Redmond Wrongful Death Attorney
Families in Redmond who have just lost someone to another party’s carelessness are being asked to make legal decisions at the worst possible moment. Injury Law Group NW is a personal injury firm that represents grieving families in Redmond, across King County, and throughout the greater Seattle area, and we handle the legal side so you are not forced to choose between mourning and deadlines.
A Redmond wrongful death attorney works within a narrow statutory framework. In Washington, only the personal representative of the estate can bring the claim, but the money recovered goes to specific surviving family members. Who counts, what they can recover, and how long you have to act are all set by statute, and insurers know those rules well. Our attorneys spent decades on the insurance side of these cases, so we know how the other side evaluates a death claim from the first phone call.
Why Choose Injury Law Group NW for a Wrongful Death Claim
Injury Law Group NW represents people hurt by someone else’s negligence, and families who have lost a loved one, across Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland, Sammamish, Seattle, and the rest of King County. Our lawyers spent decades defending insurance companies before they began representing injury victims, and our practice focuses on personal injury. Consultations are free and confidential, and we work on a contingency fee basis, so you owe no attorney fee unless we recover money for your family. If a hospital stay or grief makes travel difficult, we will meet you at home or at the hospital.
Troy Hunter, our founding partner, spent 16 years in insurance defense litigation, mostly as a partner at Floyd, Pflueger & Ringer, defending insurers and corporate clients against wrongful death, personal injury, and construction defect claims. David D. Mordekhov spent two decades at the Seattle defense firm Gardner Trabolsi & Mordekhov, trying wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases before judges and juries. Both are rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell. David has been selected to the Super Lawyers list and teaches trial and deposition skills as faculty at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. Troy also serves as a dispute mediator. Associate attorneys Warren Barreiro and Hannah Shergold complete the team, and the firm is a member of the Washington State Association for Justice. David is fluent in Russian and has represented Russian and Ukrainian speaking families, and Warren speaks Spanish.
The results matter here. We recovered more than $1 million for parents whose newborn died after a hospital failed to adequately test for Group B Strep, and that case also led the hospital to change its procedures. For many families, knowing another family will not go through the same loss is part of why they bring a claim. Our attorneys have argued at every level of the Washington court system, from district court to the Washington Supreme Court, and we prepare each claim as though it will be tried, because insurers pay more fairly when they believe it will be. Clients consistently describe our team as responsive, honest, and clear about what is happening in their case.
Common Causes of Fatal Accidents in Redmond and the Eastside
- Car, Truck, and Motorcycle Crashes: SR 520, SR 202, and the Redmond Way and Avondale Road corridors carry heavy commuter and freight traffic, and fatal collisions often involve distracted, impaired, or speeding drivers. When a commercial truck is involved, the carrier and federal safety rules enter the case.
- Pedestrian and Bicycle Collisions: Redmond has busy crossings and trail connections, and a driver who fails to yield can cause a death. We also handle claims involving buses and transit vehicles.
- Medical Malpractice: Surgical errors, missed or delayed diagnoses, medication mistakes, and birth injuries can end in death. These claims need qualified medical experts and follow their own filing rules.
- Construction Site Deaths: Redmond’s steady building activity means falls, trench collapses, electrocution, and crane or forklift accidents. Third-party claims against owners and contractors can reach beyond what workers’ compensation provides.
- Premises Hazards: Broken stairs, poor lighting, unsecured merchandise, and unrepaired hazards at stores and apartment complexes can prove fatal, especially for older visitors.
- Impaired Driving Deaths: Alcohol at 0.08 or higher within two hours of driving, or THC at 5.00 or higher, is the statutory standard for DUI. A driver’s impairment can strengthen the civil claim even while a criminal case proceeds separately.
- Defective Products: A product that fails and kills may support a claim against the manufacturer or seller, subject to the product liability statute’s discovery and useful-life rules.
What to Do After a Death Caused by Someone Else’s Negligence
Start by preserving evidence. Request the police report from the Redmond Police Department or the agency that responded, and keep copies of medical records, the death certificate, funeral bills, and any photographs or video. Write down the names of witnesses while memories are fresh. Do not delete social media posts, but avoid posting about the incident or your family’s finances.
Be careful with insurance adjusters. You are generally not required to give a recorded statement to the at-fault party’s insurer, and early conversations are often used to shift blame or lower a valuation. Refer those calls to us. Also avoid signing releases or accepting a quick payment before the full scope of losses is known.
Timing is the most important practical issue. Washington’s wrongful death deadline is generally three years, counted from the date of death. Claims against a city, county, school district, or other local government must first be presented on the standard tort claim form, and the lawsuit cannot be filed until 60 days after presentment; email and fax are generally not accepted methods. Claims against the state must go through the state’s risk management office with a similar 60-day wait. Medical malpractice claims carry their own clock: three years, a one-year discovery rule, and an eight-year outer limit. A lawsuit is also treated as started only if you both file and serve within 90 days of each other, so sloppy follow-through can cost you the tolling protection.
