This question can have many different answers that will generally depend on the deceased persons' surviving family members. If the deceased contributed significantly to the household, the estate may be able to recover for future lost earnings the deceased would have received during their normal life expectancy. The claim can also recover damages based on the pre-death suffering experienced by the victim if they did not die right away.

If you are filing a wrongful death claim as a surving spouse your settlement may include amounts for loss of consortium (loss of care , love and sex), loss of future financial contributions that were expected from the deceased. If you had children with the deceased, damages can also include loss of parent-child relationship.

It can be extremely difficult to determine how much a settlement should be in any case and it may be necessary to bring in experts that can help calculate the damages.