Asked by user in Missouri. Answered by Enjuris Editors.
I am so sorry for your loss.
As you know, in Missouri, a tier system is used to determine who can file a wrongful death lawsuit. As the mother or father of the deceased, you fall into tier 1. Tier 1 includes the deceased’s surviving spouse, parents, children, or, if the children are deceased, the children’s descendants (i.e., grandchildren).
The jury is tasked with awarding the survivors or the estate damages as they deem “fair and just.” Factors the jury may consider include:
Funeral and burial expenses
Medical bills
The value of wages and benefits the deceased would likely have earned if she had lived (If the deceased was a child, the value of “lost wages” is based on the earnings of the child’s parent or parents), and
The reasonable value of the services, consortium, companionship, comfort, instruction, guidance, counsel, training, and support the deceased person would have provided to surviving family members