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Bulldozer rollover kills Sandpoint man
Posted: Wednesday, Mar 29, 2006 - 08:42:32 am PST
By KEITH KINNAIRD
News editor
SOURCE: http://www.bonnercountydailybee.com

 

OSHA probing accident

SAGLE -- A Sandpoint man was fatally injured Monday when the bulldozer he was operating rolled down an embankment near Lake Pend Oreille's Bottle Bay.

Bonner County Sheriff's officials identified the victim as Allen D. Bricker, 66.

The accident happened at about 12:30 p.m. in the 7,000 block of Bottle Bay Road.

Bricker was maneuvering the piece of heavy equipment near the top of the embankment when he lost control, according to Sheriff's Capt. Jim Drake.

"He got it sideways and it rolled over. It did one revolution and landed back on its tracks," Drake said.

The bulldozer rolled approximately 30 feet before coming to rest. Drake said the earth mover had a protective cage over the driver's seat, but Bricker suffered severe head and chest trauma. Coworkers at the site helped free Bricker, who was taken to Bonner General Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Drake said Bricker was apparently creating an earthen barrier to prevent sediment from running off into the lake. The work was being done for a homeowner.

Bricker's death has been ruled an accident by sheriff's investigators and their reports are being forwarded to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Bosie for additional review.

Monday's accident is the second fatal industrial accident in Bonner County in the past eight months. Jeffrey David Lester, a 47-year-old Sagle man, was killed on July 21, 2005 after the water line trench he was working in collapsed.

That accident happened at the site of a new housing development in the Kootenai area. Lester's employer, Tucker Excavation & Pipeline was ultimately fined $19,000 by OSHA. The company was also ordered to develop and implement an excavation safety program for its employees.

Lester's widow is seeking damages from the cities of Sandpoint and Kootenai. Her claim said the accident happened in Kootenai and involved utilities supplied by Sandpoint. Tempest Lester claims the cities did not require the contractor to comply with workplace safety standards.