Dam Explosion victim remains in ICU

SEATTLE — One of the two men who remain at Haborview Medical Center in Seattle as a result of the Oct. 8 Priest Rapids Dam explosion has been taken out of the intensive care unit and upgraded to satisfactory condition.

The other patient – both are men – is still in serious condition in the ICU and is continuing to show improvement, according to Harborview/UW Medicine spokesperson Susan Gregg.

Six Grant County PUD employees at Priest Rapids Dam were injured in the explosion on Oct. 8. One was treated and released within 24 hours of the initial blast. The other five were airlifted to Harborview, and three have since been released from the hospital.

The explosion at the dam was traced to an arc flash triggered by the failure of a circuit breaker.

A fund to help the families of the injured workers has been set up at Granco Federal Credit Union, located at 217 Southwest Alder St., Ephrata.

Donations can be mailed to the credit union at PO Box 127, Ephrata, WA 98823. Donations should be labeled “Priest Rapids Family Fund.”