Construction Company Fined $284,000 Following Fatal Fall

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries fined a Bellingham construction company more than a quarter of a million dollars for failing to use appropriate safeguards to keep workers from falling off a bridge spanning the Columbia River. Gabriel Zelaya, 39, died Aug. 3 while working on the Beverly Railroad bridge in Vantage. He fell about 60 feet while laying concrete curing blankets as part of the restoration project for the bridge that was damaged in a wildfire. L&I said Boss Construction Inc. failed to ensure workers used fall protection equipment. Department inspectors re...