Company to pay $9,200 fine in Bellevue crane crash

Story Published: Oct 10, 2008 at 11:55 AM PDT Story Updated: Oct 10, 2008 at 11:57 AM PDT OLYMPIA, Wash. - The contractor that installed a tower crane that collapsed in Bellevue in 2006 has agreed to pay a $9,200 fine and drop its appeals of safety violations cited by the state in the deadly accident. The contractor, Lease Crutcher Lewis, reached the agreement with the state Department of Labor & Industries. The state agreed to modify one of the violations, and the contractor agreed not to file any more appeals. The state earlier found that a flawed engineering design caused the tower crane to collapse in November 2006. The collapse killed a 31-year-old man and severely damaged three buildings. The foundation of the crane was designed to withstand only a quarter of the pressures exerted by the 210-foot-tall crane, an... [read full story]