The Legacy of One WA Man’s Workplace Death

Reporter Lizz Giordano talks about the legal handling of Harold Felton’s death – and why his family thinks more could have been done.

In 2016, Harold Felton was working in a trench in West Seattle when it suddenly collapsed, killing him.    

Seattle police declared his death an accident and handed the case to Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), which enforces safety standards and investigates workplace fatalities.  

King County prosecutors eventually charged Felton’s employer, Phillip Numrich, with felony manslaughter, setting a precedent for holding workplaces accountable.   

Crosscut investigative reporter Lizz Giordano spoke with host Maleeha Syed about this precedent and why – in spite of how Felton’s death was handled – his family ultimately believes L&I failed him.  

Read more about the aftermath of Harold Felton's death here. 

---

Credits

Host/Producer: Maleeha Syed and Sara Bernard

Reporter: Lizz Giordano

Story editor: Ryan Famuliner

Executive producer: Sarah Menzies

---

If you would like to support Crosscut, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Seattle’s PBS station, KCTS 9.