Wrongful Death Claims. How Can You Value A Life?

The sudden death of your mother, father, sister or brother is one of the worst things that can happen in life, especially when the death was because someone wasn’t paying attention.  All too often drunk men and women decide they are “fine to drive” instead of taking an inexpensive Uber or Lyft ride home.  Companies employing commercial drivers allow legally blind, unhealthy, sleepy, or drunk people drive 80,000 pound killing machines.  Some companies have even set numbers of “acceptable” collisions or deaths per month.  Then the driver refuses to accept responsibility when they kill someone.  The surviving family members are left to deal with depression, grief, and those painful flash memories caused by seeing or doing the little things the missing person enjoyed or did.  The survivors are forced to continue living with a permanent hole in their lives.

Compensation For Fatal Accidents | Call Neuberger Law, LLC, At 678-766-1700

Lawyers and courts cannot bring back a family member or ease the pain of their loss.  The only remedy we have is financial compensation.  But how do you value a life?

Georgia law allows for what is called a “wrongful death claim.”  The claim is held by the surviving spouse, who divides any monetary compensation with surviving children.  When the deceased is unmarried, then the surviving children hold the claim.  Whoever pursues the claim is entitled to the “full value of the life of the deceased,” from the deceased persons perspective.  But how much is it worth to have one more breath?  What is the dollar value of being able to see your son or daughter graduate from high school, go to college, or get married?  How much is enough to entice someone to allow themselves to be killed instead of growing old with their family?  What would a person say if you walked up to them on the street and say:

I’m going to run you down with my tractor-trailer.  The truck will hit you so hard you are literally thrown out of your shoes and 50 feet down the street. I’m going to kill you and you will never again enjoy the smell of fresh baked bread.  You will never again sit over dinner and laugh with your wife and kids about the silly things they did that day.  But the good news is, I’ll write you a check to let me kill you.  How much do you want?

No one would accept that offer, but that is precisely what juries have to determine when they render a verdict in a wrongful death case.

Over the years we have helped a number of families torn apart because of deaths from truck and car crashes caused by:

  • Drunk drivers;
  • Tractor-trailer drivers who are not paying attention;
  • Tractor-trailer drivers who are not qualified to be driving an 80,000 pound truck;
  • Tractor-trailer drivers who were legally blind;
  • Tractor-trailer drivers who suffered from sleep deprivation or sleep apnea;
  • Trucking companies that didn’t follow the law and hired people who should never be allowed to drive a commercial vehicle;
  • Pedestrian and bicyclists hit by cars, trucks, or tractor-trailers; and
  • Motorcycle crashes.

There are situations where the behavior of the negligent person or company is so outrageous that we seek punitive damages in addition to the customary compensation. Behavior that invites punitive damages includes driving drunk, driving while blind, racing, hit-and-run, and fleeing the police.  Not every case involves punitive damages for causing a death.  An experienced attorney is needed to assess the facts of the case to determine the appropriate type and amount of damages to pursue.  Not every attorney has more than two decades of experience in handling death cases.  We do.

Get The Advice You Need, When You Need It

At Neuberger Law, LLC, based in Atlanta, we have represented many clients in Georgia wrongful death cases. If you are struggling to understand whether your situation has a critical legal component, attorney James Neuberger can give you the advice you need. With more than twenty years of experience, he brings a lot of experience in proving negligence and damages to the table.  James Neuberger can help you find all the available insurance to help compensate your family.  We can’t bring back the person you’ve lost, but we can get justice for you and your family.