Oregon Man Narrowly Missed By Runaway Saw Blade

An Oregon man is lucky to be alive after barely avoiding a giant concrete sawblade that escaped from a nearby construction site and set its sights on him.

Shane Reimche is still shaken up from his trip to the liquor store on Thursday when the 4-foot sawblade ran across the parking lot and nearly took him out just after he walked into the store.

“Obviously, it wasn’t my time but probably the closest I’ve ever experienced,” Reimche told WSAZ of the blade sticking in the wall just feet from where he was standing.

Shane Reimche

The incident was caught on surveillance video at Quicktrip Neighborhood Market in Eugene.

The video shows that the saw blade slipping between parked cars and bouncing across the parking lot before hitting into the wall of the store.

“I was walking into the store here. I put my handle on the door, and I heard a loud bang and yelling over here at the corner, just as a cloud of smoke pops up. I see a guy fall in the ditch and a 4-foot blade hurtling at me as I’m walking through the doorway,” Reimche told the outlet.

A traffic contractor who saw the whole thing told WSAZ the blade most likely got away because of a loose bolt and possible operator error.

“Oh my God, I had tears all night. It was petrifying. I was shaking in the store. It took me a little bit before I could talk,” Reimche told WSAZ.

There were three contract companies working in the area - Northwest Natural Gas, Brix Paving Northwest, and Integrity Traffic - all working on a leaky gas valve near the sidewalk.

“Northwest Natural was already here, so he said we’re not responsible. It’s a third-party contractor that is responsible for this,” Store owner Amit Grewal said.

Northwest Natural told WSAZ they're glad nobody got hurt, and say a contractor working at their site is responsible and has been removed from work until the incident is finished being investigated.