No settlement brings back the person you lost, and we will never pretend otherwise. What a claim can do is take the financial fear out of an already unbearable time and hold the responsible party accountable.
A Spokane wrongful death lawyer at Parker & McConkie helps families across Spokane and Washington after a loved one is killed by someone else's negligence. We handle the legal side gently and thoroughly, so your family can grieve. Consultations are free and private, and you owe us nothing unless we recover for you.
If you lost a family member to another person's carelessness, call our Spokane office at (509) 374-3111 when you are ready.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Claim in Washington?
Washington law allows close family members to recover through a wrongful death claim, brought on their behalf by a personal representative of the estate. The framework comes from RCW 4.20.010 and RCW 4.20.020. A personal representative is simply the person appointed to act for the estate, often a spouse or adult child.
The people who can benefit typically include a spouse or registered domestic partner, children, and stepchildren. When there is no spouse or child, parents and siblings who depended on the person may qualify. Washington expanded these rules in recent years, so families who once would have been excluded may now have a claim.
Because eligibility can be nuanced, it is worth a conversation rather than a guess. We will tell you honestly whether your family has a claim, at no cost. Call (509) 374-3111.
How Is a Wrongful Death Claim Different From a Criminal Case?
They are entirely separate, with different purposes and different people in charge. If the death led to criminal charges, the state prosecutes to punish the wrongdoer. That process can send someone to prison, but it does not provide for your family's future.
A wrongful death claim is a civil case that your family brings, and its goal is compensation for what the loss took from you. The two run on separate tracks. Your family can pursue a civil claim whether or not anyone is charged, and whether or not a criminal case ends in conviction.
Sometimes evidence from a criminal case helps the civil claim, and we use it when it does. But we never wait on the criminal system, because your family's recovery should not depend on it.
What Can a Wrongful Death Claim Recover?
A claim can recover both the financial losses your family suffered and the deeper, human losses that no invoice captures. Washington law recognizes that losing a person is about far more than money, even though money is the only remedy a court can provide.
Compensation in a wrongful death case often includes:
- Medical and funeral costs connected to the death
- The income and financial support the person would have provided
- The value of lost services, guidance, and care within the family
- The loss of love, companionship, and the relationship itself
Washington also allows a separate survival action, a claim the estate brings for what the person endured between the injury and death, under RCW 4.20.046. Together, these claims can address the full scope of what happened.
What Kinds of Cases Lead to Wrongful Death Claims?
A wrongful death claim can follow almost any fatal event that another party caused through carelessness. The common thread is not the type of accident. It is that someone's negligence, meaning a failure to act with reasonable care, took a life that did not have to be lost.
We handle wrongful death claims arising from vehicle and truck crashes, pedestrian and motorcycle collisions, unsafe property conditions, defective products, and other preventable events.
Fatal crashes on I-90 and the highways around Spokane, in particular, bring families to us far too often. Whatever the cause, our focus is the same: showing that the death was preventable and holding the responsible party accountable.
If you are unsure whether your loss qualifies, let us look at it. The review costs nothing.
What to Expect When You Work With Us
You can expect us to carry the legal weight while your family focuses on each other. Grief does not run on a legal schedule, and we do not ask it to. Here is how we handle a wrongful death case so it never adds to your burden.
We begin by listening, then we quietly do the work: opening the estate if needed, identifying who may recover, preserving evidence, and dealing with the insurers and their lawyers. You will not be chasing us for updates, because we reach out to you at a pace that respects what you are going through.
We also handle the difficult logistics that families should not face alone, from tracking down records to coordinating with any criminal proceedings. When decisions need to be made, we lay out your options in plain language and let your family decide without pressure.
Throughout, our aim is simple: to secure your family's financial footing and hold the responsible party accountable, so the practical side of this loss is one less thing weighing on you.
We help everyday people stand up for What's Right.
How Long Do Families Have to File a Wrongful Death Claim?
Washington generally gives families three years from the date of death to file a wrongful death lawsuit, tied to RCW 4.16.080. Certain situations, including claims against a government entity, can carry shorter notice requirements, so the safe step is to ask early.
We know the legal clock is the last thing on your mind after a loss, and it should be. That is part of why families come to us: so someone is watching the deadlines and preserving evidence while they focus on each other. There is no pressure and no obligation in a first conversation.
