2-Year Old Child Killed in Roll-Over Accident

A young child died in a roll-over accident according to a report in The Seattle Times. The accident occurred when a 17-year old driver left the road and caused the van he was driving to roll. The child was apparently not strapped into a child seat and died at the scene.

This is a tragedy that could have easily been avoided and several things jump to mind. First, the driver was clearly a minor without a lot of driving experience. Teen age drivers are allowed to hold an intermediate license but cannot have passengers who are minors or non-family members. In Washington, parents are also responsible for children who drive a family vehicle and can be civilly liable for their child’s negligence.

In this specific accident, there may be a wrongful death claim that can be brought by the deceased’s infant’s parents and estate. The Washington wrongful death statute would permit the deceased’s child’s parents to seek damages both for the loss of their child and any pain and suffering the child suffered prior to death. Washington law allows a parent to recover for the death or injury of a child under RCW 4.24.

Even though the child was 2-years old at the time of the incident, an estate would also need to be started and a personal representative appointed. Even though this incident happened in Grant County, our Washington personal injury and car accident lawyers happily represent people throughout the state.