Four ranked classes, only one recovers
Civil Code article 2315.2 creates four exclusive classes, in strict order: (1) the surviving spouse and children, (2) the surviving parents if no spouse or child survived, (3) the surviving siblings if none of the above survived, and (4) the surviving grandparents if none of the above survived. Only the highest surviving class may recover — the lower classes get nothing even if they exist.
A notable exclusion: a parent who abandoned the deceased during their minority is deemed not to have survived them, disqualifying that parent from recovery. Louisiana also maintains a separate survival action under article 2315.1, letting the same ranked classes recover the decedent's own pre-death damages — like their pain and suffering before death — as a distinct claim. No cap applies to an ordinary wrongful death claim; a malpractice-related death against a qualified provider faces the same $500,000 total cap as a malpractice personal injury claim.