When a lawsuit is filed against a defendant for the death of your loved one, the insurance company for the defendant will normally be responsible for paying the damages that are agreed to in a settlement or that are awarded by a jury. For example, if your loved one was killed in an accident involving a commercial truck, the trucking company's insurance carrier will likely be responsible for paying the damages.
If your loved one was killed in an accident with another motorist, the at-fault driver's insurance company will be responsible for paying any damages that you are able to recover up to the policy limits. If your loved one was killed because of a defective product, the manufacturer, designer, and others that were involved in the chain of production may be responsible for paying damages. In some cases, the defendants will not have sufficient insurance coverage to pay the damages that are awarded. It is possible to go after the defendants' assets to try to secure payment for any damages that the insurance companies do not cover. In most cases, however, the recovery will be limited to the policy limits of the available insurance policies.