A wrongful death action is a legal claim that can be filed in court against a party who is responsible for a person's death, due to some sort of negligence and/or carelessness in the party's actions. Common scenarios that might lead to a wrongful death claim include automobile accidents, slip-and-fall accidents, medical errors on the part of healthcare providers, and/or animal attacks. If the party responsible for the accident has acted carelessly, recklessly, or maliciously with regard to the other person's safety, then he or she may be responsible for the wrongful death of the person. If a wrongful death action is successful, then the responsible party must compensate the decedent's family members for the loss of the decedent. Depending on your state's law, the responsible party might have to pay damages such as pain and suffering, loss of future support, as well as outstanding medical and funeral costs for the deceased person.