A man from Zanesville, Ohio may be awarded nearly $4 million as a result of the wrongful death of his wife in 2008. These serve as compensation for both economic damages, such as medical bills and funeral costs, as well as noneconomic damages such as pain and suffering and loss of companionship. Additionally, a portion of the funds serves as payment for the lost wages and benefits of the deceased.
The wrongful death case stems from an accident on December 26th, 2008 while the man and his wife were returning with their children from celebrating the Christmas holiday with their in-laws. After deciding to return home, the man drove the couple's daughter separately, while the wife transported their son. While driving on Ohio 83, a tree fell onto the wife's car, causing the vehicle to swerve and run into a rail. The vehicle then collided with other trees before coming to a stop. Emergency responders declared the wife dead at the scene, and the young boy was hospitalized with serious brain injuries.
The man claimed that the Ohio Department of Transportation was legally liable for the accident, since it is the ODOT's responsibility to ensure that the roadsides are kept free from danger. It was also claimed that ODOT was aware of the potential for a tree to fall in the location of the accident.
Since the accident, the man has been diagnosed with severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder related to the loss of his wife. After a short return to work, he was ruled unfit to continue and was forced to take short-term disability. His son has also suffered from several attention issues, which were not present before the accident.
Source: ZanesvilleTimesRecorder.com, "Family could get almost $4M in wrongful death lawsuit," Hannah Sparling, May 24, 2013