Menzies Aviation Baggage Handler Injured in Seattle

A 24-year-old baggage handler working at the Alaska Airlines terminal at Sea-Tac Airport was injured Sunday when he was trapped between a baggage tractor and one of the carts, according to a report in the The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

The unidentified Menzies Aviation worker suffered bruises when the tractor malfunctioned, revved and lurched backward, knocking the worker to the ground, a Menzies spokesman Clive MacMillan told The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The worker, employed with Menzies for seven months, was treated and released at Highline Medical Center and is expected to return to work.

The incident was not near planes and didn't interfere with airport operations, a Port of Seattle spokeswoman said. The tractor driver was unhurt but shaken up, MacMillan said.

Alaska Airlines will inspect all of its similar tractors, and an independent expert also will investigate.

The accident was one of several recent Sea-Tac incidents involving Menzies, which has handled Alaska Airlines' baggage and ground operations since 2005. MacMillan, however, said Menzies' safety record has improved and is among the best in its business.