Damages for Wrongful Death
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Phoenix Wrongful Death Damages Attorney
How do I Determine the Amount of Money Damages or Compensation in an Arizon Wrongful Death Claim?
The reality is that it is very difficult to give a direct answer to what would sound like a simple question. Many people who have lost a loved one due to the negligence of another want to know what the case value may be. There's nothing wrong with wanting to know the answer to this. Litigation can be very difficult. Hiring a lawyer is never something anybody looks forward to doing. Therefore, trying to get an understanding as to whether or not it is worthwhile to pursue a wrongful death claim with the best possible Arizona personal injury attorney one can find is a reasonable item to want to know.
The reason it is difficult to give a direct number is that Arizona personal injury law does not work like Social Security Disability or workers' compensation. There is no set schedule for the value of a life. There is no piece of paper that defines how much a case is worth. This is why it's so important to find the right lawyer for the job. The reality is that an Arizona wrongful death case is worth whatever the jury says it is worth. The jury gets to make the decision based upon a number of factors. Certainly, these factors include any out-of-pocket expenses that are related to the incident that led to the tragic death of a loved one. There is also a loss of future earnings that were denied to family as a result of the death of a wage earner. Sometimes, there are even punitive damages involved that can be used to punish a wrongdoer who intentionally pursued a course of conduct that led to the death of somebody else.
But it is really the non-economic damages the make a wrongful death case so difficult to place a value upon. A jury is ultimately asked to put a number on something that a number cannot fix. No amount of money can undo the harm. And yet, we as a society recognize that human life has value. Since there is no way to undo the harm that was done, we ask a jury to put a value on that individual's life as it relates to those who have been left behind. This will vary widely based upon the person involved, the circumstances of their death, as well as many other factors.
An experienced wrongful death attorney in Arizona will be able to provide some guidance as to the expected outcome of an individual case. However, there is no formula that is put on paper, no list that can be referred to, that is a substitute for the experience of an Arizona wrongful death lawyer.
