Opinion ID: 535633
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Damages for Pre-death Terror, Fright and Shock

Text: 51 Defendants Whittaker and Boles argue that the trial court erred in awarding damages for pre-death terror, fright and shock because the circumstances of death are wholly speculative. Damages for pain and suffering, however, include compensation for the terror and fright a drowning victim experiences upon the realization that he is about to lose his life. Petition of United States Steel Corp., 436 F.2d 1256, 1275-76 (6th Cir.1970), cert. denied, 402 U.S. 987, 91 S.Ct. 1649, 29 L.Ed.2d 153 (1971). Further, [a]n eyewitness account of the circumstances of the deaths is not essential to such an award. Id. at 1275. As in United States Steel, the evidence in the record give[s] rise to the almost inescapable inference that [plaintiffs] died by drowning, and nothing [in the record] suggests that they were rendered unaware of their fate. Id. at 1276. Rather, the trial court properly found that the evidence indicated that the decedents were aware of their desperate situation prior to their deaths. The physical evidence presented at trial included hatch covers that were washed ashore. These hatch covers had been located on the floor of the cabin, underneath heavy furniture, and therefore must have been removed intentionally. This further indicates that one or more of the decedents were in the engine compartment, probably attempting to save themselves prior to sinking. This conclusion is buttressed by the fact that none of decedents' bodies ever surfaced, indicating they were below deck at the time of death. In light of this evidence, we find that the court was not clearly erroneous in concluding that decedents suffered from terror, fright and shock before capsizing. Therefore, we AFFIRM that portion of the District Court's decision awarding damages for pre-death terror, fright and shock.