Our Virginia Beach personal injury law firm hosted a seminar for members of the Virginia Beach Bar Association. This Virginia Beach, Virginia lawyers voluntary association includes lawyers who are based in Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Suffolk and in Virginia Beach, VA. Over 100 lawyers, including personal injury lawyers, attended the hot topics in personal injury seminar as did several judges.
Below is an excerpt from that seminar featuring information from Virginia wrongful death lawyer John C. on how to make the unique considerations associated with handling a wrongful death claim in Virginia.
Wrongful death claims were created by statute. In Virginia, wrongful death claims are addressed in Virginia Code § 8.01-50 which indicates that a claim must be brought by a personal representative of the deceased individual. In the wrongful death victim had a will, it would be the executor of the will who would bring the claim. Virginia Code § 8.01-52 defines the damages a personal representative can pursue in a Virginia wrongful death case. These damages include: (1) sorrow, mental anguish, and solace
(2) compensation for the reasonably expected loss of companionship and care provided by the deceased person
(3) expenses associated with the care, treatment, and hospitalization of decedent incident to the injury which caused the death
(4) reasonable funeral expenses
(5) punitive damages if the accident which caused the death was the result of reckless or wanton conduct by the defendant.
To learn more about Virginia wrongful death law, take a look at this free consumer report written by an experienced wrongful death attorney in Virginia.
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