Four people were injured Monday morning after an approximately 85-foot drilling rig collapsed at a construction site in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood, striking several vehicles and trapping two workers inside a crushed construction container.
The collapse happened shortly after 8 a.m. near Brickell Bay Drive and Southeast 12th Street, where emergency crews were called to a chaotic scene involving the fallen equipment, a vehicle fire and workers trapped in the wreckage.
Miami Fire-Rescue’s technical rescue teams worked to reach the two trapped construction workers while other firefighters dealt with a fire that started after the rig landed on a white SUV. Crews used specialized cutting equipment to open the damaged container and free the workers.
The two workers, along with the rig operator and the driver of the SUV, were taken to hospitals. Officials said the four injured people were in stable condition, and no deaths were reported.
Driver escaped as rig came down
The SUV driver was traveling south on Brickell Bay Drive when she saw the equipment begin to fall. According to Miami Fire-Rescue Chief Robert Hevia, she was able to move the vehicle backward just enough to escape before the rig struck it.
The SUV caught fire after being hit. Firefighters extinguished the flames and checked the vehicle to make sure no one else was trapped.
Two additional vehicles that were parked in the area were also crushed by the falling equipment. The rig came down across part of Brickell Bay Drive, creating a difficult scene for rescue crews and temporarily disrupting traffic in the area.
Two workers rescued from crushed container
The collapse also brought down a construction container containing two workers. Rescue personnel had to cut through the damaged metal structure to reach them.
The workers were eventually removed from the wreckage and transported for medical treatment. The rig operator was also injured after jumping from the equipment as it began to topple.
All 18 workers at the construction site were accounted for after the incident, according to officials.
About 50 Miami Fire-Rescue personnel responded to the scene. Crews also dealt with a fuel spill and remained in the area to help prevent the spill from spreading until specialized cleanup personnel could take over.
Cause of collapse remains under investigation
Officials have not announced what caused the drilling rig to fall.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration responded to the site as part of the investigation. Miami-Dade County Unsafe Structures personnel also responded because of the location and the nature of the construction project.
At this point, authorities have not publicly attributed the collapse to equipment failure, ground conditions, construction procedures or any other specific cause. The investigation is ongoing.
Collapse happened at future Citadel headquarters site
The construction project is connected to the future headquarters being developed for Citadel, the hedge fund founded by billionaire Ken Griffin. The project is being developed with Related Companies and is planned as a major office development in Brickell.
A Related Companies spokesperson said the developer was cooperating with city and county authorities while the site was secured and the incident investigated. The company also said the safety of workers and the surrounding community was its top priority.
The accident comes as Brickell continues to see major construction activity, with large development projects operating close to busy streets and residential and commercial buildings.
For now, investigators are focused on determining why the rig collapsed. While the damage to the vehicles and construction equipment was substantial, officials said the outcome could have been much worse given the size of the rig and the number of people in the area when it fell.
