Survival laws in Pennsylvania allow a deceased person’s estate to collect damages that the decedent would have been entitled to recover if he or she had not died.  That is, the decedent’s claims, such as conscious pain and suffering, survive even after the death. These damages are determined from the time of the accident to the time of death. Only a personal representative or executor can file this type of lawsuit, the proceeds of which belong to the estate and are subject to inheritance tax laws and claims of the decedent’s creditors.