Losing a loved one is one of the most heartbreaking experiences in anyone’s life. Sometimes, you can lose them due to the reckless, negligent, or intentional acts of another person.

When that happens, the pain is often magnified. In these situations, you might hear the terms wrongful death or manslaughter. But what’s the difference between wrongful death and manslaughter?

While both involve a loss of life, they serve entirely different purposes within Mississippi’s legal system. Let’s break down the differences and see how they can affect your case.

Each year, many Mississippi residents die after living a long, fulfilling life due to natural reasons such as old age, a longstanding illness, or another factor, but there are situations where countless other people here in Jackson lose their lives much sooner than they should. These unexpected, premature passings don’t often happen because a person falls ill or for reasons of their own doing, but instead due to someone else’s negligence. If you’re curious about what a wrongful death is, while we’ve given some hints above, there’s more to this legal construct that you need to know, which we’ll detail below.

Beginning the process of filing a wrongful death claim is an important step in the lives of many grieving families. Pursuing justice on behalf of a loved one can hold wrongdoers accountable, prevent future harm, ensure the financial stability of surviving family members, and help loved ones achieve a sense of peace and closure after injustice.

But before taking this step, you may be asking: How long does a wrongful death lawsuit take?

There is no one, single timeline that all wrongful death cases follow. Most wrongful death cases take somewhere between two and four years. Some cases, however, settle within a year or even within several months. Some take much longer, especially those that are not able to settle out of court.

When a loved one unexpectedly dies in an accident or as a result of another person’s negligent or wrongful actions, their surviving family members are often unfairly burdened with the financial and emotional repercussions of their death.

For families who have suffered the sudden loss of a loved one, filing a wrongful death claim can be an effective method to recover compensation for their damages. So, what are recoverable damages in a Mississippi wrongful death claim? Compensation can typically be broken down into three categories—economic, non-economic, and punitive damages.

In too many cases of wrongful death, surviving family members become paralyzed by not only the debilitating grief of losing a loved one, but also by the avalanche of unforeseen financial complications that suddenly arise. Medical bills and funeral costs, together with the loss of income that formerly supported the family, can cause a family tremendous economic stress during a time that is already emotionally exhausting. This situation is neither just nor sustainable, and a wrongful death lawsuit is designed to prevent it from happening.

When a family is struggling with losing a loved one in a car accident, they’re likely handling many different difficult matters. Dealing with a tragic loss can be emotionally overwhelming, as well as introduce other struggles with finances. The family may not know that they could have legal options. If they lost their loved one in an accident that was caused because of negligence, they could seek compensation for injuries and damages with a wrongful death lawyer.

Other people’s negligence can sometimes lead to accidents. In the worst-case scenario, these accidents cause the death of your loved one. When this happens, you want to hold that party accountable for their actions, whether they’re a doctor who made a medical mistake or a driver who wasn’t paying attention. Through the legal process of a wrongful death claim, you can get justice in the form of financial compensation.