Mill Creek man loses part of leg in explosion

Herald staff

MILL CREEK — A 72-year-old man who lost part of his leg in an explosion while working on his car Saturday was listed in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

The man suffered an amputation of the left leg below the knee in some type of flash explosion, Fire District No. 7 paramedic Jeff Larsen said. The man was airlifted to Seattle.

The accident occurred about 6 p.m. at his home in the 16700 block of Ninth Avenue SE.

"He’s not even sure what happened," Larsen said. "It must have been some type of flash explosion. His wife heard some kind of blast."

  • Gunman robs Motel 6: A masked gunman robbed a clerk at the Motel 6 office Friday and got away with an undisclosed amount of money.

    The robbery occurred about 10:20 p.m. in the 200 block of 128th Street SW in the Everett area, Snohomish County sheriff’s spokeswoman Jan Jorgensen said.

    Deputies responded and discovered a man had confronted the clerk and demanded money, and the clerk complied. The robber then fled on foot toward the back of the motel. A deputy and tracking dog were unable to locate him.

    The robber is a white male, 17 to 20 years old with very light-blond hair, the sides and the back of the hair were shaved and the hair appeared to be in a bowl cut and greased down, Jorgensen said. He wore blue jeans, a light gray T-shirt and a green handkerchief with a flowered print, in addition to a mask, she said.

    There were no injuries.

    Deputies ask anyone with information about the robber to call the sheriff’s tip line at 425-388-3845.

  • Everett man dies at crash scene: Robert E. Smith, 82, of Everett died Friday night at the scene of a traffic crash in Monroe, according to the Snohomish County medical examiner’s office. An autopsy is scheduled Monday.

    No details of the crash on Highway 522 just north of 164th Street SE were available this weekend from Monroe police.

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