Date:  Thursday, November 19, 2009

Contact:
Lloyd Brown, Director of Communications, 360-705-7075
Lisa Copeland, Communications Manager, 360-357-2789

The Washington State Department of Transportation's more than 7,000 employees were saddened today by the news that 11-year veteran employee Neal Richards, 42, died after being hit by a falling tree limb while working to clear a slide on US 101 near Indian Hill east of Port Angeles.

“Neal’s death is a terrible tragedy which affects us all. It reminds us of the dangerous situations many of our employees are faced with every day. Because of these situations, we stress safety precautions for all of our workers,” said Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond. “Neal Richards was a loyal employee who was truly dedicated to our transportation system. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”

Richards served at WSDOT since 1998, most recently working as a maintenance lead tech in Port Angeles.

“This kind of news just rips a big hole in your heart,” said Kevin Dayton, Olympic Region Administrator. “We take safety extremely seriously and when something like this happens, it deeply affects the entire WSDOT family.”

Richards is survived by his wife and two children, 10 and 12.

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