PORTLAND, Ore. — An Estacada man spent an estimated eight hours badly hurt at the bottom of an embankment before his worried co-workers found him.
“We’re a family and knew something wasn’t right,” said Steve Wolfe.
Wolfe is the Senior District Manager at Waste Management of Oregon. Wolfe says Commercial Route Manager Taylor Campbell failed to show up to what is called a "driver huddle" early Friday morning. It was odd considering someone talked to Campbell just an hour earlier.
“Taylor told the driver, ‘I’m throwing my boots on and I’ll see you at the office about 1:30 a.m.,’” said Wolfe.
Campbell never showed up at the Northeast Portland office as promised. By 2 a.m. he was still nowhere to be found. Managers assembled a half dozen two-person teams to search for Campbell.
“We met at the Barton Store to formulate a plan,” said Wolfe. “What roads we’d cover, the normal ones, back roads he may have taken and we started scouring the roads.”
Campbell’s co-workers spent all morning looking for him. With every passing hour, they grew more frustrated and concerned.
“We were talking about how we felt we needed to get some sort of sign from him to let us know where he was,” said Monica Cassidy.
Around 10 a.m. Cassidy’s wish was granted. She spotted Campbell’s vehicle about 25 feet down an embankment along Springwater Road in Oregon City. Cassidy and Gerry Schultz slid down to the driver side door.
“I did open his door,” said Schultz. “Thankfully he was breathing and moving a bit.”
Firefighters came to the scene and pulled Campbell from the wreckage. He was transported to a waiting helicopter that flew him to Legacy Emanuel Hospital.
“He suffered a fractured skull, pressure on the brain,” said Wolfe. “He’s in a coma.”
Wolfe cannot bring himself to think about what would have happened had the team at Waste Management not found Campbell. All that matters now is that he is safe and getting the care he needs.
“We need a lot of positive vibes and prayers going his way,” said Wolfe.