Here's the Statute in Florida, what you have to pay for if found negligent in a product liability wrongful death action. Most States have similar thresholds.
768.21 Damages.--All potential beneficiaries of a recovery for wrongful death, including the decedent's estate, shall be identified in the complaint, and their relationships to the decedent shall be alleged. Damages may be awarded as follows:
(1) Each survivor may recover the value of lost support and services from the date of the decedent's injury to her or his death, with interest, and future loss of support and services from the date of death and reduced to present value. In evaluating loss of support and services, the survivor's relationship to the decedent, the amount of the decedent's probable net income available for distribution to the particular survivor, and the replacement value of the decedent's services to the survivor may be considered. In computing the duration of future losses, the joint life expectancies of the survivor and the decedent and the period of minority, in the case of healthy minor children, may be considered.
Me no like it much!
Joe
From: "Jon Wallace" <jonw@whoweb.com>
Reply-To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
To: <personal_submersibles@psubs.org>
Subject: RE: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Product liability - Cont
Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2006 07:45:19 -0500
> I feel the issue is not about who?s right or wrong but about personal risk management.> It?s up to the individual to decide for them selves what level of risk they are prepared to be personally responsible for.I agree completely.