WEST GLACIER – A 33-year-old construction worker is recovering after he and the small excavator he was operating fell down a steep embankment next to Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Park officials say Wainuma Ned, of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was moving rocks about a mile east of Logan Pass at about 9:30 a.m. Monday when the excavator became unbalanced and fell from the road.
Witnesses say Ned jumped clear of the equipment as it fell over the edge, and he free-fell about 35 feet before sliding another 65 feet down a scree field. The excavator tumbled about 200 feet farther down to the bottom of the scree field.
Ned, who was conscious throughout the accident and rescue, was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Kalispell. The extent of his injuries is unclear.