A Family's Heavy Toll at the Tracks
Bereaved parents file a massive lawsuit against the Northern Pacific Railroad after their 13-year-old son was struck and killed by a switch engine at a downtown intersection.
The story, cleaned up
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Michael Raskey and his wife, Annie, brought suit against the Northern Pacific Railroad Company in superior court yesterday to recover $29,800 for the death of their son, Michael Raskey, Jr., who was run over on October 12, 1892, at the corner of Commercial and King streets. The complaint alleges that in defiance of city ordinance the train was running at a speed greater than six miles an hour, and that there was no flagman at the crossing. The boy was only 13 years old. The parents, who are elderly and infirm, claim the boy was their sole support. They calculated his lost earnings at $4,800 until he would have come of age, and added $25,000 for the mental anguish and deprivation of his society.
“Their son, the plaintiffs say, was their sole support, and as they are old and infirm they calculate the amount that he would have earned for them before he became of age at $4,800.”
This suit highlights the deadly reality of industrial rail lines cutting through the heart of Seattle's growing urban core. The intersection of King and Commercial (now 1st Avenue South) remains a high-traffic area, though the trains are now replaced by commuters and stadium traffic, and the safety ordinances are enforced with much higher scrutiny.
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