Call Us atA monetary payment alone cannot possibly make up for a negligent or illegal act that directly caused another person’s premature death, nor can it completely heal the trauma this loss will cause to the deceased person’s family. Civil restitution can minimize the effect this tragedy has on your family’s financial security, as well as help you get the assistance you need to move on as best you can in the long term.
Maximizing damages in Anchorage wrongful death cases can be both personally and procedurally challenging, and it is not something you want to try doing on your own, especially while you are still grieving the loss of your loved one. Once retained, a seasoned wrongful death attorney can take the lead through every stage of your lawsuit or settlement and work tirelessly to ensure your family gets paid what you deserve.
Recovering for Economic and Non-Economic Losses
Much like standard personal injury claims, wrongful death cases are designed to seek reimbursement for specific compensatory damages suffered by the decedent’s surviving family members. The spouse, children, or other dependents of a wrongful death victim can recover both for economic losses with objective financial values and non-economic losses with subjective personal values, including things like:
- Costs of funeral, burial, and estate administration services
- Medical expenses paid by family members on the decedent’s behalf after their ultimately fatal accident
- Lost future financial support
- Lost household assistance and services
- Lost future education and training
- Lost love, care, companionship, and consortium
In addition, a court may impose punitive damages against someone who causes a wrongful death through extreme negligence or intentionally malicious conduct. However, these damages are not awarded often, and their value may vary dramatically from case to case, so it is worth discussing this possibility in more detail with a skilled attorney.
Are There Caps on Wrongful Death Recovery?
Notably, state law caps—or limits—the maximum amount of compensation a family may demand through a wrongful death action for non-economic forms of harm. Specifically, per Alaska Statutes § 09.17.010, non-economic recovery for wrongful death damages in Anchorage is limited to no more than $400,000 or the decedent’s remaining life expectancy multiplied by $8,000.
AK Stat. § 09.17.020 likewise imposes caps on the amount of punitive damages a court may impose against the defendant in a wrongful death claim, although the exact value of the cap can change substantially depending on the conduct of the defendant. Fortunately, there are no caps on recovery for economic damages stemming from a wrongful death.
Learn More About Wrongful Death Case Damages from an Anchorage Attorney
Taking proactive legal action after suddenly losing someone you love can be extremely important and extremely stressful, particularly if you have sustained significant financial harm from this tragedy on top of your emotional and psychological distress. Fortunately, state law allows you to demand fair financial restitution for those losses from the people to blame for causing them, provided you understand and make effective use of your right to civil recovery.
Assistance from dedicated legal counsel can be vital to obtaining fair compensation for damages in Anchorage wrongful death cases. Call today to discuss your options.
