When someone dies due to the negligent actions of another person, those left behind can feel as though they are powerless. Filing a wrongful death lawsuit is one action the family can undertake. In this type of civil lawsuit it may be possible to recover damages for the life lost. These lawsuits are particularly helpful in cases when the person who died was the primary financial provider.

It was recently announced that a Pennsylvania jury returned a $3.2 million jury verdict in favor of a woman whose husband died in an accident in December 2005. The man, an engineer, was killed when as he drove south on Route 221, a 123 pound metal cylindrical pin which was part of a piece of mining equipment, fell of a tractor-trailer traveling on the road in the opposite direction and hit the front of his pickup. The force of the impact killed him instantly.

In addition to his wife, the 36-year-old man left behind two young daughters.

The complaint filed in the wrongful death case claimed the piece of equipment that struck the man's vehicle was negligently secured. It also alleged that instructions on the trailer regarding how equipment should be loaded were not followed. In addition to the driver of the truck, the complaint named Consol Pennsylvania Coal Co. and O'Brien's Rent All and Sales as defendants.

While the man's wife and children are undoubtedly pleased with the outcome of this case, it is fair to say that if they could, they would trade the money in exchange for having their loved one back.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Jury awards $3.2 million to widow of man killed in highway accident," Paula Reed Ward, Oct. 6, 2012

• Our firm handles similar situations to the one discussed in this post. If you would like to learn more about our practice, please visit our Pennsylvania wrongful death page.