Bruce Jenner -- Sued for Wrongful Death in Car Crash

Bruce Jenner has just been hit with a wrongful death lawsuit by the stepchildren of the woman who died in the Malibu car crash ... TMZ has learned.

The 2 adult stepkids of Kim Howe have filed a lawsuit, claiming Bruce was "careless and negligent" when he slammed into Howe's Lexus on PCH back in February, causing it to careen into oncoming traffic where it collided head on with a Hummer.

As TMZ reported, law enforcement sources say video of the crash squarely lays blame on Bruce for being inattentive. They say he just wasn't looking when he struck the Lexus.

The lawsuit claims Bruce was speeding, however, that contradicts what law enforcement told us ... that Bruce was driving below the speed limit.

And as we reported, the 2 stepkids had virtually no relationship with Kim, and any damages they claim for her loss might be extremely hard to prove. They claim loss of affection, but friends who were close to Kim say there was no affection at all. Kim had no other living relatives.

The L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. is still investigating the crash, and the file will be sent over to the L.A. County D.A. for possible prosecution, although from what we hear, it's unlikely prosecutors will file.