When a loved one dies as a result of someone else’s negligence—whether by car accident, medical malpractice or other negligence, that is wrongful death. When this tragedy happens, South Carolina law allows the decedent and that person’s family members to recover damages for pain and suffering and financial losses as if the death had not happened. In other words, under South Carolina’s wrongful death statutes, a deceased person may maintain an action and recover damages and financial losses against the wrongdoer for the benefit of the decedent’s beneficiaries.