Opposition Senator Malaka Parker is urging the public not to view the proposed Fatal Accidents Bill 2026 as legislation aimed solely at road traffic deaths, stressing that its protections extend to families affected by a wide range of wrongful deaths.
According to Antigua News Room, Parker made the remarks during Senate debate on the bill, noting that public discussion has largely focused on fatal road collisions — a framing she said fails to capture the legislation's true scope.
"The Fatal Accidents Bill is not simply about motor vehicle accidents," Parker told senators, explaining that it creates a legal framework allowing dependents to seek compensation across a variety of circumstances.
She said the bill could apply to deaths arising from medical negligence, workplace accidents, defective products, aviation and maritime incidents, and criminal acts, in addition to road traffic collisions.
Parker emphasised that understanding the bill's breadth matters because many residents mistakenly believe it deals exclusively with compensation following fatal motor vehicle crashes.
The opposition senator also noted that the legislation modernises Antigua and Barbuda's century-old Fatal Accidents Act, bringing it in line with contemporary family structures and legal principles governing wrongful death compensation.
While supporting the bill's overall objectives, Parker proposed several amendments. These included extending bereavement damages to common-law partners, periodically reviewing the proposed $20,000 bereavement award to account for inflation, and reducing the waiting period before dependents can bring certain claims. She described those changes as measures that would strengthen what she called a significant step forward for the country's civil justice system.
The Senate subsequently approved the Fatal Accidents Bill 2026, replacing legislation first enacted in 1924 with a modern framework governing claims arising from wrongful deaths.
