A construction worker suffered life-threatening injuries early Thursday after being pinned under a paving machine on state Highway 500, officials said.
Firefighters were dispatched to the incident just before 3:30 a.m. at Highway 500 and St. Johns Boulevard.
Crews arrived a few minutes later and found a man was backed over by a paving machine, said Kevin Stromberg, spokesman for the Vancouver Fire Department. Crews asked for assistance from the Region 4 Technical Rescue Team, which specializes in difficult extrications.
Crews used a front-end loader to lift the machine off the man, who was conscious and alert the entire time, Stromberg said. Firefighters placed lumber under the lifted machine to make sure it wouldn't fall back on the victim.
"It's a pretty extensive operation," Stromgerg said.
The man was freed by about 4:04 a.m. and sent to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Copyright 2012 - The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
