Watch Video: Oregon man narrowly escapes death by runaway saw blade
"I don't think I would've survived being touched by that thing," Shane Reimche said.
EUGENE, Ore. -- An Oregon man narrowly escaped death by a runaway saw blade.
Shane Reimche is lucky to be alive after narrowly dodging a concrete saw that came loose from a nearby construction site and hurtled towards him on March 28.
Surveillance video shared with our affiliate shows the four-foot blade barreling just moments before Reimche walked into a convenience store in Eugene on Thursday.
"I mean, obviously it wasn't my time but probably closest I've ever experienced," said Reimche.
Reimche could be seen entering the store when, just a few seconds later, the blade slammed into the exterior wall of the store, inches away from the door.
"I was walking into the store here, I put my hand on the door and I heard a loud bang and yelling here at the corner," recalled Reimche. "Just as a cloud of smoke pops up and I see a guy fall in the ditch, and four-foot blade hurtling at me. "
The impact was so strong that the owner of the store said the entire building shook.
"We were standing behind the counter, all I heard was metal rolling down the street," said Amit Grewa. "It was just wind, all of a sudden we heard a loud bang. It shook the whole store."
A contractor on the scene who witnessed the incident said the blade may have gotten loose from a lost bolt -- in addition to potential operator error.
Reimche said he's grateful to be alive.
"I'm thankful to be here. I was thinking maybe it's my time, I don't think I would've survived being touched by that thing."
