Everyone dies, and if you can accept that, you’ll probably do better in life. You must accept your mortality, but also, the longer you live, the more likely you will see some people who you care about die. That’s sad, but it’s also a natural part of life, and everyone goes through it.
If someone dies suddenly, though, that’s tragic, and it can shake you up a lot, especially if you knew and loved this person. If someone else caused this individual’s death, that often makes it much harder to bear.
A car accident can claim a life suddenly, for instance. 2020 saw 1,129 car accident deaths in Pennsylvania, and some states see even higher numbers. You might also have someone you love die if a faulty product kills them. Perhaps you’ll have a situation where gun violence kills someone you know.
No matter how the person you love dies, though, if you can hold someone else responsible, the legal system calls that wrongful death. In such instances, you might sue the person or company who caused the fatality. You might walk away with some money, but it will not replace the person who died.
Wrongful death can shatter a family in some cases. Let’s talk about how that happens right now.
If you have a family member die suddenly, the emotional impact can feel like a punch to the gut. When you hear the news, you may not believe it. Some people report a feeling of unreality when they hear what happened. It may take a while for it to sink in.
If a parent dies, then the remaining family members must cope with their loss however they can. The one parent remaining might struggle to hold the family together.
If they have teenagers, then at least they have some degree of independence already. However, if the family has some younger kids, that makes it much harder on the single parent who remains.
Perhaps they might start dating or remarry eventually, but in the meantime, they must figure out how to care for both themselves and their remaining dependents. If they have one teenager and some younger kids, the remaining parent might call on that teen to do a lot and take on a heavier load. That might cause the teen to grow up faster through necessity.
If a spouse dies, then the remaining partner must deal with heartbreak. Even if they don’t have any kids, they may feel like there’s a hole in their heart that nothing will fix. Some people say that time heals all wounds, but certain deaths touch us in a way that we never completely get over.
It’s probably best that the remaining member of a married couple who dies doesn’t have kids, because they won’t have to console them. Still, if you have kids and a spouse dies, caring for them might distract you. If you didn’t have kids, then coming home to an empty house may feel worse.
If a child dies, the parents might feel like there’s no reason for it. Life doesn’t seem to follow any logical plan sometimes, but when a young child passes away, that can seem even more futile.
The parents might experience a crisis of faith if they’re religious. Some people can turn to their spiritual community at such a time, but others might turn away from it permanently.
If the family has other children, then the parents must console both each other and the remaining young ones. Perhaps everyone will feel better in time, but sometimes, the opposite happens.
Following a beloved sibling dying, the remaining children might start acting out. They may start hanging out with a bad crowd and committing petty acts of theft or vandalism.
If that happens, it’s probably obvious what’s bothering them, but the parents might struggle to get them under control. They have their own heartbreak with which they must contend.
In short, when someone dies unexpectedly, it can damage a family in a way from which it may never recover. While some families become closer after a loved one’s sudden passing, others fragment.
In such cases, they might try therapy, or meditation, or pharmaceutical intervention. None of that may work.
These cases usually go one of two ways. The family finds a way to pick up the pieces, or else it breaks apart like a shattered mirror.
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