A standard unique to a handful of states
Under O.C.G.A. §51-4-2, Georgia measures wrongful death damages by the full value of the life of the decedent — not merely the financial loss to survivors, which is how most states frame it. This includes the decedent's gross lifetime earnings without deducting personal living expenses or taxes, plus the intangible value of their life (experiences, relationships, enjoyment of living), assessed from the decedent's own perspective.
A strict hierarchy governs who can file: the surviving spouse first (guaranteed at least one-third of the recovery even with multiple children), then the children (including adult children) if there's no spouse, then the parents if there's no spouse or children, and finally the estate's administrator as a last resort.