Perhaps you are wondering why someone that has lost a loved one would give thought to some sort of compensation. No amount of money would cause the deceased relative to come back to life. Still, if that same person’s death has been caused by someone else’s negligence, then the family of the deceased might have assumed responsibility for a long list of expenses.
For example, from the moment that someone chose to display careless and neglectful behavior, all sorts of medical professionals fought to save the life of the person who is now deceased. Each of those same professionals must be paid for carrying out their job responsibilities.
In addition, the person that once suffered a fatal injury lost a chance to earn the wages that he or she could have earned during the time when treatment was attempted, without success. In fact, during the time when those wages could have been earned, both the accident victim and the victim’s family members endured pain and suffering.
The lost wages would have added to the money available to the family, which now has to bury the victim of that fatal accident. In other words, the funeral expenses belong on a list of the costs that have been taken care of by the family members. Hence, those same caring people deserve to be compensated.
Other losses that ought to be compensated
Not every person that dies has been employed in a full time job. Maybe the family members mourn the passing of a loved one that was also an author or a painter. That same person might have been working on a book or a painting at the time of the fatal accident. Who gets compensated for the money that might have come from the work that remained uncompleted?
Sometimes the death of an adult means a loss of guidance for one or more children. Still there exists another example of how some loved one might have been deprived of guidance. If an adult has been caring for an older parent, then that same parent would be deprived of guidance by the loss (death) of his or her son or daughter.
In one case, the children ought to be compensated; some adult needs to be reimbursed for assuming the role of parent. In the other case, the elderly parent would need to be compensated. The courts must arrange for all cases of that nature to be taken care of in a fair and just manner.
Who is entitled to such compensation?
The courts award those that deserve the compensation. Generally, the recipient of that award is a spouse, a child or a parent. In some cases the size of the awarded money might be greater, because the person responsible for the death has exhibited unmistakably egregious behavior. In that case, the court might declare that the family members deserve compensation for punitive damages. Having a personal injury lawyer in Mississauga can help you get higher compensation.
