Wrongful Death Definition: A law action which claims damages from any person who, through negligence or direct act or omission, caused the death of certain relatives (eg. spouse, children or parent). These actions are commenced under special "wrongful death" statutes because under the common law, there is no right of action for survivors for their own loss as a result of someone else's death. The Canadian equivalent of the wrongful death legislation is generally known as the "fatal accidents act" (eg. Alberta's is at canlii.org/ab/laws/sta/f-8/index.html). In England, it is known as Lord Campbell's Act. Categories & Topics: Tort and Personal Injury Law Dictionary Find you are constantly looking up definitions? Try our search provider (works in most modern browsers) If you find an error or omission in Duhaime's Legal Dictionary, or if you have legal term suggestion, we'd love to hear from you!