Sound Transit contract worker’s death ruled accidental
May 22, 2018, 5:55 AM | Updated: May 24, 2018, 6:16 am
(Patranya Bhoolsuwan/KIRO 7)
(Patranya Bhoolsuwan/KIRO 7)
The King County Medical Examiner’s office says the death of a Sound Transit contract worker was accidental.
Officials say 63-year-old Walter Burrows died after falling 30 to 40 feet Tuesday morning while working on the light rail expansion project on the Eastside.
Burrows, a foreman and employee at Kiewit, fell at a construction site on eastbound State Route 520 near 148th Avenue Northeast in Bellevue, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Kiewit says work at the site was suspended and that employees will attend safety briefings before construction resumes.
“It’s an unfortunate accident,” Sound Transit spokesperson Rachelle Cunningham said. “And I think we’ll be looking into what actually occurred.”
Burrows fell off a pier cap where a girder was being placed around 2:40 a.m.
CPR was performed by Bellevue fire medics. Burrows died at Harborview Medical Center.
“(He) had been a longtime employee, was very well liked and well known. And our hearts just go out to his family and everyone who worked with him – it’s a terrible tragedy,” Cunningham told KIRO 7.
KIRO 7 contributed to this story.
