A man from Eugene, Oregon, is counting his blessings after narrowly escaping a violent encounter with a runaway concrete saw blade that spun wildly out of control and lodged itself into the wall near where he had just stood.
Surveillance footage taken from a convenience store on Thursday showed Shane Reimche strolling over to the entrance and letting himself in, mere seconds before a renegade circular saw blade that came loose at a nearby construction site came charging in his direction.
The wheel of death, which was roughly four feet in diameter, jammed two feet into the wooden entrance frame of the store near where Reimche had paused to open the door.
Here's footage that serves as a reminder that life can be cut short or changed drastically at any given time.
Still shaken from the potentially life-threatening freak incident, Reimche told KEZI TV:
“I was walking into the store here. 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 4-foot blade hurtling at me.”
You can watch a news clip showing what looked like a scene from a Final Destination movie.
Eugene man has close call with runaway saw bladeyoutu.be
A witness who was a traffic contractor told the news outlet that the incident was likely caused by a loose bolt or mechanical error from operators attempting to fix a leaky gas valve nearby.
A communications director from Northwest Natural Gas confirmed that the grievous malfunction “involved a contractor at a NW Natural job site.”
Pro 2A Patriot shared a screenshot of the dangerous tool and surmised what could have happened.
"That' s a diamond blade from a very large asphalt/concrete saw," wrote the user on X (formerly Twitter).
"Someone didn't tighten the nut down properly, allowing the blade to come off."
"The loud pop was the blade hitting the blade guard. I've seen it happen several times in my 33 years in the equipment rental industry."
@RoySmit20123202/X
The contractor involved has reportedly been removed from other work assignments for the company while the incident is under investigation.
Store owner Amit Grewal said he felt the impact of the object hitting the building.
“We were standing behind the counter. All I heard was metal rolling down the street," he said, adding:
“It was just wind. All of a sudden we heard a loud bang. It shook the whole store.”
Social media users were also shook by the shocking footage.
For some people, the situation felt all too familiar.
The emotions sunk in for Reimche after reeling from the initial shock.
He told the outlet:
“Oh my god, I had tears all night. It was petrifying. I was shaking in the store."
"Took a little while before I could talk. That thing was huge. You can see the hole in the wall.”
People were convinced he was protected.
People were reminded not to take life for granted.
Reimche said his kids were horrified from watching the footage and later came to console him.
“They all came to my house and hugged me and had lots of cries," he said.
Reimche said of his brush with death:
“Obviously it wasn’t my time but probably closest I’ve ever experienced.”
“I need a beer. I’m still shaken. It’s 9 o’clock. I’m not going to work today.”
Take all the time you need, Shane.
We're glad you're still with us.
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