Seattle Construction Owner Faces Jail Time For Employee Death

HT Texas Mutual

Alki Construction owner Phillip Numrich is being charged criminal negligence in the January 2016 death of one of his employees who died while working in a trench. This comes on top of the $50,000 in fines the company was charged for safety violations related to the incident.

“There are times when a monetary penalty isn’t enough,” Washington L&I Director Joel Sacks said in a Jan. 8 press release. “This company knew what the safety risks and requirements were and ignored them. The felony charges show that employers can be held criminally accountable when the tragedy of a preventable workplace death or injury occurs.”