Wrongful death and survivor actions: Most states provide that when an accident victim dies, his estate may sue for those elements of damage that the victim himself could have sued for (a “survival” action);

such actions typically include the decedent’s pain and suffering before death. Most states also have

“wrongful death” statutes, which allow a defined group (typically the decedent’s spouse and children, or if she has none, her parents) to recover for the losses they have sustained by virtue of the decedent’s death.