In a shocking incident, an Oregon man narrowly avoided a potentially fatal accident when a runaway saw blade from a nearby construction site tore through a parking lot and embedded itself in a building. The man, Shane Reimche, was entering Quicktrips Neighborhood Market in Eugene last Thursday when the nearly four-foot concrete saw blade broke free from its moorings.
Surveillance footage captured the harrowing moment. Reimche can be seen casually entering the store, unaware of the danger. Seconds later, the blade whizzes through the parking lot, skimming past parked cars, skidding across the pavement, and slamming into the exterior wall of the shop, mere inches from the door.
Reimche recounted the terrifying experience, “I put my hand on the door and I heard a loud bang and yelling. Just as a cloud of smoke pops up and I see a guy fall in the ditch. And a four-foot blade hurtling at me.” He managed to avoid the blade by ducking behind the counter at the last moment.
The impact of the blade was so powerful that it “shook the whole store,” according to store owner Amit Grewal. He described hearing the sound of metal rolling down the street before a loud bang echoed through the store.
The blade had come loose from a construction site operated by Northwest Natural Gas and two of their contractors, Brix Paving Northwest and Integrity Traffic. A contractor witness suggested that a bolt may have come loose or there may have been an operator error while workers were fixing a leaky gas valve.
Northwest Natural Gas released a statement expressing relief that no one was injured in the incident, attributing the mishap to the contractor. The blade left a deep gash in the exterior wall of the store, a chilling reminder of the near-miss.
Reimche was visibly shaken by the incident, “Oh my god, I had tears all night. It was petrifying. I was shaking in the store,” he told reporters. “Took a little while before I could talk. That thing was huge. You can see the hole in the wall.” He added that he spent the evening hugging his children, grateful to be alive.
Reflecting on the incident, Reimche said, “Obviously it wasn’t my time but probably the closest I’ve ever experienced. I don’t think I would’ve survived 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.”