What Are Damages?
Damages are the monetary compensation sought or awarded in a legal claim for harm caused by another party. In a wrongful death claim, damages may address financial losses, services the deceased provided, funeral expenses, and the family’s emotional or relational loss. The recoverable categories depend on the facts and applicable law.
Quick Facts About Damages
Category
Legal compensation for harm
Used for
Financial and personal losses
Common confusion
Damages differ from liability
Also called
Compensation, Monetary damages
Often discussed with
Wrongful Death Claims
Key Takeaways About Damages
- Damages may include financial and nonfinancial losses.
- Wrongful death damages focus on losses suffered by surviving family members.
- Damages are not the same as liability or fault.
How Damages Works
Damages are assessed by connecting a legal claim to specific losses caused by the death. Economic damages may include lost income, household services, medical care related to the final injury, and funeral expenses. Non-economic damages may address grief, loss of companionship, and the effect of the death on close family relationships.
Related glossary terms: Economic Damages, Punitive Damages, Pain and Suffering.
Wrongful death claims can also involve damages that would have belonged to the deceased person’s estate, such as pain and suffering before death. Economic damages usually rely on records and financial evidence. Non-economic losses require evidence about the relationship, family roles, and personal impact. Punitive damages serve a different purpose and may apply only when the conduct meets the legal standard for that remedy.
From the Atlanta Auto Law team
When we handle wrongful death claims, we identify each loss connected to the death and separate estate claims from family claims. We review employment records, household contributions, medical documents, funeral expenses, and evidence describing the relationship. We also check whether the available evidence supports economic, non-economic, or punitive damages.
Damages in Practice: A Real-World Example
A family may seek damages after a fatal crash caused by another driver. The claim could address funeral expenses, lost household support, and the family’s loss of companionship, while estate damages could address the deceased person’s conscious pain before death.
Related Services
Related Terms
Economic Damages
Economic Damages are measurable financial losses caused by an injury or accident. They can include medical…
Punitive Damages
Punitive Damages are money awarded to punish especially reckless or malicious conduct and discourage similar behavior…
Pain and Suffering
Pain and Suffering is a form of non-economic damages that addresses physical discomfort, emotional distress, and…
Lost Wages
Lost Wages is income you could not earn because an injury from a car accident prevented…
Atlanta Auto Law
Have Questions About Damages?
Contact Atlanta Auto Law for practical guidance on Damages and related personal injury attorney work in Atlanta.