Executive Summary
- The estate of Erica Horne filed a wrongful death lawsuit against King County Sheriff’s Office.
- The suit alleges deputies watched Horne sit in traffic for 11 seconds before she was fatally struck.
- Court filings claim Horne expressed safety concerns to deputies moments before the collision.
- King County officials stated the claims lack legal merit and intend to defend against the suit.
The estate of Erica Horne has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the King County Sheriff’s Office, alleging that deputies failed to intervene during a mental health crisis moments before Horne was fatally struck by a vehicle in Kent, Washington. The complaint contends that officers observed the 34-year-old woman sitting in active traffic but did not act to remove her from danger.
According to court records cited in the lawsuit, the incident occurred on the night of December 5, 2022, near Pacific Highway South and South 252nd Street. Horne had reportedly boarded a bus roughly 30 minutes prior but refused to leave the steps, prompting the driver to stop. The filing states that sheriff’s deputies arrived more than half an hour later and persuaded Horne to exit the bus.
The lawsuit details an interaction at approximately 9:46 p.m., where Horne allegedly told a deputy she did not feel safe and had been assaulted on the bus. The complaint asserts that shortly after this exchange, Horne walked into the southbound lanes of Pacific Highway South, turned her back to traffic, and sat down in the roadway to light a cigarette. The filing alleges she remained within the deputies’ line of sight throughout this sequence.
Approximately 11 seconds after sitting in the roadway, Horne was struck by a vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the complaint. The plaintiffs argue that the deputies assumed a duty of care when they removed Horne from the bus and that they knew, or should have known, she was in immediate distress. In response to the filing, a representative for the King County Sheriff’s Office stated that the county believes the claims “lack legal merit” and will pursue all applicable defenses.
Civil Liability and Public Safety Standards
This litigation highlights the legal complexities surrounding law enforcement’s duty of care toward individuals exhibiting signs of mental distress or non-compliant behavior. Civil cases of this nature often focus on whether a “special relationship” was established between officers and a citizen, potentially creating a legal obligation to protect the individual from foreseeable harm. The outcome may impact procedural protocols regarding how deputies manage subjects who pose an immediate danger to themselves in public rights-of-way. It is important to note that the claims made in the lawsuit are allegations that have yet to be proven in a court of law.
