For 22 days Shauna Gumbel sat by her son's side as he fought for his life with burns over most of his body.
Those were 22 days where she stared through the gauze bandages covering the burns on his eyes and into her son's aching heart, as only a mother could.
"A lot of people ask if it was hard to look at him like that, but I didn't see the burns. I saw my son," said Gumbel.
Matt Gumbel was just 34 years old when an explosion at the Tesoro oil refinery in Anacortes killed him and six others Easter weekend of 2010. He had barely been on the job four years, following in his father's footsteps.
His father, Paul, was working that night as well and was one of the first to respond to the scene. Five years later he still suffers from PTSD.
"Because my husband was there and because he has had some other health issues, I feel like I not only lost my son, but I lost my husband, too," said Gumbel.
A six-month Labor and Industries investigation determined the explosion never should have happened. Tesoro was cited for 44 violations of state safety regulations and was hit with a $2.4 million fine -- the biggest in L & I history.
Tesoro is now appealing that fine.
On Tuesday, Tesoro attorneys testified that many of the violations were actually minor and don't merit such a huge fine. A company spokesperson said at the hearing, "Nothing is more important than the safety of Tesoro employees."
Gumbel believes politicians must stand up to oil companies and enact laws that will make refineries safer. She worries even the biggest fine in L&I history may not make a bit of difference.
"That's a drop in the bucket for them," Gumbel said. "It isn't going to force them to make the changes."
One year after the Tesoro disaster, legislators in Olympia passed a law forcing companies to correct safety issues even if legal appeals are still pending.
Last year the seven families in this case split a $39 million settlement from Tesoro.
