Updated

Updated · Fox News · Sep 14

Miami Rig Collapse Injures 4 at Citadel Site, Trapping 2 Workers and Crushing 3 Vehicles

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Sep 14

Miami Rig Collapse Injures 4 at Citadel Site, Trapping 2 Workers and Crushing 3 Vehicles

Q: How did a routine morning at the future Citadel headquarters turn into a fiery survival test for trapped workers and a fleeing driver?

A routine morning at the future Citadel headquarters became a survival test when an 85-foot drilling, or piling, rig suddenly toppled at about 8:30 a.m. at Brickell Bay Drive and Southeast 12th Street, crashing onto a construction box and three vehicles and igniting a fire. The most immediate danger was inside the construction box, where two workers, ages 27 and 29, were trapped after the rig crushed the container. Miami Fire Rescue said crews had to fight flames and carry out a technical rescue at the same time, using hydraulic cutting tools to slice through the damaged box and free them. Both workers, along with the 47-year-old rig operator who jumped clear as the machine tipped, were taken to Ryder Trauma Center with minor injuries. On the street, the driver of a white BMW SUV survived by reacting within seconds. Officials said she saw the rig falling in front of her, threw the vehicle into reverse, and climbed out through the back after the rig landed on the hood and the SUV caught fire. Witnesses described flames shooting 20 to 40 feet into the air. She was hospitalized with minor injuries. Fire officials called the outcome remarkable given the scale of the collapse, the fire and the crushed equipment. All 18 workers on site were accounted for. The collapse also caused a diesel spill, prompting road closures and cleanup while OSHA and local authorities investigate what caused the rig to fall.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 14

Four people were hospitalized in stable condition after a drilling rig toppled around 8 a.m. in Miami's Brickell neighborhood, crushing a construction container and three vehicles at the planned Citadel headquarters site.
Miami Fire Rescue freed two trapped construction workers, ages 27 and 29, from the crushed container while crews simultaneously extinguished a fire sparked when the rig crushed a BMW.
The injured were the two workers, the 47-year-old rig operator and the BMW driver, who escaped by reversing and climbing out as the vehicle burned; two other parked vehicles were unoccupied.
All 18 workers at the site were accounted for, but Brickell Bay Drive near Southeast 12th Street was closed and motorists were told to avoid the area.
Officials have not identified a cause, and OSHA is investigating the collapse.