WSDOT worker buried in avalanche on Chinook Pass shares story
Apr 25, 2014, 12:40 PM | Updated: 4:56 pm
A WSDOT worker was caught in an avalanche as he worked in a bulldozer clearing Chinook Pass. (Image courtesy the Washington State Department of Transportation)
(Image courtesy the Washington State Department of Transportation)
A road worker is lucky to be alive after getting buried inside his bulldozer by an avalanche that roared down Chinook Pass Thursday.
Tom Martinson, an equipment operator with the Washington State Department of Transportation, was stuck for five hours in snow up to the top of his machine.
“I was a little freaked out,” Martinson told KIRO Radio. “Just being captive there is a humbling experience.”
Fortunately for Martinson, one of the vents in his cab was a little ajar, so he was able to poke a hole and get some fresh air. He also had a small view of the whole thing.
“There was a little bit of window left on the right side that wasn’t covered,” he said. “I thought about maybe breaking out, but it’s probably a good thing I didn’t because more debris came down.”
He stayed there for about five hours while an avalanche team continued to trigger slides down over the top of him until they felt the area was stable enough to dig out Martinson with shovels.
“When each of those slides would come in, it’s kind of a thundering deal pounding off the roof. It’s kind of like being under a waterfall,” he said. “I could see natural slides occurring on the hillsides around me.”
Martinson was able to talk to the crew over his radio and eat his lunch. But after five hours, he was cold, antsy, and ready for some fresh air.
WSDOT avalanche supervisor John Stimberis said they could have gotten him out more quickly but only with increased risk, and they wanted to take every precaution to keep everyone safe in the rescue mission.
Don Whitehouse, with WSDOT, said the work up there is very challenging.
“Even though we take every precaution necessary to keep our people safe, it still comes with risk. Safety is our number one priority, and although our target every year is to reopen the pass by Memorial Day weekend, the safety of our crews comes first.”
Crews plan to get back to clearing efforts on Chinook Pass as conditions improve and hope to open by Memorial Day Weekend.
Martinson said he is very impressed with the safety glass on his bulldozer.
