product, or workplace accident.

In some cases, a family member may receive very little compensation, while others may receive life-changing compensation. It is nearly impossible to provide accurate average values because every case is so different.

To better understand the value of your potential wrongful death case, set up a time to speak to an attorney. Your lawyer will review a variety of factors that determine the value of your claim. Contacting a New Orleans wrongful death attorney is the best way to gain clarity on your rights.

Costs Suffered Before the Death

One of the elements of a wrongful death claim is the costs suffered by the deceased leading up to their death. It is the family and estate’s right to pursue compensation for these losses, but they will range widely. A person hospitalized for two months after an accident may accumulate higher medical bills than someone who died quickly after emergency treatment following a fall. These costs may include:

• Emergency medical costs
• Hospitalization costs after the accident until death
• Any type of treatment or services paid for leading up to the death
• Loss of wages for time missed prior to death at work
• Any out-of-pocket expenses related to the care or needs of the patient or immediate family after the incident

Your attorney will gather a vast amount of information to provide an accurate estimate for these losses. In most situations, you can expect medical costs to be just one component of the much larger settlement value. Review our case results to learn how we have helped people like you in similar situations. Our team has over 121 years of combined experience.

Age and Health of the Individual

In a wrongful death claim in which the person who dies was a wage earner supporting others, it will be critical to accurately assess that person’s contributions to the household moving forward. Without that wage earner present, the family could suffer significant financial hardship. To determine the losses related to this, your attorney will consider both age and health.

A young individual starting their career has a much longer potential earning period than someone near retirement, which can significantly impact settlement value. In these situations, the length of work history could influence cost. A younger person would have lost more because they died at such a young age.

If a person lost their life at that young age and they were very healthy, their life expectancy was likely much longer than someone who was older with numerous health complications. During a longer life, the person would have earned more income that was now cut short due to the wrongful death incident.

Earning Ability and Expectations

Another component of the process will be factoring in how much a person would have earned during their lifetime if they had lived. Specifically, the key is to understand how a person’s income would have contributed to the family and, therefore, what the family and estate should be compensated for missing. The value of a person’s wrongful death settlement should factor in aspects such as:

• The type of work the person did
• Their level of education
• Specific job advancements or achievements expected
• Prospective long-term contributions

By looking at expected earnings in the field for someone with their background and education, your attorney will have a better idea of what type of wrongful death compensation is owed. The key here is that this can all be very subjective, and it will be up to your attorney to clarify why they believe what they state in these claims. Our FAQs section provides additional information on how we handle wrongful death cases in Louisiana.

Pain and Suffering Damages

It is impossible to know how much pain and suffering a person had leading up to their death, but a wrongful death settlement will carefully consider the valuation. The value may relate to the severity or type of injuries experienced.

A person who spends months fighting for their life in a burn unit after an explosion likely suffered significantly more from pain and injury than a person who died during a surgical procedure. Of course, there is no simple way to value pain and suffering, but by understanding what your loved one went through, it may be possible to have at least a bit of a clearer idea of that value.

Emotional turmoil and the pain and suffering of the family are also factors in these cases. Wrongful death laws (Article 2315 of the Louisiana Civil Code) provide guidelines on what should be received and who should act to recover those losses. However, by working with a wrongful death attorney in Louisiana, you will have a better level of understanding of what the case may be worth.

Set Up a Free Consultation to Discuss Your Loved One’s Suffering

Discuss the typical wrongful death settlement amounts in Louisiana with our legal team to have a better idea of what your case and claim may be worth. When you contact Scott Vicknair Injury Lawyers, we begin building a strong claim for you, one that is backed by evidence.

We push the value to the highest level possible. Speak to us today about your rights in these cases.