‘Ax’ man arrested after alcohol-related crash

Mike Pihl of Pihl Logging arrested after crash results in injuries to his children

By Darryl Swan

The South County Spotlight, Aug 27, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (1 Reader comment)

Mike Pihl

Columbia County Jail / The South County Spotlight

Michael Pihl, a Vernonia man who achieved a level of notoriety after his logging company was prominently featured on the History Channel’s documentary-styled TV show “Ax Men,” was arrested Wednesday for an alcohol-related injury crash involving his children.

On Wednesday evening, Aug. 26, Pihl, 48, was giving his three children a ride in his Jeep CJ5 with its top off on his private driveway south of Vernonia. He then accelerated and lost control of the vehicle, which rolled over into a ditch, according to an Oregon State Police press release.

Mathias Pihl, 3, had his head pinned under the vehicle’s roll bar and was transported via LifeFlight to Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland for a head injury. The children were not wearing safety restraints.

Rylee Pihl, 3, and Jayda Pihl, 5, received minor injuries and were transported by ground ambulance to the hospital, as was Pihl.

A follow-up investigation led to the arrest of Pihl upon his release from the hospital, at which time he was transported and lodged in the Columbia County Jail on charges of third-degree assault and three counts of recklessly endangering another person.

Pihl posted bail early Thursday and is scheduled to appear in Columbia County Circuit Court on Sept. 14.

Pihl runs Pihl Logging, which is one of several logging outfits followed in the “Ax Men” TV series.

The History Channel’s Web site, which includes a profile of Pihl and Pihl Logging, describes the company as the “lifeblood” of Vernonia, and says his “responsibility to his crew and community weigh heavily on his shoulders, causing him to take on new jobs and in turn, spread himself and his crew thinner by the day.”

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