According to the Orlando Sentinel (a June 15, 2011 article) life expectancy, in Florida, depends on where you live. The state ranks among the nation’s four worst for disparity in life expectancies, with the largest gap occurring between counties in the north and south. Tampa is in the middle of the state on the western side in Hillsborough County.
People in Collier County have a life expectancy of 80 years. People in the northern counties of Baker and Union have life expectancies of 68 years. The state average is 75.9 years. The four main reasons for the disparities are education and income; weight and tobacco use; insurance coverage and quality of health care.
Tampa has good quality of care. Tampa and its surrounding suburbs are host to over 20 hospitals and four trauma centers. It is also home to many health research institutions. The major hospitals in Tampa include Tampa General Hospital, St. Joseph’s Children’s & Women’s Hospital, James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute and The Pepin Heart Institute. Shriners Hospitals for Children is based in Tampa.
Why life expectancy is relevant to wrongful death claims
Life expectancy is used in wrongful death claims to help determine the loss of the prospective net accumulations of an estate. Life expectancy is used in the survival claim to help determine the amount of support and services the decedent would have provided the survivors and the amount of loss of companionship of the spouse and minor children.
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Factors
There are a variety of factors that are used to determine how long somebody would have lived if they hadn’t died in an accident. In simple terms, life expectancy is how many years you can be expected to live given all relevant factors. Some of these factors are.
1. Age at the time of death.
2. Sex. Male or female
3. Race and Ethnicity
4. Education. More educated people tend to take better care of themselves by seeing their doctors, eating more nutritious foods and getting the exercise they need.
5. Income. Money does help provide for necessities, for comfort and to minimize stress. It helps pay for medical care, better foods and better ways to exercise.
6. Access to care. Some communities have better doctors, emergency care and hospitals than others.
7. Family History. Genetics and how well your parents took care of themselves help determine life expectancy.
8. Personal History. How much you exercise, for example.
9. Negative Risk Factors
- Alcohol or substance abuse
- A prior disability
- Being a cigarette smoker or living with a cigarette smoker.
- Being overweight
Experts
Trained professionals are used to determine life expectancy. Most of these professionals are:
- Statisticians or
- Accountants or
- Valuation Experts
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Guides
Statisticians, accountants and valuation experts use a variety of guides to help determine life expectancy. These guides usually examine the life and death statistics by population size.
Some of the guides used are:
- Life Insurance tables
- Actuary tables
- Mortality tables – especially if claimant had any diseases
- Statistical guides from the Centers for Disease Control
- Statistical guides from the Florida Department of Health
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How our law firm can help?
If anyone you know is a victim of a wrongful death or thinks their pain might be someone else’s fault, let our law firm help you get the recovery you deserve. During this difficult time we will help you receive the maximum compensation allowed by law and we will assist you through every step of the case. Our team of lawyers works with medical professionals, valuation experts, technical experts and other lawyers. If you or a loved one suffered an injury or a death please call us at 1-888-WE-MEAN-IT (1-888-936-3264) or email us at: info@brookslawgroup.com.
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