Independent crime and trauma scene cleanup companies clean up after a crime, a serious injury or a death by suicide in Lakewood. Cleanup can start only after police, and the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office1 if someone died, have finished and released the property. Biohazard Network does not do this work; we can connect you with an independent local company that you hire directly, so you do not have to see or handle anything yourself.
If you have lost someone to suicide, or what happened is hard to carry, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free, confidential support. You can call or text 988, or chat online, at any hour of any day, and its counselors can also help if you are worried about someone you love.
What crime and trauma scene cleanup involves
A biohazard is any material, such as blood, that may carry germs that can make people sick. After a crime or a serious injury, these materials can reach carpet, padding, drywall and furniture. Many of these are porous materials, meaning they have tiny spaces that soak up liquid, so wiping the surface does not reach what is underneath. Household cleaners are not made for bloodborne pathogens, which are germs carried in blood that can cause disease. That is why this work belongs with a trained crew wearing protective gear, not with a grieving family.
What happens first in Lakewood
Police and the medical examiner control the scene
After a crime or an injury, police control the scene until their work is done. If someone died, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office1 may also be involved. A medical examiner is a public official who investigates certain deaths. This office determines the cause and manner of death and investigates deaths in Pierce County that are under its jurisdiction. Under RCW 68.50.010, those deaths include any death caused by violence and deaths under suspicious circumstances.
Scene release means the officials in charge have told you they are finished and the area may be cleaned. If you are unsure whether the scene has been released, ask the investigating officer, or call the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office1 at (253) 798-6494.
What you do and do not need to do
You do not need to clean anything. Please do not scrub, move affected items, or throw anything away. Keep others, including children and pets, out of the area. Your insurer may want to inspect damaged items, and the cleanup company needs to see the area as it is.
After a death by suicide
This is a heavy loss, and you do not have to manage the physical side of it. The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office1 releases a person’s belongings, other than money, to the funeral home the legal next of kin chooses. Reports from the office may not be ready until months later, and the fee for one copy is waived for family members.
The cleanup company you hire can take on removing and disinfecting the affected area so the family does not have to. If privacy matters to you, ask the company directly how it handles it, such as what its vehicles look like and what it says to neighbors.
For property managers and employers after an accident
Close off the area and keep tenants, staff and visitors away until cleanup is finished. Afterward, ask the company for written records of what was removed, how the area was cleaned, and where the waste went. These records help with insurance and your own files. If walls or floors need rebuilding after removal, Lakewood’s Planning and Public Works Department performs permitting, building inspections and development review.
What to expect from the company you hire
- Protective equipment. The crew wears gear such as gloves, suits and face protection.
- Containment. This means sealing off the work area so contamination does not spread to other rooms.
- Removal. Affected porous materials are cut out and bagged.
- Disinfection. This means treating cleaned surfaces with products that kill germs.
- Odor work. This comes after the source is removed. See odor remediation in Lakewood.
- Waste disposal. Biomedical waste is a legal category that includes discarded human blood and materials containing free-flowing blood, as well as sharps such as used needles and blades. In Pierce County, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s Infectious Waste Management program permits and inspects businesses that generate, transport or treat infectious waste, so ask the company who hauls its waste.
- Records. Ask for photos and a written scope of work for your insurer.
For smaller spills, see blood and bodily fluid cleanup in Lakewood.
Before you hire, ask how the company follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard2, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, written by the IICRC (the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, a non-profit for the cleaning and restoration industries). Then look the business up yourself with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries3 (L&I) tool, Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business3, and read what these terms mean.
Does insurance cover crime and trauma scene cleanup?
Homeowners insurance sometimes covers this work, depending on the policy. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner4 says you can ask your agent or company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim. If the loss came from a crime, notify police and keep a copy of the report. You have the right to choose your own contractor for covered repairs, and the office warns that signing a contractor’s assignment of benefit form could affect your rights.
If you rent, a landlord’s policy does not cover your personal property. If your belongings are contaminated and unsafe to handle, ask your own insurer what to do.
Usually covered: Homeowner insurance protects your home and belongings from damage caused by specific risks, says the Insurance Commissioner’s page on how home insurance works5. Insurance companies can’t deny your claim if a covered loss is due to domestic abuse and you didn’t help cause the loss; if you file a claim for a property loss, you’ll also need to file a police report, says the Commissioner’s page on domestic abuse and insurance.
Usually not covered: A policy may exclude losses caused by intentional or fraudulent acts of anyone it insures, under RCW 48.18.550.
Ask your insurer: “What does my policy cover for cleanup after a crime, a serious injury or a suicide in my home, and do any exclusions apply?” Source: Filing a homeowner insurance claim (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)4
The Crime Victims Compensation Program
The Crime Victims Compensation Program of L&I lists crime scene cleanup among the costs it does not pay for. It may still help a family with grief counseling, mental health treatment, medical care, partial wage loss and funeral expenses. It pays only after primary insurance. To qualify, a person must have been physically injured or mentally traumatized by a gross misdemeanor or felony in Washington, and the crime must have been reported to law enforcement, with cooperation in the investigation.
Getting a company to a Lakewood property
When you contact a company, give the address and, if it helps, a nearby landmark such as American Lake Park on the north shore of American Lake, or Harry Todd Park in the Tillicum neighborhood. If the company is based in Gig Harbor, across the Narrows Bridge from Tacoma, ask when it can arrive. If its route uses the Pierce County ferry, vehicles must be in position with tickets 20 minutes before departure or may not board. Once the scene is released, it is better not to wait long, because affected materials keep absorbing what they touched.
Who to call first
In an emergency, call 911.These official offices may be part of the first steps. They are government pages, not ours.
- Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (opens in a new tab)For local health questions, such as a home that was used as a drug lab.
- Washington Crime Victims Compensation Program (L&I) (opens in a new tab)If a crime happened, it may help with some costs, such as funeral expenses. It doesn't pay for cleanup.
- Verify a contractor (L&I lookup) (opens in a new tab)Look up whether a company is a registered contractor before work starts.
- Washington State Department of Health (opens in a new tab)State health rules, such as for drug lab cleanup and hantavirus.