The construction company Swynnen
says a form work collapse is wht
led to the accident here at the
Spokane Tribe Casino at 9:00 AMa
subcontractor employee passed ay
and no other workers were injur.
Police say a major construction
accident was reported at the Spe
Tribe Casino around 9:00 AM peoe
walking into the casino heard ad
noise and felt the ground shake.
I don't think I've ever heard
anything that loud before.
It sounded like an explosion,
just really loud in the ground shook.
Witness Rick Bennett says he could tell
by the response things were ser.
I saw the fire trucks in the ambulance
and 1st responders here, so I know, OK,
somebody obviously. Is hurt or worse.
Spokane Tribe Casino management
and local police later held a ps
conference to confirm one person
died in the construction accide.
We want to keep the family in
our thoughts and prayers and
all the construction workers.
According to the casino,
the site will be a new five
story hotel with 170 rooms,
a food court and smoke free game area.
It's set to be completed this f.
This is an ongoing investigatio.
Again, we're we're working with
the local Police Department,
the fire department.
As well as the various local
agencies in in trying to find the the
reasons as to what occurred her,
the Washington Department of Lat
Industries told KREM 2 investigations
like this can be complex and it could
take up to six months to comple.
Casino management did not say how the
accident could impact this proj.
The construction company says
it is offering mental health and
counseling services to workers
who are working here on site.
We are still waiting on
additional details from
Airway Heights police,
but of course we will update you
with the latest as we learn more
information in airway heights.
Janelle Finch, Crumpton News I d
the chance today to speak with e
Department of Labor and Industrs
on what safety precautions are t
in place for construction sites.
The labor and Industries Departt
says that each construction
company and site must follow
an accident prevention program.
The program requires
crews to meet every week,
how to report injuries and
mandatory safety inspections.
You have to have situational awareness.
Your job sites are constantly changing.
There's always different people.
There are different trades coming in and out.
And in Sabrina, where they're surroundings,
Michael Rosek, who works for
a local construction company,
says construction is more
dangerous than people think.
He is not involved with
the project at the casino.
They go to work, they do their thing,
you know, it's kind of one of
those things that they forget
how dangerous things can be
because they're so used to it.
You kind of get, you know,
you do 1000 times,
you don't think about it.
Michael says that what happened at the
casino might not even be anyone's fault.
But an equipment malfunction that was unseen,
it could have been, you know,
an equipment failure or a materl
failure as far as you know,
somewhat stuffing.
If you inspect it, you don't sea
hairline crack in something andl
sudden it gives way or you know,
guys were on something and
and the ground shifted.
Michael says labor and industry
safety inspectors make surprise
visits to construction sites.
Other construction workers they
talk with said that today's
incident gives them a wake up
call and what can happen at a
construction site in Airway Hei?
Nathan Hunn, Creme 2 news. Well,
Paul and Sandy vetters say they can't
make sense of this tragedy because their
daughter was always so focused on safety.
They now want to know what went wrong.
But getting answers today has nt
been easy. He was barely able to
talk and he just says, I don't,
I don't know how to tell you th.
Paul and Sandy Vetter got a call this
afternoon from their daughter's fiance,
a call that's changed. Their lives forever.
And he and he just said.
There was an accident on the job site.
Where Anna was working and she's gone.
Their daughter, 27 year old Anna
Vetter had been working on an
expansion project at the Spokane Tribe
Casino for the last few months r
becoming a journeyman Carpenter.
He's so excited about you know g
being in Spokane and and and bea
part of the Union and and you know as
you know she gets up at the craf
dawn and and you know goes to these you
know job sites and she just lovt
and it was also engaged and just
bought a home in nine Mile Fall.
She loved the outdoors,
her fiance and four dogs.
Her dad says she never took a
shortcut when it came to safety.
Safety was one of her major,
major things. And for this to happen,
it's just just devastating.
Around 9:30 this morning,
911 dispatchers received
multiple calls about a collapse
at the construction site.
Requesting an elevator shaft.
We have one unresponsive
female Jack right now.
Could be 1 unresponsive
female elevator shaft.
Many casino guests reported
hearing the disaster.
I don't think
I've ever heard anything that loud before.
It sounded like an explosion,
just really loud in the ground. Shook
Swinerton construction is buildg
the expansion and says crews
experienced a formwork collapse.
Formwork is the mold used to fom
concrete into structural shapes.
No other workers were hurt.
We want to keep the family in
in our thoughts and prayers and
all the construction workers
at 5. This evening, nearly eight hours
after their daughter was killed,
Paul and Sandy said they had
still not received a call from
authorities or the construction
company letting them know about Anna.
Their future son-in-law was
the one to tell them.
KREM 2 has also reached out to authorities
For more information about the incident.
We're still waiting to learn mo.
We've learned more from from yor
coverage than than anything we'e
learned from any direct informa.
They still have a lot of questions and
want people to remember their daughter,
who they say helped pave the war
other women. Working in construction,
whenever she kind of met a
challenge, she would. You know,
buckle down and work through it.
And we also reached out to the
Department of Labor and Industr.
They told us investigations like this can be
complex and could take six
months to complete. The
construction site behind me
has been quiet for hours.
I've been here since about noon,
and only periodically I've seent
I assume are investigators in yw
vests who are now working to pie
together what happened to Anna Vetter.
What was a busy construction sie
is now the site of an investigan
into how a formwork collapse
took the life of Anna Vetter.
She was a delight to be around.
And she was inspiring to a lot of people,
Tony Edwards says.
Anna was new to the Spokane are,
but already was becoming involvd
in the local carpenters union,
volunteering her time helping
out paint or meeting hall.
