Worker trapped when boulder falls
A rock the size of an ambulance fell onto a piece of construction machinery Wednesday afternoon near Sagle, Idaho, injuring a worker and trapping him for about two hours as firefighters struggled to lift the boulder.
Crews were called about 2:45 p.m. to a construction site about a mile west of U.S. Highway 95 off Dufort Road, said Sagle Fire District Lt. Jason Cordle.
An excavation company was building a road on the side of a hill when a 25-foot-long boulder fell about 20 feet, crushing the cab of a Hitachi excavator, Cordle said. The rock broke in two. Inside, a North Idaho man was trapped from about his pelvis down.
Crews first used two high-pressure airbags with the capability of lifting 44,000 pounds each in an attempt to free the man. However, the bags barely moved the boulder, Cordle said.
Later, firefighters attached two bulldozers and a wheel loader to the excavator and were able to pull it back about 8 inches – enough for crews to use four of the high-pressure airbags to move one piece of the rock. Crews then used the “jaws of life” to free the man, who was airlifted to Kootenai Medical Center, Cordle said.
The man’s level of consciousness had diminished by the time he was freed, Cordle. His condition was uncertain Wednesday evening.
Use of seat belts focus of emphasis
The state’s “Click It, Don’t Risk It” seat belt emphasis patrol begins on May 16 and the Coeur d’Alene Police Department is participating.
The emphasis patrol is an effort to increase seat belt and proper child safety seat use throughout the state. The police department cites National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration statistics that show 85 percent of children in safety seats are improperly restrained.
The police, Coeur d’Alene Fire Department and Discovery Christian Day School will offer a free child safety seat check from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. May 12 at the Discovery Christian Day School, 108 E. Indiana Ave. For more information, contact Officer Nick Knoll at 769-2320.
Festival’s season pass deal nears deadline
Sandpoint Early bird season passes for the Festival at Sandpoint concert series will be on sale for one more week, the festival announced Wednesday.
The season pass provides transferable tickets to all eight nights of the music series, scheduled this year for Aug. 4-14. The early bird price for the pass is $119. The regular season pass sale price of $149 goes into effect on May 19, when the concert lineup is announced.
The outdoor concert series features an eclectic mix of entertainers and classical symphony performances. For more information, contact the festival office at (888) 265-4554, or visit its Web site at www.FestivalAtSandpoint.com.
Ferry dead in water; tug brings it home
Seattle An electrical problem caused the Washington state ferry Kaleetan to go dead in the water Wednesday afternoon in the middle of Puget Sound, a state ferries spokeswoman confirmed.
The problem was quickly fixed, and the ferry was scheduled to resume service Wednesday evening with a 9:05 p.m. sailing from Seattle.
The ferry was bound from Bremerton to Seattle when it lost power and began drifting about 4 p.m. A tugboat was dispatched to push the ferry to Seattle’s downtown Colman Dock.
The passengers were in no danger, said Washington State Ferries spokeswoman Susan Harris.