OLYMPIA, Wash. — Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation Tuesday that will expand death benefits for families of rideshare drivers who are killed while on the job.
House Bill 2382 passed the state House and Senate in early March.
Supporters of the new law hope it will fill a crucial gap in current benefits. Since 2020, there have been five rideshare drivers killed while on the job.
"They are just there to put bread on the table," said Besha Keto, whose husband, Amare Geda was killed while driving for Uber and Lyft in August of 2023.
Seattle police said Geda had dropped off a passenger when an 18-year-old woman stole Geda's car and shot and killed him.
Since he was not driving a passenger at the time, Geda's wife and two young children did not qualify for death benefits.
The Geda family will not be impacted by the new law, but Keto said she is fighting for future families struck by tragedy.
"This law is going to help a little bit for families, so I'm happy for that," Keto said.
Washington state is the first in the nation to offer expanded benefits.
Peter Kuel, Drivers Union President, said he hopes other states follow Washington's lead.
"Drivers are dying in every city, every state," Kuel said,
State Rep. Liz Berry said in January that previous Washington state law only provided benefits to rideshare drivers' families if the driver is on a trip, not if they are between trips.
Berry pushed for the legislation to extend benefits to those families impacted by tragedies like the killing of a rideshare driver in January.
Abdikadir Shariif, 31, was killed in his car on Jan. 3 near 236th Street Southwest and Edmonds Way. The man suspected of killing Shariif reportedly told police that he had been drinking on the night of the shooting and was deeply sorry for killing the Edmonds rideshare driver, according to court documents.
"A lot of drivers are losing their lives,” said Ahmed Mumin with the Seattle Rideshare Drivers Association. "When a rideshare driver is killed, the funeral expenses become a nightmare."
The union said Shariif had just dropped off a customer one minute before the suspect, who was a pedestrian, shot and killed him.
"So between him getting compensation and getting funeral expenses paid for was just one minute,” Mumin said.