What Is a Survival Action, and How Is It Different?
A survival action is a companion claim that recovers what your loved one experienced between the injury and their death, and it is separate from the wrongful death claim itself. Where a wrongful death claim compensates the family for their loss, a survival action belongs to the estate and addresses the harm the person suffered directly.
That can include the conscious pain and suffering they endured, along with medical expenses and lost earnings between the moment of injury and death. Washington allows the estate to bring this claim through its personal representative, and it often proceeds alongside the wrongful death case.
The two claims work together to capture the full scope of a preventable death, both what the family lost and what the person endured. We evaluate whether both apply to your situation, because pursuing only one can leave real compensation unclaimed.
We handle the estate procedures and the paperwork, so your family is not learning an unfamiliar legal process during the hardest days of your lives.
Why Families Choose Parker & McConkie
We approach these cases as people first and lawyers second, because a grieving family does not need a hard sell. They need someone steady who will carry the legal weight. Our attorneys have recovered significant results in serious cases, including a multimillion-dollar wrongful death recovery. Past results never guarantee a future outcome, but they show we are willing to fully pursue a case rather than accept a quick, low offer.
Our Spokane office serves families throughout Spokane County. We handle the investigation, the paperwork, and the insurers, and we keep you informed at a pace that respects what you are going through. When a case belongs before a jury, we are prepared to be there.
You take on no financial risk during the hardest time of your life. We work on contingency, so our fee comes only from a recovery, and the first consultation is always free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a lawyer for a wrongful death claim in Spokane?
For a claim with real stakes, yes. Wrongful death cases involve estate procedures, nuanced eligibility rules, and insurers who defend hard, all while your family is grieving. A Spokane wrongful death lawyer handles those burdens, protects the deadlines, and pursues full accountability so your family can grieve and heal.
How much does a Spokane wrongful death lawyer cost?
Nothing upfront, and nothing at all unless we recover. We handle wrongful death claims on contingency, so our fee is a share of the recovery and applies only if we win. The consultation is free and we advance the costs. A grieving family should never have to worry about legal bills to seek accountability.
How long does a wrongful death case take?
It varies with the facts and how the responsible party's insurer responds. Some claims resolve through negotiation in several months, while cases with disputed fault or serious value can take a year or more, particularly if they move toward trial. We handle the pace so your family is never chasing it, and we keep you updated throughout.
Can we still recover if our loved one was partly at fault?
Often yes. Washington uses pure comparative negligence, so a claim is reduced by the person's share of fault but not barred, even if they were partly responsible. Insurers commonly overstate that share to lower a payout. We push back with the evidence to protect your family's recovery.
Can more than one family member be part of a wrongful death claim?
Yes, and Washington law is designed to account for multiple eligible family members. A single wrongful death case is typically brought by a personal representative on behalf of everyone the law recognizes, such as a spouse or domestic partner and the children, rather than each person filing separately.
When there is no spouse or child, other dependent family members may be included. How any recovery is shared depends on the relationships and who survives the person. We help families navigate this together, so the process does not create tension at an already painful time, and we make sure every eligible member's loss is represented.
We are still grieving. Is it too early to talk to a wrongful death lawyer?
It is never too early to simply ask questions, and there is no obligation. An early conversation lets us preserve evidence and watch the deadlines while your family focuses on each other. You do not have to decide anything or commit to a case. You can call, learn where you stand, and take the time you need.
Who actually receives the money in a wrongful death claim?
The compensation goes to the eligible family members the law recognizes, such as a spouse, domestic partner, and children, rather than to the estate generally. How it is distributed depends on who survives the person and their relationship. We explain exactly how this works for your family so there are no surprises.
The person responsible was not charged with a crime. Can we still bring a claim?
Yes. A wrongful death claim does not require a criminal charge or conviction. Civil and criminal cases are separate, and the civil standard for proving responsibility is lower. Many families recover through a wrongful death claim even when prosecutors never file charges or a jury acquits.
Talk to a Spokane Wrongful Death Attorney
Losing someone to another person's carelessness is a wound no claim can heal. What we can do is make sure your family is provided for and that the person responsible answers for it, without adding legal stress to your grief.
Reach our Spokane office at (509) 374-3111, or call our toll-free line, (833) 782-6387, whenever you are ready. We stand with families across Washington, and the first conversation is private and free.