A wrongful death lawsuit is one type of civil action. This type of civil litigation is brought when one person charges another with being responsible, or liable, for the injury that resulted in the death of another person. The plaintiff, who is often the family or other responsible person working to settle the case on behalf of the injured person, has charged the defendant with negligent actions or the failure to act to some situation that would have prevented the death. It is essential for a wrongful death lawsuit to show that the other party could have possibly prevented the death of the other person. The plaintiff must prove that the person who not have died if the defendant would have taken action or not been negligent.