Excavator operator hurt in fall down ravine

By Leslie Fulbright
Seattle Times Eastside bureau

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A heavy-equipment operator doing pipeline maintenance at the end of a Sammamish cul-de-sac suffered minor injuries yesterday after he lost control of his excavator and tumbled 100 feet down a ravine.

The man was on a wooden landing when the machine slipped and started rolling down the hill. The excavator, known as a trackhoe, tumbled several times, falling about 65 feet before getting caught in the trees.

The man then tried to get out of the trackhoe, but his fellow workers told him to stay inside, fire officials said.

Minutes later, he fell again.

"That last 35 feet was sheer drop," said Josie Williams, spokeswoman for Eastside Fire and Rescue. "He had to ride that out; that's pretty tough. He is very fortunate."

Just after 10 a.m., a 911 call came from the site on Northeast 29th Street, near 230th Avenue Northeast. Nine rescuers, including a specialized team from Kirkland, and 18 firefighters took about an hour to cut the trees that covered the hill and bring the man to safety.

"Cutting down the trees made it a slow process," Williams said.

Greg Reich, assistant district manager for the firm Williams, which operates the natural-gas pipeline, said the trackhoe operator brought the wooden platform to stabilize the trackhoe on the hill.

"Something went wrong and he slid off," Reich said of the operator, a subcontractor. "He lost control. I'm not sure what happened."

The man, who was wearing a seat belt, had some bumps, bruises and minor contusions and was taken to Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue. Officials did not release his name.
 
The state Department of Labor and Industries is investigating the accident.

The state Department of Ecology also was at the scene, assessing cleanup for the estimated 100 gallons of diesel fuel that spilled from the machine. There is a small creek at the bottom of the ravine.

Leslie Fulbright: 206-515-5637 or lfulbright@seattletimes.com

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