Date:
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Contact:
Greg Phipps, WSDOT Communications, 206-440-4702 (Seattle)
King County Medical Examiner’s Office Media Line, 206-731-1060 (Seattle)
SEATTLE – WSDOT today received the findings of the King County Medical Examiner’s Office that head trauma caused the death of an individual found last Saturday under Interstate 5 in South Seattle near Massachusetts Street. A WSDOT subcontractor had been working in the area clearing heavy brush for a bridge expansion joint replacement under I-5 between Spokane Street and I-90.
According to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, the death was caused by tractor-mounted brush-clearing machinery.
The brush-clearing machinery was operated by a subcontractor on the bridge joint replacement project. The dead individual was found by the tractor operator. The body was in a sleeping bag concealed in blackberry bushes.
Emergency responders were immediately contacted.
The area was identified as a location occupied by transients and the incident occurred despite efforts to inspect and clear the area prior to the brush-clearing operation.
“This appears to have been a terribly tragic accident,” said Secretary of Transportation Doug MacDonald. “We are now confirming all the steps taken to assure that the area was safe for the work and no transients were present. When our investigation is complete, we will be re-examining the procedures taken on this job to assure that every step is taken against occurrence of such an accident.”
On Tuesday, May 29, Seattle Police Department and WSDOT personnel checked the area, advised several transients about the upcoming work, and told them to leave the area. Then a special subcontractor used up to 16 workers to remove biologically hazardous materials such as human waste, needles and other drug paraphernalia from the area on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday under a mile-long section of I-5.
The area is posted with no trespassing signs.
WSDOT appreciates the assistance provided in the past few days by the Seattle Police Department, the Seattle Fire Department and the King County Medical Examiner’s Office. The Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the deceased and notified next of kin.
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