BNSF Ry. Co. v. Clark

¶ 1 This case involves a practice that dates back to our earliest days as a territory-the coroner's inquest. Although we now typically use experts to determine the cause of an unnatural death, historically we relied on the verdict of a coroner's inquest jury. The parties before us ask how a coroner today may invoke the statutory authority that accompanies an inquest.

¶ 2 This case arose after Thomas B. Clark, MD, the Pierce County medical examiner (ME), 1 attempted to subpoena a video held by BNSF Railway Company of a fatal train-pedestrian collision. The parties dispute both whether Dr. Clark…