Legal Definitions - death

Death is the end of life and the stopping of all vital functions and signs. It can be referred to as decease or demise. There are different types of death, including:

• Accidental death: This is a death that occurs unexpectedly and is not intended or foreseeable.
• Brain death: This is the condition where there is no response to external stimuli, no spontaneous movements, no breathing, no reflexes, and a flat reading on a machine that measures the brain's electrical activity.
• Civil death: This is the loss of rights, such as the right to vote, make contracts, inherit, and sue, by a person who has been outlawed or convicted of a serious crime.
• Natural death: This is bodily death from causes other than accident or violence.
• Violent death: This is death accelerated by human intervention and resulting from a sharp blow, explosion, gunfire, or the like.

• An example of accidental death is a person who dies in a car accident.
• An example of brain death is a person who is in a coma and shows no signs of brain activity.
• An example of civil death is a person who has been convicted of a serious crime and loses their right to vote or make contracts.
• An example of natural death is a person who dies of old age or a disease.
• An example of violent death is a person who is shot and killed.

These examples illustrate the different types of death and how they can occur.