WSDOT worker removing roadkill in Spokane County hit by pickup
A Washington state Department of Transportation worker loading two deer carcasses into a removal truck Monday morning suffered serious injuries when the driver of a pickup along state Route 206 east of Mead hit him and pinned him against the work truck.
Paul Weber, 53, was flown by helicopter to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center for surgery. He may lose limbs after the crash, according to Washington State Highway Patrol Sgt. Greg Riddell.
Weber and a co-worker had parked their large truck with a lift on the back, activated the yellow emergency lights and set to work to remove the deer.
The truck was parked partially on the road, also called East Mt. Spokane Park Drive.
As the two were working at about 8:45 a.m., a Ford Ranger driven by 75-year-old Mead resident Kenneth Massender crashed into Weber. The pickup was traveling at about 50 mph, Riddell said, and pinned Weber against the rear of the truck and lift even as Weber’s co-worker tried to signal to the pickup to slow down and then tried to holler a warning to Weber.
The crash closed the road for several hours.
“Paul is doing about as well as he could be,” Riddell noted Monday afternoon. “He’s a strong man.”
Massender suffered head and chest injuries from the crash, and was taken by ambulance to the hospital.
Riddell said it does not appear that Massender was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.