Filed by the estate, no cap, strict deadline
Under DC Code §16-2701 et seq., only the personal representative of the deceased's estate may bring a wrongful death action, for the benefit of the surviving spouse, domestic partner, and next of kin. There's no cap on the total award — damages are assessed based on the actual injury resulting from the death, including reasonable expenses of last illness and burial.
The claim must be filed within 2 years of the date of death — shorter than DC's standard 3-year deadline for ordinary personal injury claims. And because DC's pure contributory negligence rule applies, the decedent's own fault — even 1% — bars the claim entirely, unless the vulnerable-user exception for pedestrians or bicyclists applies.