Construction worker pinned under paving machine on I-5
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VANCOUVER, Wash. - A highway construction worker is fighting for his life after he was pulled from beneath a large paving machine early Thursday morning in Vancouver.
The accident took place at about 3:30 a.m. on a highway paving project near the intersection of Interstate 5 and State Road 500. The injured man was working for Granite Construction.
He was identified by the Washington State Patrol as Justin Pitts and is in critical condition.
It took about 45 minutes for fire crews to pull Pitts from under the machine and Granite Construction officials said an initial attempt to lift the paving machine off of him with another piece of equipment did not work. Granite Constuction said earlier reports that the paving machine fell back onto Pitts a second time are not accurate.
A coworker said he wasn't sure how the accident happened since workers typically spot each other when equipment is being moved around. The paving machine was backing up when Pitts was hit, he said.
"I actually just want to go home, get this day over with," said Nick Chrisman, who was working at the site and witnessed the accident. Chrisman said he worries more about having an accident with vehicle traffic going by the job site than with the equipment the crew uses.
Pitts was flown to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver and then to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland for further treatment.
Washington Department of Transportation officials said SR500 going west at 39th will be closed "for some time" while crews continue work delayed by by the accident. They did not say when it might reopen.
The Washington State Patrol is investigating the incident. Officials with Granite Construction said they will also investigate what caused the accident.
The accident took place at about 3:30 a.m. on a highway paving project near the intersection of Interstate 5 and State Road 500. The injured man was working for Granite Construction.
He was identified by the Washington State Patrol as Justin Pitts and is in critical condition.
It took about 45 minutes for fire crews to pull Pitts from under the machine and Granite Construction officials said an initial attempt to lift the paving machine off of him with another piece of equipment did not work. Granite Constuction said earlier reports that the paving machine fell back onto Pitts a second time are not accurate.
A coworker said he wasn't sure how the accident happened since workers typically spot each other when equipment is being moved around. The paving machine was backing up when Pitts was hit, he said.
"I actually just want to go home, get this day over with," said Nick Chrisman, who was working at the site and witnessed the accident. Chrisman said he worries more about having an accident with vehicle traffic going by the job site than with the equipment the crew uses.
Pitts was flown to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver and then to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland for further treatment.
Washington Department of Transportation officials said SR500 going west at 39th will be closed "for some time" while crews continue work delayed by by the accident. They did not say when it might reopen.
The Washington State Patrol is investigating the incident. Officials with Granite Construction said they will also investigate what caused the accident.
