May 4, 2005
JOHN STARK, THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

A maintenance worker was found dead inside an idled refining tower at BP Cherry Point Refinery late Tuesday.

Gary Goldfogel, medical examiner for Whatcom County, identified the dead man as Nick Karuza, 58, of Blaine.

Goldfogel said he performed an autopsy Wednesday but was not yet prepared to state a cause of death.

Karuza, a lifelong county resident, was a member of a well-known South Side commercial fishing family with roots in Yugoslavia.

He had formerly operated a purse seine vessel, fishing for salmon before fishing restrictions forced him and many others out of the industry.

"He was a dedicated family man, dedicated more than 10 men," his wife, Diedra, said. "He loved the community he lived in."

His survivors include four children: Nathan, 22; Marie, 19; Darian, 13; and Averi, 9.

Refinery spokesman Mike Abendhoff said Karuza was an employee of Cascade Refinery Services and had been inside the tower doing pressure washing as part of routine maintenance.

A co-worker discovered his body shortly before midnight. Equipment failure did not appear to have been a factor, he added.

Jeff Parks, chief criminal deputy with the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office, said a preliminary investigation found no evidence of foul play, and the case has been turned over to Goldfogel and the Washington Industrial Safety and Health Administration.

Parks said deputies' investigation indicated that Karuza had been working alone atop scaffolding inside the tower.  He had been dead only a short time when his body was discovered.

"They checked on him periodically and the next thing they knew he was at the bottom of the scaffolding," Parks said, adding that some sort of medical problem has not been ruled out as a cause of death.

Elaine Fischer, spokeswoman for the Washington Industrial Safety and Health Administration, said agency investigators were at the refinery Wednesday but probably would not issue a report for several months.

Reach John Stark at 715-2274 or john.stark@bellinghamherald.com.