Bradley, Alan, Deanna, Nathaniel and Zachary Hogue. (Hogue family)

Bradley, Alan, Deanna, Nathaniel and Zachary Hogue. (Hogue family)

Pacific Topsoils faces criminal charges in worker’s death

By Kari Bray and Scott North

LAKE STEVENS — Bradley Hogue’s friends raised their glasses in a toast at what would have been his 21st birthday party.

About 45 of them gathered on Feb. 28 at a Mexican restaurant. They called his parents on a video chat program so the Hogues could watch them sing “Happy Birthday.”

Bradley Hogue’s death in July 2014, at 19 years old, is the first workplace safety case in decades to be criminally prosecuted in Washington.

Deanna Hogue’s youngest son was an upbeat, adventurous young man who brought people together. He loved being in the woods or by the water. He was a good friend. He was a hard worker.

She figures that’s why he didn’t balk at climbing into the back of truck Number 302 on July 7, 2014. He was breaking up landscaping bark so it would feed properly from a conveyor belt to a pair of vertical rotating augers.

It was his second day at a new job. He had worked a total of maybe five hours before he was pulled into the augers and killed.

Pacific Topsoils, the King County company he was working for, now faces a criminal charge for allegedly violating safety regulations.

“I think Bradley’s death has really shattered so many people out there and we’re working harder to get the message of work safety out,” Deanna Hogue said.

It’s rare for a company to face criminal charges related to workplace safety, labor and industries spokeswoman Elaine Fischer said.

“Over the last 20 years, we’ve referred a handful of cases to prosecutors, but nothing’s been prosecuted,” she said.

Pacific Topsoils is charged with one count of violating a labor safety regulation resulting in death, a gross misdemeanor. The offense is punishable by a fine of up to $100,000 and six months in jail. An arraignment is scheduled Monday in Seattle. The company previously was fined $199,000 by the state for 16 safety violations connected to Hogue’s death.

Getting to this point has been “a long waiting game,” Deanna Hogue said. “I tried to let the prosecutors do their job and stay very low-key, and toward the end they involved me with what was going on and how they were going about it.”

Bradley Hogue was part of a Pacific Topsoils crew assigned that day to deliver landscaping bark to a Duvall-area home. It was a summer job for the 2013 Lake Stevens High School graduate, who was studying at Everett Community College and hoped to transfer to the University of Washington. He liked math and was interested in mechanical engineering.

At 6:30 that morning, Bradley and the rest of the crew loaded up and headed to the job site.

The truck hauled bark in a taper-sided hopper with a conveyor belt running across the bottom. The belt carried bark toward vertical steel augers that fed a blower connected to a flexible hose for directing and spreading the bark. Workers used a remote control to operate the machinery.

“This particular truck, truck No. 302, was one of the oldest trucks in Pacific Topsoils’ fleet and was prone to tunneling, a condition in which material above the conveyor belt stopped moving toward the auger mechanism,” Timothy Garlock, a labor and industries compliance officer, wrote in court papers filed with the criminal charge.

The machine jammed about two minutes into the job. Hogue and another worker spent about a half hour with the device powered down to clear it.

Hogue reportedly climbed back into the truck while his coworkers went around the side of the house, out of sight. They used the remote to activate the blower, but it stopped working after a short time.

Hogue didn’t respond when his coworkers called to him. They dialed 911.

“Duvall police and fire responded and found Hogue entangled in the augers and rotating bars of the feeder mechanism. He was pronounced dead at the scene,” Garlock wrote.

Investigators learned that Pacific Topsoils officials knew workers regularly climbed into the cargo area of bark-blowing trucks without initiating a lockout procedure to make sure the machinery didn’t accidentally switch on, and “the only safety training they were given was the direction to stay at least one pitchfork length away from the feeder mechanism at the back of the truck.”

Other trucks in the fleet had warnings telling people to stay clear of moving machinery. Maintenance records for the truck Hogue was working on include a notation about its problem with tunneling and employee safety concerns.

Investigators concluded that Hogue’s death was a direct result of the company’s willful violation of state safety regulations.

Pacific Topsoils is “disappointed that L&I and the King County Prosecutor’s Office have chosen to file misdemeanor charges in connection with this tragedy,” according to a written statement from the company.

Since Bradley Hogue’s death, managers have worked with the state and outside consultants to establish written procedures and standardized training for employees, according to the statement.

“The death of Bradley Hogue was the result of a tragic and unfortunate accident,” the company said. “It has deeply affected everyone at Pacific Topsoils. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Hogue family and all of Bradley’s friends.”

Deanna Hogue has learned a lot about workplace safety since she lost her son. Accidents could be prevented if safety was a daily priority and employees were better trained, she said.

With schools out for the summer and many young people heading to their first jobs, full of energy and determined to prove themselves, she reminds parents to talk with their kids.

“If I could do it all over again, I would sit down with Brad and ask him exactly what he’s doing and talk about work safety and let him know that no job is worth being hurt, losing a limb, being seriously injured or death,” she said. “There are options out there and it is OK to say no.”

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Home

Outside of the Boeing modification center on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Boeing lays off 396 more workers in Washington

The aerospace giant laid off over 2,000 workers in Washington last month.

Lake Serene in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. (U.S. Forest Service)
Hiker survives 100-foot fall into Lake Serene near Index

The hiker was airlifted after plummeting into the lake Sunday night, officials said.

A Mitsubishi Electric heat pump is installed on the wall of Jim and Chris Hallճ home on Thursday, Sep. 7, 2023, near Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Whidbey Island’s Kicking Gas expands aid to electric stoves

The local environmental justice organization started with heat pump subsidies.

Monroe High School (Monroe School District)
Small fire closes Monroe High School for the day

An electrical fire broke out in the school around 7 a.m. Crews extinguished it within 10 minutes.

South County Fire crews responded to a fire Sunday night in Lynnwood that sent one woman to the hospital. (Photo provided by South County Fire)
Woman suffers severe burns in Lynnwood house fire

The fire Sunday night displaced four residents of a home in the 6200 block of 185th Place SW, officials said.

Marysville
Marysville to hold post-holiday ‘tree-cycling’ event

You can dispose of your tree and holiday packaging Jan. 4.

Glass recycling at Airport Road Recycling & Transfer Station on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Wine woes not yet affecting Snohomish County glass recycling

Ardagh Glass Packing permanently closed its Seattle factory, leaving recycling companies scrambling for a new glass buyer.

Bothell
3 Bothell restaurant ideas for a soul-warming meal

Now’s the time to Bothell for some steamy soups.

Refugee and Immigrant Services Northwest Senior Associate ESL Instructor James Wilcox, right, works on speaking and writing with Anfal Zaroug, 32, who is accompanied by her daughter Celia Hassen, 6 months, on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
What will Trump’s immigration policy mean for Snohomish County?

The president-elect has vowed to ramp up deportations and limit legal immigration.

Neepaporn “A” Boungjaktha (Snohomish County)
Snohomish County executive director takes new gig with Port of Seattle

Neepaporn “A” Boungjaktha joined the county in 2022. Her last day will be Jan. 2.

People take photos of the lights surrounding the the fountain at the the entrance to the Tulalip Resort & Casino on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Tulalip, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Record Tulalip holiday display lights up the night

The largest light display in Washington is free of charge and open through Jan. 12.

People walk into the Everett Library off of Hoyt Avenue on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
How will new Everett library hours affect its programs?

This month, the two branches scaled back their hours in light of budget cuts stemming from a city deficit.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.