Families can pursue:
- Economic losses – medical bills, lost wages, loss of retirement benefits
- Non-economic losses – grief, mental anguish, loss of care and guidance
- Punitive damages – available in some cases to punish flagrant misconduct such as drunk or drug-impaired driving
- Survival claim damages – the victim’s conscious pain and suffering before passing
South Carolina caps punitive awards at three times compensatory damages or $500,000 unless the driver acted under the influence or intended harm.
