SHINE — A search for a state Department of Transportation employee and his vehicle after reports that a car had gone off the Hood Canal Bridge on Monday night had found nothing by Wednesday afternoon.
A Department of Transportation bridge maintenance technician’s personal vehicle is believed to have breached a pedestrian cable railing on the lower deck of the bridge while leaving his work shift Monday evening, Roger Millar, acting secretary of transportation, has said.
The search began at about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday in an area of the canal estimated to be between 350 feet and 400 feet deep.
The person has been identified as a man, but his name, age and personal details are being withheld at the family’s request, according to Millar.
The search continued until about 1 a.m. Wednesday, when it was suspended because of swift currents, said Trooper Russ Winger, State Patrol spokesman.
Search strategies
Searchers began again at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday and were attempting to identify new targets to check using sonar and a remote-controlled submersible, Winger said.
They had exhausted all targets by 4 p.m. Wednesday, Winger said, adding that it is unknown when the search will continue.
The missing employee was the last person on the bridge crew to depart Monday evening, and a welfare check at his home showed he did not return home that night, according to Petty Officer George Degner, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman in Seattle.
On Wednesday, Millar wrote to Transportation employees: “Today, both the sonar scanning on the canal surface and the submersible rover search under the surface are continuing.
“We hope and pray that our coworker is found soon and that the family and we can start the healing process.”
Wife’s message
Millar’s email included a message from the man’s wife.
“I’d like to thank everyone at DOT for their support and concern during this terrible time,” she wrote.
“My husband loved his job, loved working with the Hood Canal Bridge crew, and loved his family.
“My family and I would also like to thank the first-responders and others for all the work they’re doing to find him.”
The crews involved in the recovery were the State Patrol, Port Ludlow Fire & Rescue, boat crews from the Seattle Coast Guard base and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Navy.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
