Photo: WSVN
Rescue crews took three construction workers and a driver to the hospital with minor injuries after a drilling rig collapsed on top of several cars in Miami’s Brickell section, causing one of the vehicles to burst into flames, officials said.
City of Miami Fire Rescue units responded to the scene of the incident at the corner of Brickell Bay Drive and Southeast 12th Street, just after 8:30 a.m. on Monday.
About two hours later, Miami Fire Rescue Chief Robert Hevia provided more details about the collapse, which left two construction workers trapped.
“The crane had fallen on top of a construction box, where there were a 27 and 29-year-old contruction worker trapped inside,” he said.
Investigators said the rig damaged three vehicles: two parked cars and a BMW SUV that was traveling southbound.
Hevia said the woman who was behind the wheel of the SUV saw the falling crane and was able to exit the vehicle with moments to spare.
“To be able to see the crane falling, pull the car in reverse and pop out of the back while the car’s on fire, really incredible,” he said.
Witness Christiana Lardon, who heard the collapse, described the intense scene.
“As I was entering the parking garage, I heard a big colossal boom. It was scary because the flames were shooting up 30, 40 feet in the air.” she said. “And all the workers were just in shock and awe.”
Hevia explained that first responders faced a scene with several moving parts.
“It was a very complex scene with a fire that was occurring. Our crews were putting out the fire, and our technical rescue team [was] working simultaneously to cut through the CONEX box, the construction box, and they were able to successfully extricate the two victims,” he said.
Hevia said crews also came to the rescue of the crane’s operator.
“The crane operator jumped out of the crane when it was tipping over,” he said.
Paramedics transported the three construction workers to Ryder Trauma Center with minor injuries. 7News cameras captured one of the victims as he was wheeled into the hospital.
“The fact that we were able to cut [the construction workers] out and extricate them out with minor injuries is remarkable,” said Hevia. “When you look at the site, it’s incredible to have a car on fire, crane collapse, and the construction box is heavily damaged.”
The woman who was behind the wheel of the BMW was taken to Mercy Hospital, also with minor injuries.
“When you look at the site, it’s incredible. They have a car on fire, a crane collapsed and the construction box is heavily damaged. Count your blessings. God was watching over you today,” said Hevia.
At the hospital, Victor Rodriguez, a man who works in the industry and knows one of the victims, said it’s a miracle that nobody died.
Back at the scene, the rig was being operated at the site of the planned global headquarters for Citadel.
In a statement, Related Companies said:
“Our number one priority is the health and safety of our workers and the community. We are working in full cooperation with City and County building departments to secure the site and conduct a full investigation of today’s incident.”
No one was inside the two parked cars that were damaged. Eighteen other construction workers were at the site, but they were all accounted for.
Local city leaders voiced concerns about these recent construction-related incidents.
“In less than a month, this is the second time that it is happening in the City of Miami. Let’s see what’s not working, what happened here, so we can prevent this from happening in the future,” said District 3 City Commissioner Rolando Escalona.
The collapse also caused a diesel spill, so Brickell Bay Drive remains closed to traffic between Southeast 12th and 14th streets while crews clean up the spill and remove the vehicles involved. Officials advise drivers to avoid the area and seek alternate routes.
As of Monday evening, the equipment and damaged cars have been removed.
What caused the rig to collapse remains under investigation.
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Source: wsvn
