Wrongful Death Lawyer Estimates Full Financial Losses for Grieving South Carolina Families
The loss of a beloved family member creates emotional pain that no amount of money can ever truly address. However, when that loss occurs due to someone else's negligent actions, South Carolina law allows families to seek recovery of their financial losses through a wrongful death claim. As your family grieves, you shouldn't have to worry about calculating economic damages or proving the value of your case.
At Pracht Injury Lawyers, we help families understand the full scope of economic damages available in wrongful death cases. Our careful damage assessment ensures no financial loss goes uncounted as we work to secure the full compensation your family deserves. Let's examine the key components that make up economic damages in South Carolina wrongful death lawsuits.
Lost Wages and Employment Benefits
When calculating lost wages in a wrongful death case, we look beyond the deceased person's current salary. Our damage assessment considers:
- Base salary and overtime pay documented through past employment records
- Projected future income increases based on their career trajectory
- Value of health insurance, retirement benefits, and other employment perks
- Loss of pension benefits or other retirement accounts
- Unrealized business income for self-employed individuals
For younger victims or those early in their careers, we collaborate with economic experts to project reasonable income growth over their expected working years. This helps ensure the family receives fair compensation for decades of lost earning potential.
Medical Expenses and Funeral Costs
South Carolina law allows families to recover costs related to the fatal injury or illness, including:
- Emergency medical care and ambulance services
- Hospital stays and surgical procedures
- Medications and medical equipment
- Hospice or nursing care
- Funeral and burial expenses
- Cemetery plot and headstone costs
- Expenses related to estate administration
Our legal team helps gather all relevant medical bills and documentation to include these expenses in your claim.
Survival Action vs. Wrongful Death Claims
Medical expenses in South Carolina fall under two distinct legal claims. A survival action covers medical costs incurred between the initial injury and eventual death. By contrast, the wrongful death claim addresses expenses after the victim passes away. Our attorneys can help you pursue both survival action and wrongful death claims to ensure your family recovers all allowable medical costs under state law.
Household Services and Family Support
Many people contribute significant value to their households beyond their earned income from work. We help quantify these losses, including:
- Cost to replace services like childcare, home maintenance, and repairs
- Value of household management and budgeting assistance
- Loss of guidance and support for children's education
- Transportation services and errand assistance
- Cooking, cleaning, and other domestic tasks
While putting a monetary value on these services may feel difficult, they represent real financial losses that impact your family's future. The costs of hiring a nanny, tutor, or housekeeper can add up quickly, contributing to a significant burden for the family.
Long-Term Financial Impact
A thorough assessment of economic damages must consider how the loss affects your family in the immediate future as well as its long-term financial stability. Essential factors to consider may include:
- College savings and education funding for children
- Retirement planning and investment contributions
- Mortgage and debt payments
- Family business succession plans
- Estate planning implications
Our South Carolina wrongful death lawyers work with financial experts to project these losses across your family's expected lifetime needs.
Other Possible Types of Recoverable Damages
While this guide focuses on economic losses, families should understand that two other important categories of damages may be available in South Carolina wrongful death cases.
Noneconomic damages compensate for intangible losses like mental anguish, loss of companionship, and loss of parental guidance. These types of financial losses aren’t tied to a specific expense or bill but rather represent the profound personal losses endured by surviving family members.
Punitive damages may also be awarded in cases involving particularly reckless or intentional conduct to punish the wrongdoer and deter similar behavior. This may be especially relevant in cases of nursing home abuse or medical malpractice.
Our legal team can explain how these additional damages might apply to your family's case.
Get Help Calculating Your Family's Economic Damages
Determining the full value of economic damages in a wrongful death case requires extensive documentation and in-depth damage assessment. Our experienced legal team, led by attorney Christopher Pracht, helps families in Anderson and throughout South Carolina assess all financial losses stemming from their loved one's death.
We'll meticulously review your case, explain your legal options, and help ensure your family receives fair compensation for your economic losses.