Mechanic dies in accident during repairs

A mechanic repairing his company’s semi-trailer died Sept. 11 at Coulee Medical Center as he was repairing its suspension, the company said in a press release.

Mike Coppess, of Bellevue, Washington, was 68, married and the father of two, said Rich Braedt, director of Clinical Operations for Heritage Imaging.

Emergency personnel responded to the scene at the hospital, where Coppess was pronounced dead.

The trailer he was working on contained magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment, a service the company has been supplying at Coulee Medical Center since 2008.

Formerly known as MRI Mobile, the company was purchased and rebranded to Heritage Imaging about two years ago, Braedt said.

Heritage serves medical facilities in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. It was established over 30 years ago “by physicians to help physicians provide better patient experiences and outcomes in rural and remote locations,” its website states.

CMC Chief Executive Officer Ramona Hicks said the state Dept. of Labor and Industries was on the scene the next day investigating the tragedy.