Lufthansa moved quickly to provide families of those lost in flight 9525 with financial assistance to help bridge economic gaps that may have been caused by the loss of their loved ones.   The initial gesture by Lufthansa will provide €50,000 ($54,450.00) in the interim while the investigation continues and before any settlements are enter into.

KEEP IN MIND this is not the end of Lufthansa’s commitment to help victims.   This is simply a bit of money to help families continue to meet their overhead and maintain some semblance of a lifestyle while going through this difficult process.

At some point in the future, it is likely that settlements will be reach with each family and settlements will typically be made on a case by case basis, taking into account the victims earnings, age and what I’ll refer to as Human Life Value —- the financial value of someone’s life to a family based on economic contribution, age of surviving family members, size of family, family structure etc.   It is a complex formula with a myriad of criteria and needs to be done on a case by case basis.

From what I understand, each family will be able to adjudicate their claim in the country of the victim’s residence.   This is an important aspect since laws governing liability, settlements, etc. vary greatly between countries which in turn will determine what will be done for each family.   This is just the first step in a lengthy procedure and typically these settlements are negotiated privately and sums are usually kept confidential.