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.

This story was originally published August 12, 2022 at 6:08 PM with the headline "100,000-pound drilling machine tips over in Oregon, photos show. Its operator is hurt."

Daniella Segura

McClatchy DC

Daniella Segura is a national real-time reporter with McClatchy. Previously, she’s worked as a multimedia journalist for weekly and daily newspapers in the Los Angeles area. Her work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association. She is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.