The inside of our meeting hall,
Edwards says. Anna was a strong advocate
for the construction industry aa
mentor to her sisters in the fi.
She testified in Olympia in
favor of a House bill that would
have expanded apprenticeships.
To, or rather pre apprenticeship
programs to high schools
throughout Washington state.
Swinerton, the construction
company working on the casino
expansion where Vetter was kill,
tells Crime 2 the site will be
closed through the weekend so
investigators can do their work.
The company says that inquiry will take time,
and it's not yet known if it'll
cause delays in the project.
More importantly, though,
is finding out just what happened to Anna.
The membership has really
been reaching out to us.
And they they wanted to do
something. They wanna help.
Carpenters Local Union 59 is hog
a vigil Thursday night to honord
remember honor and all she did to make
a place for women in constructi.
Now here's the details of that vigil.
It is Thursday at 5:00 PM at the Union
meeting hall that is at 127 E Augusta Ave.
in Spokane, and the public is
invited to come and remember
and honor honor Shannon Moudy.
Crime 2 news. On
a Vetter was the kind of person
you wanted to have on your team.
She was always in a positive attitude.
She was a strong leader and very
passionate about being a Carpen.
That's the legacy she leaves bed
in the construction industry.
You never know who you'll
meet at a new job site,
so it's nice when you find a familiar face.
There's so many people that I've
met through this that are just.
They're great, Missy,
Barnaby says on a Vetter becamea
familiar and friendly face over the years.
They met in 2018 at the women bd
Nations Conference in Seattle.
She was one of them that I real.
Kind of connected with or was.
Now hit it off with she was nice
and to their surprise these two
familiar faces ended up working
together on the expansion projet
at the Spokane Tribe Casino.
And we had our laughs our storis
and everything and we always
just had a great time.
This might have been 2-3 weeks .
They became close and that's why Missy's
heart broke when she learned ond
died in the collapse Tuesday morning.
The confusion of everything thee
that went on at that that moment and.
Everybody.
We were just sitting all in, still in shock,
she remembers the last conversan
she had with Anna earlier that morning.
She told Missy the crew is imprd
by her work, a big compliment fa
woman in a male dominated indus.
Says you're a good Carpenter.
Then they really like you and.
And she let me know.
She let me know all of that.
It made me feel good,
made me feel happy, like.
Cool. It's just who Anna was,
always supporting fellow crew
members and encouraging her
union sisters to stick with it.
Those last words of encouragemet
will be a memory Missy will
always cherish from the familiar
face she met years ago.
This week is also national
women in construction week.
It celebrates women in the
construction industry.
Now Missy tells me this week mes
something more personal for her.
Now she hopes to inspire
other women in the industry,
just as Anna had.
Amanda Rowley KREM 2 news
I am outside the Carpenters local union
hall where just inside those do,
family, friends and union broths
and sisters are gathered to.
Honor on a veteran's life.
And that is as we are now learng
more about the state's investigation,
the Department of Labor and Industries is
looking into what happened to Anna Vetter.
She was killed Tuesday while working on
the casinos new hotel this Winterton,
the construction company leadine
project says a formwork collapsed. Ellen I,
which is Washington's version of OSHA,
tells me they are looking for potential
safety violations or continuing
hazards at that site the agency.
Will also interview the business owner,
workers and any witnesses to the accident.
Now, for those who worked
alongside Anna on job sites,
and even those who were only getting to
know her with her new Union membership,
this is a loss of a brilliant Carpenter
who was, as Sloan Duncan says,
on her way to overseeing job sites soon.
Every single time she came acros
somebody who, like at any of our events,
like they might have been off to the side,
she was always roping them in
to get him involved.
She was constantly talking to people,
being encouraging and just, jus,
you know, bringing everyone up.
And like you could tell she
cared about her community, she,
she cared about her local,
she cared about her job.
Now,
Ella and I says that this investigation
could take up to six months.
And what could we expect from t?
Well,
it could be the finding of no sy
violations or if there is something found
that could lead to fines and citations.
And Ella and I says that there
could be a report put out publi,
but that depends on if there ary
hazards found that need to be c.
Shannon Moudy, Crime 2 news.
On a veteran's parents and
husband were here tonight,
along with dozens of other
people who knew her, loved her,
and respected just how hard
she worked each day.
We also heard from a man who
was right next to Anna when
she lost her life. Those
who worked alongside Anna Vetter
over the years say she never
complained about doing the hard
work or lifting the heavy thing.
She even volunteered to help out
at the Union on her days off.
I'll be honest, I'm still in a little shock.
Here 2 Saturdays ago she was over there,
right in that corner helping paint this hall.
Tonight inside the Carpenters Local 59
building trades people honored the 27
year old killed at the construction site
of the Spokane Tribe Casino expansion.
They all agreed. Anna was tough as nails
but always had a smile on her f,
even during early morning meeti.
You blazed
the path of love and light intos
sometimes not so welcoming induy
on his husband sat in the front.
Grow alongside her mom and dad.
As a parent, you know
how special your children are
and it's just I'm so
grateful that she found a path o
to this type of work. I'm going
to just make her come alive.
Dude, so, so grateful she had all these
people supporting her all the t.
Anna was proudly sworn in at
Local 59 shortly before her dea.
The true reality is you can't er
be prepared for death to grab yu
or the ones you're working with.
Brady Devins was working with A,
standing next to her when it happened.
The ground beneath her feet opened up
like a trap door and she was go.
As all we could do was watch and disbelief.
In that moment her light had
fallen into the darkness.
Her hands reaching for anything to grab.
While there's still plenty of questions
about what happened that day, there's
no question that Anna was one-of-a-kind.
Her dues are paid. Her books are closed.
In Spokane, Kyle Simchuk KREM 2 news.