Seattle Wrongful Death Attorney
When a family loses someone to another party’s negligence, the goal is rarely just a check. It is accountability, a clear answer about what happened, and enough financial stability that the people left behind are not forced to choose between grieving and paying the bills. Injury Law Group NW is a personal injury firm that handles wrongful death claims for families throughout Seattle, King County, and the greater Puget Sound region, working to secure both.
If you are looking for a Seattle wrongful death attorney, the first thing to know is that Washington’s wrongful death framework is more structured than most families expect. The law decides who may bring the claim, who can receive compensation, and which deadlines control. Deaths in Seattle often involve crowded arterials, transit and commercial vehicles, large hospital systems, and active construction sites, and each of those settings brings different defendants and different insurers.
Our attorneys spent decades defending insurance companies before representing injured people and grieving families. We know how an insurer’s lawyers evaluate a death claim, and we build ours with that in mind from the first day.
Why Families Choose Injury Law Group NW for Wrongful Death Claims
Injury Law Group NW is a Washington personal injury firm that represents families in King County and across the Seattle area after a preventable death. Founding partner Troy Hunter spent 16 years in insurance defense litigation, mostly as a partner at Floyd, Pflueger & Ringer, where he defended insurers and their corporate clients against personal injury and wrongful death claims. Attorney David D. Mordekhov spent two decades at Gardner Trabolsi & Mordekhov, a Seattle defense firm, trying wrongful death, catastrophic injury, and product liability cases before judges and juries across Washington. Associate attorneys Warren Barreiro and Hannah Shergold complete the litigation team, supported by case managers who return calls and texts promptly.
That defense background matters in a death case because the other side’s playbook is familiar to us. We know which records adjusters pull, how a claim gets valued internally, and when an insurer is bargaining versus preparing for trial. We prepare every claim as though it will be tried, because carriers pay more fairly when they believe the lawyer across the table will actually go to court. Our attorneys have argued at every level of the Washington court system, from district court to the Washington Supreme Court. Troy Hunter also serves as a dispute mediator, and both Troy and David 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. The firm is a member of the Washington State Association for Justice.
Results bear this out. 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. We obtained a mid-six-figure settlement for an elderly woman struck by a transit bus in a downtown Seattle crosswalk, and a mid-six-figure settlement for a family of five whose minivan was forced into the I-5 center barrier by a semi-truck. Past results do not guarantee a future outcome.
Clients also tell us how they were treated. Reviews describe attorneys who were responsive, honest, and clear about what to expect. David Mordekhov is fluent in Russian and has represented Russian and Ukrainian speaking families, and Warren Barreiro speaks Spanish, so families can talk through a loss in the language they are most comfortable with. If travel is hard right now, we will meet you at home or at the hospital. Consultations are free and confidential, and we work on a contingency basis, so there is no attorney fee unless we recover money for your family.
Common Fatal Incidents in Seattle That Lead to Wrongful Death Claims
- Car, Truck, and Motorcycle Crashes: Fatal collisions on I-5, I-90, SR 99, and busy city arterials often involve distracted, speeding, or impaired drivers. Commercial truck crashes add motor carriers and federal safety rules to the analysis. If impairment is alleged, Washington treats a breath or blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher within two hours of driving as DUI, and that evidence can strengthen the civil claim.
- Pedestrian and Bicycle Fatalities: Dense crosswalks downtown, in Capitol Hill, and in South Lake Union put people on foot and on bikes in close contact with turning vehicles. Visibility, signal timing, and driver attention are usually the central questions.
- Transit and Bus Accidents: Crashes involving buses can implicate a public agency, which triggers special claim-filing rules before any lawsuit can begin. We have handled a case involving a transit bus and a pedestrian in a downtown Seattle crosswalk.
- Medical Negligence: Delayed diagnosis, surgical errors, medication mistakes, and failures in newborn care can end in a death that should not have happened. These claims need qualified medical experts and carry their own timing rules.
- Construction Site Deaths: Falls, trench collapses, electrocutions, and crane or scaffold failures are the usual causes. Workers’ compensation may be only part of the picture, since third-party claims against property owners, general contractors, or equipment makers can reach further.
