LEWISTON – A city worker called for help on a public works radio Thursday night after the sidewalk plow he was driving flipped and pinned him at the lower end of Park Street.
Police said 23-year-old Michael Violette suffered a broken leg when he became trapped inside the 1,200 pound machine in the 6:20 p.m. mishap at Park Street and Adams Avenue.
“He was trying to drive up onto the sidewalk when the machine flipped over,” said Lewiston police Lt. Tom Avery. “The door on the left side came open and his leg fell out. At that point, he became pinned underneath the machine.”
The Lewiston man, who was just starting his shift and preparing to clean downtown sidewalks of snow, was able to use his radio to call a public works dispatcher, police said. The dispatcher then called 911 to report the crash.
Moments after the accident, another city worker arrived and attempted to upright the overturned machine. Violette’s co-worker attached a chain from the overturned plow to a bucket loader in an attempt to pull the machine off the injured worker.
At the same time, more police and fire crews were on the way and more public works crews rushed to the crash site.
“When the officers and the others arrived, the machine was still running and he was trapped beneath it,” Avery said.
Firefighters quickly thrust a hydraulic jack beneath the overturned plow and began to lift it off the ground. Violette, conscious inside the small cab of the machine, could be heard screaming as the rescue effort got under way.
With the plow jacked up a foot from the ground, a group of six police, fire and city workers grabbed hold of the machine and pushed it back onto its tracks. With the help of paramedics, Violette hoisted himself from the contraption and was lowered onto a stretcher. He was taken to Central Maine Medical Center, where he was undergoing surgery late Thursday night. He was expected to be admitted to the hospital.
The rear window of the sidewalk plow was smashed, and one side of the machine was slightly crushed. Damage to the 1985 Bombardier was estimated at $200.
Police officers Eric Syphers and Derek St. Pierre were credited with getting to the crash scene quickly and getting help there immediately.
“It’s fortunate it happened where it did,” Avery said. “We were able to get there quickly and a lot of people showed up to help. It was a good coordinated rescue effort.”
Police officer Justin Kittredge was continuing the investigation Thursday night. Early indications were that uneven ground beneath the plow caused it to overturn.
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