EUGENE, Ore. — A Eugene man is lucky to be alive after he was nearly struck by a runaway saw blade outside of a minimart on Thursday, in a scene reminiscent of the "Final Destination" movies.
It happened when a construction crew was using a concrete saw to work on a gas line outside the QuickTrip Neighborhood Market at East 24th Avenue and Hilyard Street in Eugene. A 4-foot circular blade came loose from the contractor's machine and went spinning across a parking lot — rolling like a serrated tumbleweed.
Shane Reimche had just opened the door and walked inside the store. Moments later, security cameras captured the moment when the saw blade buried itself into the wall right where Reimche had been walking.
"I was walking into the store here, I put my hand on the door and I heard a loud bang and yelling," Reimche said. "Just as a cloud of smoke pops up and I see a guy fall in the ditch, and a 4-foot blade hurtling at me."
Reimche said he ducked behind the counter inside as the blade crashed into the wall outside, shaking the entire store.
"I was thinking maybe it was my time," Reimche said ruefully. "I don't think I would survived even being touched by that thing. I need a beer. I'm still shaken. It's 9 o'clock. I'm not going to work today."
Reimche said that his kids saw the video on social media before he even got home, and they were "all hugs and cries."
In a statement given to Eugene news station KEZI, gas utility NW Natural said it was a very unusual incident, and the company is glad no one was hurt.
"This incident involved a contractor at a NW Natural job site," the statement said. "We are reviewing our association with this contractor, and we have removed the contractor from other work for us for now."
NW Natural had contracted Brix Paving Northwest and Integrity Traffic for work at the site. Another contractor who witnessed the incident told KEZI that a loose bolt and operator error may have caused the blade to break free.