Two Fatal Work Accidents in 1 Week | Seattle Work Injury Lawyer

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Working as Seattle wrongful death attorney in a Bellevue personal injury law firm I have seen thousands of work accidents lead to serious injury or even death. This week the Seattle area has seen an unusual number of fatal work accidents which have yet to be explained.

The epidemic started on Tuesday, January 4th when a woman was killed by a bale of clothing. According to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, 63-year-old Trinidad Ruiz was fatally injured when a 700 to 1,000 pound bale of clothing fell on her while working. Ruiz was stacking clothing bales at Buffalo Exports on South Spokane Street In Seattle when one of the bales fell on Ruiz. She was quickly taken to Harborview Medical Center, but suffered extensive injuries to her head and torso and died in the hospital.

The incident is currently under investigation Washington Labor and Industries to discover why the bale fell on Ruiz.

The following day, Wednesday, January 5th a tree trimmer was killed in a fatal work accident in Bremerton. Aaron Bjorn Waag, a 28-year-old from Hansville was trimming trees in Bremerton at Rocky Point Road Northwest and Northwest Montwood Lane when the accident occurred. Waag was working from a harness attached to a boom crane when, it appears, the harness somehow detached from the crane. Wagg fell 70-100 feet from the crane onto concrete. Waag died in the ambulance on the way to Harrison Medical Center.

The reason behind the harness’s detachment is under investigation.

Fatal work accidents happen far more often than they should and often, could have easily been prevented with some precautionary measures from the management. If you have lost a family member in a fatal work accident- please do not wait to review your options- you may have a Washington wrongful death case. For more information on Washington wrongful death click on the preceding link to order my book: In Case of Death: Straight Talk on Washington Wrongful Death. This book is free of charge to Washington state residents.