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Bill Badger was a director of nuclear and environmental business development at Amentum, a Department of Energy contractor. He had a successful career in the nuclear industry, working for Amentum and its predecessor AECOM since June 2018, and for CH2M, which is now part of Jacobs, for more than 17 years. He was also a former public affairs officer at DOE’s Rocky Flats nuclear site near Denver.

On November 8, 2023, Badger was in Richland, Washington, where Amentum is the lead partner in two major contractors doing work at DOE’s Hanford Site. He was staying at a Marriott hotel near the Columbia Point Marina. However, he was not familiar with the area and might have been lost.

According to Benton County Coroner Bill Leach, it appears that sometime before midnight, Badger drove his rental car off a boat launch, not far from the hotel, and into the river. The boat launch is a couple of hundred feet from the exit to the parking lot from the Marriott. Leach ruled his death as a drowning and said that everything appeared to be an accident.

The accident was discovered by a local fisherman who called 911 shortly after midnight and reported seeing car headlights underwater. Emergency services divers had removed the victim from the water when a representative of the coroner’s office arrived at the scene just before 2 a.m.

The coroner’s office has sent out for a toxicology report to see if drugs or alcohol may have played a role. Results are expected back in three to four weeks.

Badger, who was 55 years old, lived in Greenwood Village, Colorado. He is survived by his family and friends, who mourn his tragic and unexpected death.

FAQ

• Who was Bill Badger?
  • Bill Badger was a director of nuclear and environmental business development at Amentum, a Department of Energy contractor. He had a successful career in the nuclear industry and was a former public affairs officer at DOE’s Rocky Flats nuclear site.
• How did Bill Badger die?
  • Bill Badger died in a car accident after driving his rental car into the river at the Columbia Point Marina in Richland, Washington. He drowned in the water and his body was recovered by divers.
• When and where did the accident happen?
  • The accident happened on November 8, 2023, sometime before midnight, at the Columbia Point Marina in Richland, Washington. Badger was staying at a nearby Marriott hotel and might have been lost or confused when he drove off a boat launch into the river.
• What was the cause of the accident?
  • The cause of the accident is still under investigation by the coroner’s office. They have sent out for a toxicology report to see if drugs or alcohol may have played a role. The coroner has ruled the death as a drowning and said that everything appeared to be an accident.

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