Loss of Consortium: How Injuries Affect the Whole Family in New Hampshire

What Loss of Consortium Means

When a person is seriously injured, the effects ripple through their closest relationships. New Hampshire recognizes loss of consortium claims, which compensate a spouse for the loss of companionship, affection, support, and the shared life that the injury has diminished. It acknowledges that an injury to one partner is also a real loss to the other.

These claims are separate from the injured person's own claim and belong to the family member who suffered the loss. They reflect harms that are genuine even though they are not the injured person's medical bills or lost wages.

Proving the Impact on the Relationship

Establishing a loss of consortium claim involves showing how the injury changed the relationship — the loss of physical intimacy, the shift in roles when one partner must become a caregiver, the emotional toll, and the activities and companionship the couple can no longer share. The testimony of the spouses and those close to them brings these losses into focus.

Because these damages are personal and not reducible to a precise number, presenting them persuasively requires care. They are nonetheless a real and recognized part of the harm a serious injury causes.

Including the Whole Picture

When an injury is severe enough to alter a family's life, a complete claim accounts for the full scope of the harm, including the impact on the injured person's closest relationships. An attorney evaluating a serious New Hampshire injury claim will consider whether a loss of consortium claim belongs in the case so the family's losses are not overlooked.