100,000-pound drilling machine tips over in Oregon, photos show. Its operator is hurt
The operator of a 100,000-pound rotary drilling rig was seriously injured after the machine tipped, pinning the worker inside, officials in Oregon said.
The accident happened around 10:45 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 12, at a Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) expansion project site in Portland, according to a statement to McClatchy News from Tim Johnson, general manager of Skanska in Portland, the construction company behind the project.
“We are investigating the cause,” Johnson said.
OHSU declined to comment and asked that questions be directed to Skanska.
The construction crew used a jack to lift the machine off the operator, who was taken to a trauma center for their injuries, according to the Portland Fire and Rescue Bureau. No one else was harmed.
