PORT ANGELES — A man crushed by a bulldozer in an accident in September has improved to serious condition in intensive care at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
City resident Kyle Trussell, 32, was working as a surveyor for Northwest Territories Inc. on Sept. 28 when he was run over by an 18-ton Caterpillar D6 bulldozer as he worked on the landfill bluff stabilization project near the Port Angeles Transfer Station at 3501 W. 18th St.
His pelvis and legs were crushed in the accident.
“For the trauma he is in, he is doing well, but it’s a long, long road back,” his mother, Julie Trussell, said Monday in a message to the PDN.
She declined additional comment and said the family isn’t ready for interviews.
Trussell is a former standout soccer player for Port Angeles High School and Peninsula College who has coached high school and youth soccer teams in the Port Angeles area.
In August, he was a member of the Port Angeles United soccer team that competed against the Sequim FC in the inaugural Super Cup soccer match.
A GoFundMe account has been established by Trussell’s sister to help his family with expenses during his recovery.
Donations
As of Monday afternoon, $8,768 had been raised of the $50,000 requested to help the family.
Donations for the family can be made at http://tinyurl.com/pdn-trussell
fund or in Trussell’s name at the Port Angeles Umpqua Bank, 1033 E. First St.
He was working on the final stages of a $14.4 million project to remove landfill materials near the bluffs, which were in danger of falling into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Trussell was wearing a safety orange vest and hard hat as he surveyed the slope of a hill when a bulldozer ran over him, according to the Port Angeles Police Department, which launched an investigation immediately after he was hurt.
It appeared Trussell was in the bulldozer operator’s blind spot on a hill at the landfill, the police investigation determined.
The bulldozer hit Trussell with the right side of the blade, knocked him to the ground and ran over him, police said.
He was treated on the scene by the Port Angeles Fire Department, taken to Olympic Medical Center and then flown to Harborview.
Evidence reviewed by police on the scene indicate the incident was an accident, with no apparent wrongdoing on the part of the bulldozer operator.
The state Department of Labor and Industries has also opened an investigation into the incident.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
