4-16-2019
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The state Legislature approved an update to the state’s wrongful death law late Monday.
The proposal would remove requirements that, after an accidental death in the state, family members must live in the United States and be economically-dependent on the victim to be able to file a wrongful death claim here.
The law dates to 1909.
The 2015 crash between a “Ride the Ducks” vehicle and a Ferndale-based tour bus in Seattle that killed five international students drew attention to the law.
Some Republican legislators objected to the bill, warning that expanding the number of people able to file wrongful death claims would ultimately increase legal costs for the state.