A worker escaped death Thursday afternoon in Schuylkill County after a piece of heavy machinery nearly crushed him. The accident forced officials in Port Carbon to close a busy highway.
It was a bridge repair project that took a turn for the worse. An 88,000 pound excavator crashed though a portion of the Pottsville Street Bridge in Port Carbon. The massive tracks dangle in the water.
"I saw the walkway giving in and I see the crack and a little bit of debris falling in and I yelled for the superintendent who was operating the machine at the time, but there was no time to react. Within two seconds it was down," recounted Glenn Silfies.
The operator of the excavator didn't want to talk about what happened. The cab he was in crumpled against the bridge.
"That was scary. My heart dropped when I seen it going there. I didn't know what to think," Ken Singleton said. He saw the drama play out in front of him.
"Oh man, I thought that guy in the backhoe (excavator) was crushed and his worker came over and looked in their quick to see if he was okay and he was and I seen his hand came out and thank God," Singleton added.
"I just wanted to see if anyone was injured and told him he had an angel on his shoulder in my opinion," said neighbor Vicki Fisher.
Police are putting tape around the sidewalk area as a precaution to keep the curious away.
Later police shut down the road but the talk of the amazing escape was still being discussed.
"He should play some lottery. That was quite amazing," said Port Carbon Police Chief Jon Bowman. "That cab is crushed in. If he would have been a heavy set man he would not got out of it. It's an absolute miracle."
It was a bridge repair project that took a turn for the worse. An 88,000 pound excavator crashed though a portion of the Pottsville Street Bridge in Port Carbon. The massive tracks dangle in the water.
"I saw the walkway giving in and I see the crack and a little bit of debris falling in and I yelled for the superintendent who was operating the machine at the time, but there was no time to react. Within two seconds it was down," recounted Glenn Silfies.
The operator of the excavator didn't want to talk about what happened. The cab he was in crumpled against the bridge.
"That was scary. My heart dropped when I seen it going there. I didn't know what to think," Ken Singleton said. He saw the drama play out in front of him.
"Oh man, I thought that guy in the backhoe (excavator) was crushed and his worker came over and looked in their quick to see if he was okay and he was and I seen his hand came out and thank God," Singleton added.
"I just wanted to see if anyone was injured and told him he had an angel on his shoulder in my opinion," said neighbor Vicki Fisher.
Police are putting tape around the sidewalk area as a precaution to keep the curious away.
Later police shut down the road but the talk of the amazing escape was still being discussed.
"He should play some lottery. That was quite amazing," said Port Carbon Police Chief Jon Bowman. "That cab is crushed in. If he would have been a heavy set man he would not got out of it. It's an absolute miracle."
