Oklahoma Wrongful Death Law Library TOPIC: What Types of Damages Can I Pursue In a Wrongful Death Case?

Wrongful death is a relatively new area in the field of personal injury law. Traditionally, if a person had a personal injury claim against another, that claim died with the claimant, but in modern society we recognize that people are bound to one another by a web of personal ties. When one person dies, it injures not just the one who died, legally known as the decedent, but everyone who is close to them. As a result, laws have been created to allow people to pursue legal claims after the loss of a loved one.

Because these laws are relatively new, they tend to vary more from state to state than other areas of personal injury. In Oklahoma, the following damages can be paid:

• Medical and burial expenses, paid to the person or agency that paid them, or to the estate of the decedent if paid by the estate
• Grief and loss of consortium (the right to company, help, affection, and sexual relations) to be paid to the spouse
• Mental pain and anguish of the decedent, paid to the spouse and children, or next of kin
• Loss of potential earnings during expected working life, paid to spouse, children, or next of kin
• Loss of companionship to parents and children
• Punitive damages may also be rewarded

This is many more damages than allowed by some states, and shows the value that Oklahoma puts on life and family ties.

At Self & Associates, we also stand to defend the rights of families, and believe that when they are torn apart by the negligence or deliberate misconduct of another person, that person should be made to pay the consequences in civil court as well as criminal court (when applicable).

To learn what damages might be available in your case, please contact Self & Associates in Oklahoma City today for a free consultation.