What is the concept behind a wrongful death lawsuit?

The death of an individual and any injuries he or she may have sustained prior to death also injures those who depended on the deceased emotionally and/or financially. Accordingly, every state has a wrongful death statute that allows relatives of the deceased to bring a lawsuit against those who contributed to the death. A wrongful act may by intentional (murder), a negligent or careless act (reckless driving) or a reckless act (speeding).