- Premises and Retail Hazards: Falls on broken stairs, unlit walkways, or icy entries, and injuries from falling merchandise, can prove fatal, particularly for older adults. Liability turns on whether the owner knew or should have known about the hazard and failed to fix it or warn.
- Defective Products: A failed vehicle part, machine, or consumer product can support a claim against a manufacturer or seller. Product claims have their own limits, including a presumption that a product past twelve years from delivery was beyond its useful safe life.
- Dog Attacks: Washington makes a dog owner liable when the dog bites someone in a public place or lawfully on private property, and the owner’s prior knowledge of viciousness is not part of the question.
Who Can Bring a Washington Wrongful Death Claim and What It Can Recover
In Washington, the lawsuit is brought by the personal representative of the person who died, usually named in a will or appointed by the court. The representative sues for the benefit of the surviving spouse or state-registered domestic partner and the children, including stepchildren. If the person had no spouse, partner, or children, the parents or siblings may be the beneficiaries instead. Parents also have a separate statutory claim tied to a child’s injury or death.
Two different claims often run together. The wrongful death action compensates the beneficiaries for what they lost, including economic harm such as lost financial support and noneconomic harm such as the loss of companionship. A separate survival claim, which follows the same beneficiary tiers when an injury causes death, addresses the harm the person suffered before dying. Medical and funeral expenses are part of the damages picture as well. Who counts as a beneficiary shapes how a settlement is divided, so these questions should be sorted out early rather than at the end.
Washington also uses comparative fault. If the person who died is alleged to have shared blame, the recovery is reduced proportionally but not eliminated. Insurers frequently inflate that share, so the evidence on fault deserves careful scrutiny.
What to Do in the Weeks After a Preventable Death
Start with the things that disappear. If the death followed a crash, ask the responding agency, which may be the Seattle Police Department or the Washington State Patrol on the interstates, how to obtain the report. Write down the names of witnesses while memories are fresh, photograph the scene if you can, and keep every medical record, bill, and funeral invoice. Ask any employer for wage and benefit information, because lost financial support is a major part of the claim. Preserve phone data, dash camera footage, and messages; businesses and transit agencies often overwrite video on a short cycle.
Be careful with insurers. The at-fault party’s adjuster may call quickly, sounding sympathetic, and ask for a recorded statement or offer a fast payment. You are generally not required to give a recorded statement to the other side’s insurer, and an early settlement can close the door on the full value of a claim. Send those calls to your attorney.
Deadlines drive the timeline. Most Washington wrongful death claims must be filed within three years of the date of death. A lawsuit is treated as started by filing or by service, provided the other step follows within 90 days. Medical malpractice claims carry separate timing rules, including a one-year discovery rule and an eight-year outer limit, and a written good-faith request for mediation before filing can pause the clock for a year. If a state agency may be responsible, the claim must first be presented to the state’s risk management office, and suit cannot begin until 60 calendar days later. Claims against cities, counties, and other local governments require a standard claim form delivered by an approved method, and email and fax generally do not count. Construction-related claims face a six-year limit measured from substantial completion of the work. Because the wrong first step can forfeit a claim, call a lawyer before you assume you have time.
Cases worth more than the district court limit are typically filed in King County Superior Court, a general jurisdiction court that sits in Seattle at the King County Courthouse and also in Kent at the Maleng Regional Justice Center. Cases involving residents of Seattle or north of I-90 are usually heard in Seattle, while those from south of the city and I-90 are generally heard in Kent. Where a federal question or out-of-state defendant is involved, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington sits in Seattle. Appeals from Superior Court go to Division I of the Washington Court of Appeals, also in Seattle.
Proving a Wrongful Death Case Against a Well-Funded Defense
Death cases are rarely settled on sympathy. They are settled on proof of fault and proof of loss. On fault, that means crash reconstruction, vehicle data, maintenance and driver logs for commercial carriers, safety records for construction defendants, and qualified medical experts who can explain the standard of care and how it was breached. On loss, it means building a credible picture of what the person would have contributed over a lifetime, through earnings history, career trajectory, household services, and the role they played in their family’s daily life.
