A former Sea-Tac Airport ramp agent has filed a negligence lawsuit against the Port of Seattle and Alaska Airlines, alleging that a coworker driving a baggage tug struck her on the tarmac in November 2023 and left her with injuries she says still cause her pain today. Tyler King claims she continues to suffer severe headaches nearly three years after the crash, and her attorney says the airport failed to keep her safe in a workspace that was supposed to protect its employees.
King filed her lawsuit Thursday, according to a report from Yahoo News, which detailed how the baggage tug crash unfolded on the tarmac in November 2023. A search result from KING 5 describes King as having suffered brain and back injuries in the incident, though that detail comes from a limited search snippet rather than a fully reported account.
Attorney Says Airport Failed to Protect Worker
King's attorney, Ray Bishop, alleges that the airport failed to protect her, arguing she was hurt in an area that was supposed to be safe for workers doing their jobs. The same report notes that Bishop has represented other ramp agents who lost limbs or suffered severe injuries while working on airport tarmacs, and that those earlier cases ended in multimillion-dollar settlements paid out by airline insurers.
The Port of Seattle has acknowledged problems with how the crash occurred. According to the station's report, the Port said the tug driver, an employee of McGee, was not attentive, did not see King and left the prescribed traffic lane at the time of the collision. The Port also said the driver was cited in accordance with Port of Seattle rules and regulations, and that the worker's company manager was notified of the citation.
Airline's Response Still Pending
Alaska Airlines had not responded to questions about the lawsuit at the time the report was published, per the same account. That leaves one side of the dispute still unaddressed publicly, even as the Port has already detailed its account of how the tug driver violated its rules.
Washington state law gives injured workers like King a path to pursue claims against outside parties in situations like this one. Under RCW 51.24.030, if a third party who is not the worker's own employer is or may become liable for damages tied to a workplace injury, the injured worker or their beneficiary may elect to pursue damages from that third party. That statute underpins the legal basis for King's case against the Port and the airline rather than against her own employer alone.
For now, the core facts of King's ongoing pain and the Port's account of the tug driver's conduct are what's publicly known about the case. Questions about the lawsuit's specific claims for damages, its procedural status, and Alaska Airlines' formal response remain unresolved as the litigation moves forward.
