Wrongful Death Attorney in Renton, Washington
The Big Change in Wrongful Death Law
The Big Change in Wrongful Death Law
More In This Category
View Transcript
We just changed the laws in the state of Washington in the last week or two, where it used to be that if you were an adult and you didn’t have a spouse or a minor child, that you could only make a claim for your economic loss, and for the average working person that would have been a very small claim, maybe like a couple of hundred thousand dollars. Well we passed a law. I was legislative, what it took and made it more consistent with what’s the law in the whole United States across the country where even the parents and siblings can make a claim for wrongful death and pain and suffering that the person went through, if the person don’t have a spouse or children.
And so that was a big deal for us trial lawyers, because we spent years on trying to get them to change that law. If you was in California or in Oregon, you would have had a claim, but just because you was in Washington, your claim was just economic loss only.
Seattle, WA personal injury attorney James Buckley talks about a big change in Seattle law regarding wrongful death cases. He explains that recently, there has been a significant development in the state of Washington regarding wrongful death claims. Previously, under the law, if an adult did not have a spouse or minor child, their claim for damages was limited to economic loss. For the average working individual, this would result in a relatively small claim, often amounting to just a few hundred thousand dollars. However, in the past week or two, we successfully enacted a legislative change to bring our state more in line with the rest of the United States. Now, even parents and siblings can pursue a claim for wrongful death and seek compensation for the pain and suffering endured by the deceased, regardless of the absence of a spouse or children.
This change marks a significant milestone for trial lawyers like us, as we have dedicated years of effort to advocate for this revision to the law. In states like California and Oregon, individuals in similar circumstances already had the opportunity to pursue a claim, but until now, individuals in Washington were limited to economic loss alone. This change ensures that our state’s laws align with the broader legal framework across the country, providing a more comprehensive avenue for seeking justice and compensation in cases of wrongful death.
