Contractor Working on Beverly Railroad Bridge Rehabilitation Project Dies from Fall

The contractor that fell nearly 70 feet from the Beverly Railroad Bridge Tuesday afternoon has died.

Our news partner iFIBER ONE reports 39-year-old Gabriel Zelaya died at the scene after falling from the bridge near Vantage and landing on an island in the Columbia River. A Grant PUD boat ferried medics to the island in an attempt to save Zelaya. Kittitas County deputies and Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue also responded to the scene.

Built in 1909, the Beverly Railroad Bridge is in the process of rehabilitation and when completed will link the eastern and western portions of the Palouse to Cascades trail.