Four people were taken to the hospital on Monday after a construction crane fell onto three vehicles and a construction dumpster in Miami, trapping two workers and sparking a fire in one of the vehicles, authorities reported.
Fire crews responded to the scene in the popular Brickell neighborhood—near Southeast 12th Street and Brickell Bay Drive—after the drilling rig collapsed around 8 a.m.
“Miami Fire Rescue responded to the scene after a drilling rig fell onto three vehicles near SE 12th Street and Brickell Bay Drive,” Miami Fire Rescue stated in a post on X.
“Technical Rescue Team units worked to safely rescue two victims trapped inside a crushed dumpster. Fortunately, the four patients transported were in stable condition.”
Firefighters rescued two construction workers, aged 27 and 29, who had been trapped inside the crushed construction dumpster, Miami Fire Chief Robert Hevia explained during a press conference.
Crews simultaneously extinguished a fire that broke out after the crane crushed a BMW, Hevia said.
“Watching the crane fall, reversing the car, and getting out the back while the car was burning… it was truly incredible,” he said, describing how the BMW driver managed to escape the burning vehicle.
The truck also crushed two empty parked cars, he said. A crane arm collapsed onto the rooftop pool area of a Miami apartment building, leaving workers clinging to the structure as it dangled in mid-air.
The two workers—the 47-year-old platform operator and the driver of the BMW—were taken to local hospitals with minor injuries, he said. Hevia also confirmed that all 18 construction workers who had been on-site were accounted for.
“It was a very complicated situation with a fire underway; our crews were extinguishing the blaze while our technical rescue team worked simultaneously to open the Conex container—the construction site container—and they managed to rescue the two victims,” Hevia said.
Early Monday, the Miami Police Department asked drivers to avoid the area.
“Due to a crane collapse, Brickell Bay Drive is currently closed between SE 12th Street and SE 13th Street. Drivers are advised to avoid the area, seek alternate routes, and anticipate delays. Please exercise caution and follow the directions of officers on the scene,” Miami Police wrote on X.
Authorities have not yet stated what caused the collapse. Hevia said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is investigating the incident.