Cases in this area are typically filed in King County Superior Court, a general jurisdiction court that sits in Seattle and Kent. Because Redmond is north of I-90, matters are usually heard at the courthouse in Seattle. District court has a damages cap and is rarely a fit for a death claim. Federal court in Seattle may come into play in certain cases, such as those involving parties from different states. Most wrongful death claims resolve through negotiation or mediation, but we prepare for trial from the start.
Who Can Recover and What Washington Law Allows
Washington separates the person who files from the people who benefit. The personal representative of the estate brings the action, and the recovery is for the benefit of the surviving spouse or state registered domestic partner and children, including stepchildren. If none of those survive, parents or siblings may be the beneficiaries. Parents also have a separate statutory claim tied to a child’s injury or death.
Washington also has survival statutes that let the estate pursue claims the person themselves could have brought, such as pain and suffering before death, in addition to the beneficiaries’ wrongful death losses. Recoverable damages can include medical and funeral expenses, lost financial support and household services, and the loss of love, care, and companionship. Determining what a life was worth to the people who depended on it usually calls for economic experts and careful documentation.
Washington’s comparative fault rule also matters. If the person who died is found partly responsible, the recovery is reduced by that percentage rather than eliminated. Insurers frequently overstate a decedent’s share of blame, since the person cannot tell their side, so we investigate the scene, vehicle data, and records to counter that argument.
Questions Redmond Families Ask About Wrongful Death Claims
How long do we have to file a wrongful death lawsuit in Washington?
Generally three years from the date of death. Some situations change the clock, including claims against government entities and medical malpractice claims, so you should speak with a lawyer as soon as you can.
Who files the lawsuit?
The personal representative of the estate. If no one has been appointed, that step may need to happen first. The recovery then goes to the statutory beneficiaries, not the estate’s creditors in the usual sense.
Who can receive compensation?
The spouse or state registered domestic partner and children, including stepchildren, come first. If there are none, parents or siblings may recover. Parents can also have their own claim related to a child’s death.
What is the difference between a wrongful death claim and a survival claim?
The wrongful death claim compensates survivors for their own losses. A survival claim covers losses the deceased person suffered before dying, such as pain and medical costs. They are often pursued together.
What if my loved one was partly at fault?
Washington uses comparative fault. Compensation is reduced by their percentage of responsibility, but it is not barred. A 30 percent share, for instance, would mean recovering 70 percent of the damages.
Does a criminal case against the driver affect our civil claim?
They are separate. A criminal conviction is not required to bring a civil claim, and the standard of proof differs. A DUI prosecution can provide useful evidence, but your civil case should not wait on it.
Can we bring a claim if a city or county road defect contributed to the death?
Possibly, but government claims require a formal tort claim on the standard form, delivered by an accepted method, and a 60-day waiting period before suit. Missing these steps can jeopardize the case.
Will the hospital’s insurer or the trucking company’s insurer contact us first?
Often, yes, and quickly. Their goal is an early statement or a low settlement. You can decline to give a recorded statement and refer them to your attorney.
How long does a wrongful death case take?
It depends on the number of parties, how disputed liability is, and whether the case settles. Cases involving malpractice experts or multiple defendants take longer than a clear-liability crash. We will give you a realistic timeline once we see the records.
What does it cost to hire your firm?
The consultation is free and confidential. We handle these cases on contingency, so there is no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for your family.
Do you work with families who speak Russian or Spanish?
Yes. David Mordekhov is fluent in Russian and has represented Russian and Ukrainian speaking families, and Warren Barreiro speaks Spanish.
Can our case involve a product that failed years ago?
Possibly. Washington’s product liability law presumes a product’s useful safe life ends after twelve years, though that presumption can be rebutted, and claims must be brought within three years of discovering the harm and its cause.
Serving Redmond and King County Wrongful Death Families
We represent families throughout Redmond, including neighborhoods such as Overlake, Education Hill, Downtown Redmond, Willows, Idylwood, and Grass Lawn. Our work extends across the Eastside to Kirkland, Bellevue, Sammamish, and Issaquah, and into Seattle and the wider Puget Sound region. We also serve families in Kent and Renton, and communities throughout King County. Many of the fatal crashes and medical errors we see happen on the commuter routes that tie these communities together, and families often need an attorney who can handle a claim wherever the incident occurred. If you cannot travel, we will come to you.
Talk With a Redmond Wrongful Death Lawyer
If someone in your family died because of another party’s negligence, a Redmond wrongful death lawyer at Injury Law Group NW can explain who may bring the claim, which deadlines apply, and what your family may be entitled to recover. The conversation is free and confidential, and you will owe nothing unless we recover compensation. Call or text us to schedule a consultation. We give hope. We get results.
