For many North Carolinians, life is most meaningful when sharing it with someone special. As such, if you have a husband or wife, you likely appreciate the love, affection, companionship and support that person provides. Sadly, if your loved one sustains a serious injury, your life may never be the same again.
In the Tar Heel State, you can pursue compensation from the person who caused your loved one to suffer a serious injury or die. That is, if someone’s negligent or intentional conduct injured the person you most love, you may be able to proceed with a loss of consortium claim.
Understanding loss of consortium
A car crash, slip and fall, construction accident, dog bite or another type of mishap may leave your spouse with physical and emotional injuries. These injuries may greatly reduce your partner’s ability to provide friendship, love or companionship to you. While money is not likely to make you feel whole again, North Carolina law allows you to file a legal claim.
Receiving compensation
Even though it may be difficult to calculate, your spouse’s affection has a monetary value. With a loss of consortium claim, though, you can pursue more than just compensation for lost love and affection. You may also seek payments for the monetary support your loved one would have provided had the injury not occurred. Furthermore, you may be able to receive compensation for the nonmonetary support your spouse provides, such as completing household chores or offering child care.
Acting quickly
You do not have forever to file a loss of consortium claim in North Carolina. Therefore, you must act quickly to assert your legal rights. How long you have to pursue a loss of consortium claim, however, depends on the statute of limitations for the underlying injury. If your loved one sustained a personal injury, you probably have three years to bring a cause of action.
