The death of a loved one is painful. In both expected and sudden death, there is unimaginable grief and hurt. While the pain is the same, the capacity to cope with a loved one’s unexpected death is diminished. Those left behind are so stunned and shocked by the sudden death that their recovery process is often complicated. This is because the loved one left behind feels overwhelmed, and their capacity to adapt is affected, and their functioning is severely impaired.
Those who live through the sudden unexpected death of a loved one often experience anxiety, bewilderment feelings, depression, and even self-reproach. This is because they don’t have enough time to prepare and absorb the dramatic changes happening in their world.
There is no time to adjust and gradually transition mentally. They are suddenly made to face a gap in their life without time to transition from how life was with their loved one and the way the world is without them.
The Sudden Shock of Losing a Loved One
When you experience sudden loss, your expectations and sense of control are violated. However, this does not mean that these issues are not faced by those who anticipated their loved one’s deaths. It means that they had the luxury of time to mentally prepare for the loss and deal with what they were feeling.
When an anticipated death occurs, the loved ones often finish their business with the dying person. They do the things they always wanted to do with the person and say their last goodbyes. Many emotions are associated with a loss in an anticipated death. But the death makes sense to the loved ones, and their coping capabilities are better prepared to deal with this expected end.
A sudden loss doesn’t make sense, and the vital step of comprehending what happened is missing. The brain cannot understand the implications of death and grasp the situation at hand. Even if you logically understand that death occurred, it may continue to feel inexplicable and incomprehensible for awhile.
It is not uncommon to repeatedly go over the cause of death story trying to make sense of what happened and why it happened. Because you were caught unprepared, putting the death into a sequence of events will be your way of dealing with the lack of expectancy. There are times you will look back at the weeks and days before the death, looking for signs and clues that could have indicated what was coming.
For example, one man tried to remember the days leading to his daughter’s sudden fatal car accident. He reconstructed the events, looking for warning signs to allow for anticipation of the sudden death. This helps you process what happened and accept it, making the situation at hand more adaptable.
What to Do in Case of Sudden Death
In case of sudden death caused by another party’s neglect, you can file a wrongful death claim and collect damages from them. Losing someone you love is a traumatic experience, and it’s worse when you know that their death was avoidable. The law for wrongful death claims varies in each state. Two things must be proven to file a wrongful death claim-
1. The responsible party caused death through carelessness or negligence.
2. If the victim had lived, a personal injury claim would have been filed for sustained injuries.
In most states, the law requires that only a next of kin or a surviving spouse can file the wrongful death lawsuit. Damages resulting from the case can include loss of future income and benefits, burial expenses, punitive damage possibility, and companionship loss. Source: www.johnfoy.com