Insurers know that a thoroughly documented claim, backed by a team willing to try it, is expensive to resist. Our attorneys have been on the other side of that table. That experience shapes how we gather records, retain experts, and decide when to press a negotiation and when to file suit.
Wrongful Death Questions Seattle Families Ask
How long do we have to file a wrongful death lawsuit in Washington?
Wrongful death claims generally follow the three-year limit that applies to personal injury, counted from the date of death. Some situations change the calculation, including medical malpractice, claims against government entities, and construction-related claims, so confirm your deadline with a lawyer promptly.
Who is allowed to file the claim?
The personal representative of the estate brings the action on behalf of the statutory beneficiaries. Those beneficiaries are the surviving spouse or domestic partner and children, and if none exist, the parents or siblings.
What compensation can a family recover?
Recoverable losses include medical and funeral expenses, lost financial support, and the loss of love and companionship, along with the harm the person suffered before death through the survival claim. The right figures depend on the person’s age, earnings, and family role.
What if my loved one was partly at fault?
Washington reduces compensation by the share of fault assigned but does not bar recovery. A person found 30 percent responsible, for example, could still recover 70 percent of the damages. Insurers often overstate that share, so the facts should be reviewed carefully.
Do we have to pay anything up front to hire your firm?
No. The first consultation is free and confidential, and we handle these cases on a contingency basis, so there is no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for your family.
Is a wrongful death claim the same as a criminal case against the driver?
No. A criminal case is brought by the government and seeks punishment, while a wrongful death claim is a civil action seeking compensation. A civil claim can go forward whether or not criminal charges are filed, and the evidence from a criminal investigation can still be valuable.
What if a city, county, or transit agency may be responsible?
Claims against public entities require a formal claim presented before a lawsuit can be filed. For state agencies, suit must wait 60 calendar days after the claim is presented. Local governments also require a standard claim form and a 60-day waiting period, and presentment by email or fax usually is not accepted. The limitations clock is paused during the waiting period.
Can we bring a claim if the death involved a medical mistake at a Seattle hospital?
Yes. These cases are built on expert testimony about the accepted standard of care, and they have their own timing rules, including a one-year discovery rule and an eight-year outer limit. 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 led the hospital to change its procedures.
How long does a wrongful death case usually take?
It depends on how clear the fault is, how many defendants and insurers are involved, and whether the case settles or goes to trial. Medical and commercial cases with disputed fault and multiple experts take longer than straightforward crash claims. We prepare every case as though it will be tried, which tends to move insurers toward fair offers sooner.
Should we talk to the other side’s insurance company?
You are generally not required to give a recorded statement to the at-fault party’s insurer, and it is wise to speak with a lawyer first. Adjusters ask questions designed to minimize losses or shift blame. Our attorneys spent years on the defense side and know how those statements get used.
Will it matter if the person who died did not work or was retired?
Yes, and the claim is still valid. Loss of companionship, household services, and guidance to family members are real losses, and a retired parent or spouse often contributed a great deal even without wages.
Can we get help in a language other than English?
Yes. David Mordekhov is fluent in Russian and has represented Russian and Ukrainian speaking families, and Warren Barreiro speaks Spanish.
Representing Wrongful Death Families Across Seattle and King County
We represent families throughout Seattle, from downtown, Belltown, and South Lake Union to Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, Ballard, Fremont, and the University District. We also serve families in West Seattle, Beacon Hill, Rainier Valley, Georgetown, and the neighborhoods of North Seattle. Across King County, our attorneys help families in Shoreline, Kenmore, Burien, Tukwila, Renton, Kent, Auburn, and Federal Way.
On the Eastside, we represent clients in Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, Issaquah, Mercer Island, and Woodinville, and throughout the wider Puget Sound region. Whether a fatal crash happened on I-5 near downtown, a medical error occurred at a hospital, or a worker died on a job site, we handle wrongful death claims across the area, and we will come to you if travel is hard.
Speak With a Seattle Wrongful Death Lawyer Today
You should not have to sort through legal deadlines, insurance calls, and estate questions while grieving. Injury Law Group NW offers a free, confidential consultation with an experienced Seattle wrongful death attorney who can explain who may bring the claim, what the deadlines are, and what a fair recovery could look like for your family. Call or text us to schedule a conversation. We give hope. We get results.
