Child Wrongful Death Laws in California

What Are the Wrongful Death Laws for Children in California?

Losing a child is one of the most difficult things anyone can experience, especially if the death was caused by someone’s negligence or deliberate acts of malice. A wrongful death claim involves the challenging task of quantifying how much value a person’s life means to surviving family members. This is a difficult task for any human being, but more so for a child.

Below, we will discuss wrongful death claims that involve children. If you have lost a child, our expert Los Angeles wrongful death attorneys at West Coast Trial Lawyers is always here to answer any questions you may have about filing a claim and available damages you may be entitled to.

To schedule a free consultation at our Los Angeles personal injury law firm, please contact our 24/7 legal team by calling 213-927-3700 or filling out our quick contact form.

Loss of a Child

Quantifying damages when an adult dies is fairly straightforward, because it involves the loss of financial earnings, care, and guidance that the individual would have provided for their spouse, registered domestic partner, and/or children. These losses are not too difficult to assess. 

For example, say that a parent dies in a preventable slip and fall. Their children can recover not only that parent’s lost income, but the loss of care, guidance, and support that parent would have provided, as well.

However, the parents of a child who is killed may only recover financial losses. These losses are typically determined by:

1. The nature of the relationship the deceased child had with those filing a wrongful death claim.
2. The age, health, and overall circumstances of those filing a wrongful death claim.
3. The sex, age, life expectancy, heatlh, work expectancy, and general habits of the deceased child.
4. The deceased child's earning potential.

Despite the above considerations, it is clear that determining a dollar amount for a child’s life is still very complex. Much of this work involves speculation. For obvious reasons, the younger the age of the child in question, the more difficult it is to speculate with much accuracy about how their life may have eventually turned out. Consider the circumstances of a 5 year old. There is literally a world of unknown possibilities for a child who is that young, and it is nearly impossible to predict their future.

On the other hand, a 17 year old with excellent grades who was on the verge of attending an ivy league university is relatively much easier to speculate on, especially when it comes to future earnings.

West Coast Trial Lawyers Is Here to Help

If you have lost a loved one due to negligent actions committed by another party, our expert team of wrongful death attorneys at West Coast Trial Lawyers will help you recover compensation for damages you have suffered. This includes medical expenses, lost wages, emotional distress, pain and suffering, and more. 

Contact us today by calling 213-927-3700 or filling out our contact form to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with our knowledgeable, caring, and compassionate legal team.